Debbie Millman: Poetic Typography - from Deckstarter

[RandyButterfield]

The thing that irks me about this whole Deckstarter is their overall eliteist attitude and statements like this: "What if the very best designers, the ones busy making album covers, movie posters, tattoos for celebrities, and rebranding Fortune 500s, designed a deck of playing cards?"

As far as I can remember, Sam Hayles designs many album covers, Jackson has worked with major clients such as Lucasfilm and Coca-Cola, Paul has worked with major brands such as Oakley and has created some high-profile websites, Uusi's agency is very prolific in their non-card work and I work every day with major alcohol clients such as Absolut Vodka, Jameson, Malibu, Kahlua and many others. And that's only the Deck designers resumes I remember a little bit! I'm sure many of the other Deck Designers around here have similar strong resumes outside of the Playing Card industry.

The Deckstarter mentality and quality of work reminds me exactly why I let my HOW and PRINT subscriptions run out many years ago. To me it seemed like everything was either too safe and boring or the other extreme - unique just to be unique, but completely unusable for the intended client or audience (like the Millman Deck!).

Thanks, Randy

[MagikFingerz]

Good point, Randy. Like I've said numerous times before: A good designer is not necessarily a good DECK designer. I guess I should thank D$D for proving me right with this deck

[Mike Ratledge]

Well said, Paul! It might just be your opinion, but I share it and I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones.

Playing cards have certain rules and traditions that SHOULD be followed as often as possible. They CAN be broken, but it needs to be justified. If a deck can't follow these rules/traditions without justification, you're usually better off choosing a different medium.

One of the 'sacred' tenants (and rules) of kickstarter is that you can't back your own project. They are so stupid that not only do they show the amount (which of course is fine), they show precisely how much each person pledged every project, and if you look right now - that poor Millman person has more than 10% of her backing from two of the Buck boys. Damn, man - it's just a joke. I wish I could be kind, but it's so ludicrous that I can't find anything nice to say about it.

If you subtract the 5 uncut sheets that has been sold on her project, that leaves precisely 26 decks she has sold. *smh*

[nECr0MaNCeD]

Well said, Paul! It might just be your opinion, but I share it and I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones.

Playing cards have certain rules and traditions that SHOULD be followed as often as possible. They CAN be broken, but it needs to be justified. If a deck can't follow these rules/traditions without justification, you're usually better off choosing a different medium.

I couldn't have said it better. Doing something solely for the sake of doing it has never been a successful recipe for any venture.

[Mike Ratledge]

I don't like to make predictions, but you know the Buck twins promised these people the world, and what they are getting is a turd sandwich - one heaping pile o' shit served up on a public platform for everyone to see it go up in flames.

[volantangel]

Haha no comments section, otherwise a link to this page would be nice, very nice. 1.8k after two days, what projects can we compare this to ? Oh it has taken in less than the BE Refined deck that just launched today !

[Sher]

This lady has an impressive bio. This design looks like someone used an emboss filter way too much, though.

[Mike Ratledge]

This lady has an impressive bio. This design looks like someone used an emboss filter way too much, though.

That was exactly what I thought, Shermaine: she just has no clue what to do or how to design playing cards. Great resume and background, but playing cards? Not really...

You know we should feel a little sorry for those two chumps that D$D sold a huge load of crap to, because they're not the only ones that are looking like idiots. I'm sure both artists entered into the agreement with high hopes and a whole lot of promises about just how successful this would be, and as usual for the Buck twins, they have really shot themselves in the foot (feet?) again. Oh, well - live and learn, and I am betting these two people won't be hitching a ride with Dan and Dave again any time soon!

[rjtomlinson1977]

With only 4 days to go I noticed that both decks on dickstarter got a big boost recently. The typography deck is still very far from its goal but I'm sure if D$D keep increasing their pledge $500 a day maybe it will have a chance.

[badpete69]

My pledge got cancelled but my name is still showing in the backers. i wonder if it was even deducted from the project

[Mike Ratledge]

With only 4 days to go I noticed that both decks on dickstarter got a big boost recently. The typography deck is still very far from its goal but I'm sure if D$D keep increasing their pledge $500 a day maybe it will have a chance.

