qbix Playing Cards {RELAUNCHING ???}

[acgardesign]

SECOND UPDATE (3/7/19)

#1


#2


Kings (NEW REVEALS):
- Alright so we've got a reveal of the rest of the King designs! Woohoo, tell me what you think (remember they all use the mustaches from the Jacks, so you pretty much know what the Jacks will all look like... The mustaches without the beards!)
- I've gone ahead and ran with one of the background designs. This clearly represents an optical illusion that makes it look like parts of the card are splitting open. My only concern is whether it's too dark or not dark enough.
- I've also recolored the pips slightly to add a bit more contrast.



Tuck Case (NEW IDEA):
- So I've added a different idea (shown on the right). There's really not much changed, just removed the gradual card reveal on the front side and centered the logo and text.
- The 24 in the top right corner is more transparent now.
- I've also recolored the back side by adjusting the gradients and certain areas that were lighter. The back side of the tuck case is meant to tease the overall theme of the deck.
- It should also be clear that the diagonal band that runs across the front, side, and back will line up perfectly if three decks are standing next to each other showing the respective sides.



Jokers (NEW REVEAL):
- Utilized a minimal top-hat design to tie in a mustache and beard combo used from the King of Diamonds and King of Clubs.


EDIT: Forgot to mention I will be on vacation March 7th - 10th. Development will resume when I return. I will be checking the forums though for feedback and discussion in the evenings of the days I'll be gone. Again, I appreciate the amount of feedback that I've received so far. Everyone's comments have helped. Have a great weekend!

[STLBluesNut]

I like the #2 kings better bit I think the #1 kings may be fitting.

If the jacks are just the staches it may be a little too plain.

Sent from my Galaxy 8 using Tapatalk

[Decknowledgy]

This engagement with the community is awesome!
I prefer the #1 Kings since it ties more to the overall theme, and it has a Monumental Valley vibe:

screenshot-i.ytimg.com-2019.03.08-00-45-29.png (280.8 KiB) Viewed 5287 times

For the back design, I kinda feel that the tiny blue ribbon extension to break the borders are too subtle and lacks substance. If I were to make it bolder, I'd extend the separate black middle band all the way to both edges to amplify the cross-dimensional effect, something like this (forgive me for my lack of editing skills...):

But it's just a thought on how to make the back design stand out

[hsbc]

Oooh I like that idea a lot

[BaconWise]

Second update is fantastic. I don't think you can go wrong with #1 or #2 at this point. Looking forward to this launch!

[MagikFingerz]

Definitely #1 on the courts. Though I'm a bit dissappointed that they're so minimalistic and one-way, but "fixing" that would likely mean reworking the entire concept.

I like Decknowledgy's suggestion on the back a lot! If it clashes with your vision of the deck, you could do it for a second deck stretch goal or the next iteration of the deck further down the line (which would differentiate it more than just new colors).

I have a love-hate relationship with tucks that line up with each other like that. Love it because it looks great, but hate it because I have to buy more decks. Though I don't think I'd be too upset about "needing" to buy 3 of these

[acgardesign]

Welp, sorry for no replies during my vacation. I had basically zero cell-phone service where I was at... Yikes! My entire 5 hr drive back was almost white-out conditions, sketchyyyyyy. Hah!

If the jacks are just the staches it may be a little too plain.

That's a good note on the Jacks. I'll likely add a bit more to the background for the Jacks to fill in balance out the white-space and artwork.

This engagement with the community is awesome!
I prefer the #1 Kings since it ties more to the overall theme, and it has a Monumental Valley vibe:

For the back design, I kinda feel that the tiny blue ribbon extension to break the borders are too subtle and lacks substance. If I were to make it bolder, I'd extend the separate black middle band all the way to both edges to amplify the cross-dimensional effect, something like this (forgive me for my lack of editing skills.

I like engaging with the community. Imo it's very important in the design process for ANY product made available to the public, and I'm surprised that some of the big-name designers out there in the custom playing card industry don't do this sort of thing. I understand wanting to do projects that is purely based on the designer's vision, but allowing the community to help craft the design just adds a deeper dynamic between the designer and community.

It does seem a bit lacking with the adjusted angle the extended rectangle uses, which is why I originally had it angled to extend further down/up the card side(s). I actually think your suggestion would look really good, and I don't think I've seen any decks use such a large part of the design extend to the edge of the card without it being a fully borderless deck.

Second update is fantastic. I don't think you can go wrong with #1 or #2 at this point. Looking forward to this launch!

As am I!

Definitely #1 on the courts. Though I'm a bit dissappointed that they're so minimalistic and one-way, but "fixing" that would likely mean reworking the entire concept.

I like Decknowledgy's suggestion on the back a lot! If it clashes with your vision of the deck, you could do it for a second deck stretch goal or the next iteration of the deck further down the line (which would differentiate it more than just new colors).

I have a love-hate relationship with tucks that line up with each other like that. Love it because it looks great, but hate it because I have to buy more decks. Though I don't think I'd be too upset about "needing" to buy 3 of these

Indeed, eliminating the one-way design would require to rework the entire concept. I've tried so many variations to keep it completely symmetrical but it just looks too cluttered and/or small with the design choice I've gone with for the Jacks, Queens, and Kings.

As for Decknowledgy's suggestion, I also like it a lot and will post some renders of that change (and with other variations with his idea too) within the next few days.

Lol, well that's flattering! I certainly would appreciate that support!!!

[acgardesign]

NEW UPDATE (3/15/19)

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay on this update. Been quite busy with life and a flooding basement because of the quick thaw here in the midwest...! Not fun. Anyway, I've managed to pull some time together to revise the back side design edges, revise the court card backgrounds, reveal the jacks and queens, and show the revised jokers! All is organized in sections below.




Back Design (Revised... again):
Pretty small edit, but Decknowledgy gave a great idea to extend the diagonal band that crosses the card and extend it to the card edge to make the smaller green/blue band that extended to the card already look more unified with the rest of the design.



Kings (Revised... again):
Once again, I've recolored the pips so the overall deck doesn't seem as "dark". Also reworked the colors within the actual design of the beard & mustaches to increase contrast. I also think I've landed on a background design behind the beard & mustaches that I'm set on.



Queens (NEW REVEAL):
Woohoo, brand new content! Here are my first drafts for the lips for the Queens. The Queens will utilize the same background design as the Kings. I'm not sure about the small "shading" details I've put into the lips, I'd like some input on this section. I'm also probably going to redo the shape of the Queen of Diamond's lips.



Jacks (NEW REVEAL):
Woohoo, another new reveal! Sort of... You already knew the shapes of the mustaches from the Kings, although I think to utilize the space better I have two identical mustaches symmetrically placed. The background design is more minimal and not as complex to give a sense that the Jacks are not as evolved (kind of the precursor) as the Queen and Kings. To be honest, I think the Jacks are in its final stages. I'm happy with how the Jacks look.



Jokers (Revised... again):
I've also reworked the colors for the Jokers to add more contrast. The background design (two simple lines shooting up and down as if its "splitting" the card) is the same as the Jacks. I'm happy with how these look currently.



Aces (Revised... again):
The only thing that changed with the Aces; added the same background design from the Jacks and Jokers.

All in all, I think I'm very very close to completion for qbix! Super duper stoked. My main things I'm still working on is the tuck case (very close to being done) and the Queens. I think everything else is finalized or might need very minute adjustments. What do you all think?!

And of course, thank you all for being so supportive and constructive so far. I truly appreciate it.

[Decknowledgy]

Holy crap... this is pretty damn gorgeous!!
I think I've done my input here enough and pretty content with what I'm seeing now. I leave it to the others but I'm very much intrigued.

[MagikFingerz]

Just for consistency's sake, I think I would prefer the Jacks to be one-way like the Queens and Kings.

Other than that, this is all looking very good!

[BaconWise]

Really great look to these. I love where this is heading. My only suggestion would be to add some more variation to the queens. You have one with parted lips, then the others are all closed in the same way. Can you perhaps add a smirk to one of them or a subtle smile? That would be my only tweak. Nice work on these!

[acgardesign]

Just for consistency's sake, I think I would prefer the Jacks to be one-way like the Queens and Kings.

Other than that, this is all looking very good!

I'll post some samples of that either Monday or Tuesday (weekends are family time for me), along with a reworked tuck case.

Really great look to these. I love where this is heading. My only suggestion would be to add some more variation to the queens. You have one with parted lips, then the others are all closed in the same way. Can you perhaps add a smirk to one of them or a subtle smile? That would be my only tweak. Nice work on these!

That's a great suggestion, and I'll probably do it for the Queen of Diamonds because I generally don't like the how the lips ended up on them. Thanks for the suggestion!

[acgardesign]

***NEW UPDATE: 3/26/19***

Hello all,

I've been a busy man the past week and apologize for a late update. Good news is we are VERY CLOSE to completing the design. Once the design is complete I will be gathering logistics information (all potential pricing/costs that will dictate my required funding goal for the Kickstarter campaign). I'm currently weighing my options between Art of Play, PlayingCardDecks, and Gamblers Warehouse to help me with fulfillment.

Lets start this update off with gathering some data though. Because you guys have been so darn awesome and supportive, I'd love for you guys to dictate what I should do with the extra two cards that are provided in USPCC printed decks. USPCC playing card decks come with 56 cards; 52 standard, 2 jokers, and 2 extra cards. I've put together a very short survey through SurveyMonkey to gather answers from you all. There are a few options I've came up with that you can choose from (you can technically choose any number, but please limit your submission to 2 choices), although the last checkbox allows you to add your own comment(s) for suggestions on gaff ideas!

Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HP3K68Y

Onto the updates!


JACKS:
Per MagikFingerz' suggestion, I've gotten rid of the double mustache from the previous update and kept the Jacks to a single mustache. I like it!



QUEENS:
I've reworked the Queen of Diamond's and Club's lips to add variation. Respective suits (hearts/diamonds and spades/clubs) now feature one closed set of lips and one open set of lips.


JOKERS:
Reworked the purple Joker to utilize the lips from the Queen of Hearts. This change ties into the overall theme of the deck and was actually suggested by my girlfriend. I guess each Joker represents her and I, although artwork is to be experienced and interpreted at the viewer's discretion in the end.

If I were to do two extra Jokers (option on the survey), they would each have different hats and it would be another male/female combo.


ONCE AGAIN, thank's for all the feedback and communication so far (please don't forget to fill out my survey ). I can NOT freaking wait to launch this Kickstarter. I'm hoping to have everything figured out, calculated, and launched by mid spring or early summer. Prototypes will be ordered this week through MPC so I can do a photoshoot for social media and advertising to keep the ball rollin'!

[Decknowledgy]

These are absolutely nice! Already flawless IMO

[Timmargh]

These are absolutely nice! Already flawless IMO

Seconded.

[acgardesign]

These are absolutely nice! Already flawless IMO

Seconded.

Wowee! That's flattering. Thank you!

While waiting for more survey submissions, I'll be designing advertising collateral and the Kickstarter page. From what I've researched about making sure my first kickstarter project runs as smoothly as possible, there's a lot more to organize and finalize before launching. It is pretty daunting as I'm doing this completely on my own (designing, management, and etc), but I'm up for the task. Please bear with me while I work on the "boring" part of planning this project.

[BaconWise]

Wowee! That's flattering. Thank you!

While waiting for more survey submissions, I'll be designing advertising collateral and the Kickstarter page. From what I've researched about making sure my first kickstarter project runs as smoothly as possible, there's a lot more to organize and finalize before launching. It is pretty daunting as I'm doing this completely on my own (designing, management, and etc), but I'm up for the task. Please bear with me while I work on the "boring" part of planning this project.

I think you are WAY ahead of the game when it comes to preparation. I see so many projects that are half-assed and lack any kind of passion. I can tell you will exceed your goals easily and you will have a great launch. Looking forward to that KS drop

[acgardesign]

I think you are WAY ahead of the game when it comes to preparation. I see so many projects that are half-assed and lack any kind of passion. I can tell you will exceed your goals easily and you will have a great launch. Looking forward to that KS drop

I'd like to think I am, and hearing that makes me confident! Thank you

[Nova]

I think you have a very professional looking design, for some reason I find the colours you chose very satisfying to look at. Also I like the tuck, will surely support you when you launch your campaign.

Regarding your gaff/extra cards, I personally like a gaff that is at least unique to the deck, so a split card, a double card or something impossible like a 14 of clubs. Another option is to do something with your design. For example your jokers have a hat. You could make an extra card of that hat upside down with a rabbit coming out (styled like the rest of the deck) having a (for example) 2 of clubs in his mouth. Just an idea, but then it's sort of an extra joker and sort of a gaff card or a wink to the 'classic' rabbit out of the head trick.

Edit: Something like this (i hope you don't mind me messing around a little with your mockup)

Image1.png (37.6 KiB) Viewed 6448 times

[acgardesign]

I think you have a very professional looking design, for some reason I find the colours you chose very satisfying to look at. Also I like the tuck, will surely support you when you launch your campaign.

Regarding your gaff/extra cards, I personally like a gaff that is at least unique to the deck, so a split card, a double card or something impossible like a 14 of clubs. Another option is to do something with your design. For example your jokers have a hat. You could make an extra card of that hat upside down with a rabbit coming out (styled like the rest of the deck) having a (for example) 2 of clubs in his mouth. Just an idea, but then it's sort of an extra joker and sort of a gaff card or a wink to the 'classic' rabbit out of the head trick.

Edit: Something like this (i hope you don't mind me messing around a little with your mockup)

Image1.png

Thanks for the input Nova!

Based on the overall feedback from the survey I will be running with a black & white double backer, and a gaff card. I like the play on a gaff card that ties the Joker with another card within the deck. I'll brainstorm ideas. I think I'm going to leave the final decision of the last gaff card a secret. After-all, basically every design of this deck has been revealed except for the number cards (and now the last gaff card).

I've ordered the prototype deck through MPC and am just waiting on them to come in the mail to do a photoshoot.

[acgardesign]

INFORMATION UPDATE: 4/10/19

Quick update; the prototype decks ordered through MPC are delayed unfortunately. MPC is having some sort of mixup with my order I guess, they didn't give exact details unfortunately. New delivery date is stated to be 4/19 - 4/22. I've ordered the linen finish (non air-cushioned) and a matte tuck case. I didn't go with air-cushioned because these are purely prototypes and the only function is for photos. If you're familiar with USPCC custom decks, you won't be disappointed with the stock and finish I've chosen for them (very close to Monarchs).

Good news is that I've lined up a photographer (happens to be my oldest brother, haha) to help shoot high-quality photographs for the marketing campaign. He also has access to high-speed video recorders, so you betcha I'll be making a few teaser videos (~5 seconds each) and a launch video (30-45 seconds). Unfortunately though, development on these videos will have to wait until the darn prototypes are delivered... Oh well.

The only thing I'm missing is a cardistry performer. I'm not great at cardistry, can only do a few one-handed cuts, the wurm, thumb fan, faro fan, faro shuffle, and a few other things (nothing crazy like those compilation videos on YouTube). Do you all think a proper cardistry performer is needed? I know it'd make the teaser videos and launch video more entertaining, but I have basically zero contacts with anyone decent at cardistry. My idea right now is to have still photos and a few panning/zoom shots at full speed and slow-motion. The rest will be spiced up with a video editing (although not over the top and cheesy).

I've also completed my idea for the last extra card! Although I'm keeping this one under wraps to keep it a surprise for when you open the final product.

Sorry for the delay, my plan is still to launch this project this summer!

Thanks again.

[Decknowledgy]

Hey, I think you can try contacting @sus.deck on Instagram, he often helps shoot decks and is a cardist himself. If you really want to up the game, try contacting @more_than_paper

[acgardesign]

Hey, I think you can try contacting @sus.deck on Instagram, he often helps shoot decks and is a cardist himself. If you really want to up the game, try contacting @more_than_paper

Thank you for those suggestions! I'll for sure contact them.

[MagikFingerz]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop on the schedule!

Delays seem to be almost inevitable when printing decks, I think we (collectors) are all used to it by now, so don't worry about that.

As for cardistry, I personally think some good fans and spreads plus a werm or similar displays are enough to showcase the cards. Depending on the cost, I don't think hiring a "professional" cardist will bump up the sales enough to make it worth it (then again, I'm not the typical young youtuber cardist). If you're going to appeal to cardists (at least the youtube crowd), I would think it would be better to sponsor some posts by well-known cardists with lots of followers on social media. Don't know how common practice that is though.

[acgardesign]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop on the schedule!

Delays seem to be almost inevitable when printing decks, I think we (collectors) are all used to it by now, so don't worry about that.

As for cardistry, I personally think some good fans and spreads plus a werm or similar displays are enough to showcase the cards. Depending on the cost, I don't think hiring a "professional" cardist will bump up the sales enough to make it worth it (then again, I'm not the typical young youtuber cardist). If you're going to appeal to cardists (at least the youtube crowd), I would think it would be better to sponsor some posts by well-known cardists with lots of followers on social media. Don't know how common practice that is though.

Yea I had a feeling there were going to be hiccups in the prototype phase. I really hope things are seamless for the USPCC order if the campaign is funded. So far though, communication between them has been very delayed. They get back to me every 4-5 days or so (which is quite ridiculous imo), but that's probably because I'm not an "official" customer since I haven't placed an order with them yet. But... I'm trying to gather as much information from them as possible regarding colors, print stock, finish types, customizations, and etc, and the delay in responses are quite annoying.

I agree, I don't think it'd be super beneficial to hire a really good cardist. I think I can market the deck efficiently without one. Thanks for the input!

I'll keep this thread updated.

[acgardesign]

UPDATE 4/23/19

Alright, so the prototypes from MPC have came in. I ordered two copies with the linen finish (didn't do air-cushioned because they're just prototypes and the extra cost didn't warrant the extra charge). I've noticed a few changes I'll be making to the tuck case, seal, and a few cards (card changes will be minimal and you'll likely not notice them). Either way, I took some quick photos of a thumb-fan (i'm not perfect, bear with me lol)with my phone camera the other day while I wait for my brother to find free time to do a proper photoshoot and record high-speed video that I'll use in my marketing campaign.

Below are the photos. Of course, more revealing photographs will be taken and shown down the line. I'm saving those for the marketing campaign though.

Tuck Case (photo credit to Chase Gardner on Instagram; @chase.in.point):


The photo gave the back of the tuck case here a purple tint for some reason, keep this in mind.

Card Backs:



Card Faces:

[hsbc]

I'd get rid of the subtle drop shadow behind the letters and numbers. Also can't decide whether the type ought to be more standard. The fan looks great and I love the backs

[STLBluesNut]

This comment won't be very constructive I suppose.

While I am not usually a fan of many "cardistry" decks, I do like the backs of this deck. I feel it has much more design than many others out there. I say good job!

Sent from my Galaxy 8 using Tapatalk

[acgardesign]

I'd get rid of the subtle drop shadow behind the letters and numbers. Also can't decide whether the type ought to be more standard. The fan looks great and I love the backs

I think I might get rid of the subtle drop shadow behind the letters and numbers for the corners. I do have the same drop shadow on the larger sized pips on the number and court cards, but I think they suit nicely at that size. But you're right, it kind of makes the corners look a bit too clunky and I think it'd benefit without the drop shadows.

While I am not usually a fan of many "cardistry" decks, I do like the backs of this deck. I feel it has much more design than many others out there. I say good job!

I guess I didn't really design them solely for cardistry, they just so happen to look nice for cardistry! Haha. These are purely designed to tell a story about myself and/or being a family man. I appreciate your comment, thank you!

[acgardesign]

UPDATE (TEASER TRAILER): 5/8/2019



Sneak peek of the upcoming completely custom playing cards. All photos were shot by chase.in.point (my brother), you can find his social info below.

These will be printed through USPCC; playing card stock and finish are still being decided, tuck case will be printed on a matte stock and will have silver foiling on the final product.

Social Links:
https://behance.net/acgardesign/
https://instagram.com/acgardesign/
https://instagram.com/chase.in.point/

NOTE: Cards and tuck case in this video are from MPC and are prototypes only. Final product will be of higher quality with a similar design (minor changes are being made).