You never know. I told you they would do something shady. Remember me saying that the "Millman" deck on "DeckStarter.com" had a $600 pledge from Justin Buck added yesterday? Someone just pointed out to me that it's now it's been changed to read "Art of Play Buck" to protect the guilty. Also, $1,153 pledge from Maria Popova. She's good friends with Debbie (I cut out the URL/link to the evidence to protect the guilty). What you want to bet that it's Debbie herself trying to save face, and maybe get it even close to funded? I didn't say that, did I? Maybe so - when will it ever end?

There's another thread where Kai (volantangel) caught them claiming that a "New from scratch" deck design was actually a complete copy of a 50 year-old French deck with only the "K" / "D" / "B" indices changed to "K/Q/J" instead (i.e. French => English). *smh*

[Magic_Orthodoxy]

right now between Art of Play, Justin Buck (another brother / https://myspace.com/justin.buck/photos" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and Dave Buck the backing finances go over 2K between the 2 decks! And who knows who all of the "anonymous" backers are.

[badpete69]

Mike

They did not chamge their names those are additional pledges

Art of Play - Buck pledged for $575
Justin Buck pledged for $613
Dave Buck pledged for $92
There is also a second Justin Buck for $30

[Mike Ratledge]

Mike

They did not chamge their names those are additional pledges

Art of Play - Buck pledged for $575
Justin Buck pledged for $613
Dave Buck pledged for $92
There is also a second Justin Buck for $30

...and then there is the pledge from Debbie's art business partner for over $1600 that appeared overnight when it appeared there was no way in Hades it would fund ("hey, fund my deck and I'll pay you right back"), you would think they would try to be discrete with these now almost $3000 in pledge from only 4 backers, but - that's how the twiinz roll. Of course, it's also more than 60% of the total pledges for her deck. With 4 days to go it still needs another $4500. As I said before - mark my words - it will make it, if Dan, Dave, Justin and "Art of Play Buck" have to buy them all.

[MagikFingerz]

Who the hell is Justin Buck anyway? Did that make up a brother just to get another persona for a pledge? Look out for Bob and Andy Buck next

[badpete69]

Maybe their distant cousin Buck Naked will pledge ( for those old enough this is a Seinfield reference greates TV comedy IMO)

[Mike Ratledge]

Who the hell is Justin Buck anyway? Did that make up a brother just to get another persona for a pledge? Look out for Bob and Andy Buck next

He's their brother: runs "Art of Play" for them... Nice guy, actually - too bad he's mixed up with the twiinz.

[rjtomlinson1977]

I swear this deck jumped like 20% since I looked at it 24 hours ago. I wish I did an excel chart on this from the begining (like I do with my kickstarter projects) to see who's coming and going.

[snsdmonkey]

They've got 4k to fudge away in 3 days...can they do it? Of course they can...

[Stockholm17]

EPIC FAIL

[rjtomlinson1977]

I wonder if they have any other decks to crowdfund after these duds?

[Maddest Hammer]

I wonder if they have any other decks to crowdfund after these duds?

That's the biggest part I call "shenanigans" on. The fine print clearly states that these decks are "ready to ship" as soon as their completely random goal is met. No crowd funding to make them, they're already done. So if their "goal" isn't met, will they just sit in the warehouse, or will the suckers who "pledged" for them actually get them, or will they end up on Art of Play?

So, aside from them handing out THREE THOUSAND for FREE!!!, is this just a ploy on D$D to get their money back in one shot?

I call "Bullshit"

[wwpierce]

I know we keep beating these projects to death, but there is so much to beat up on...

PLEDGE $540
RETAILERS ONLY! Get 36 Decks at our exclusive wholesale price of 60% off. Each deck comes packaged inside our exclusive MagicPak™. Be among five retailers to offer this limited edition deck at an amazing deal.

Umm...

$540 / 36 decks = $15/deck
Base Price is $25/deck
$25 - 60% = $10/deck

$15 is 40% off...

$10 < $15 =

[Mike Ratledge]

I wonder if they have any other decks to crowdfund after these duds?

That's the biggest part I call "shenanigans" on. The fine print clearly states that these decks are "ready to ship" as soon as their completely random goal is met. No crowd funding to make them, they're already done. So if their "goal" isn't met, will they just sit in the warehouse, or will the suckers who "pledged" for them actually get them, or will they end up on Art of Play?

So, aside from them handing out THREE THOUSAND for FREE!!!, is this just a ploy on D$D to get their money back in one shot?

I call "Bullshit"

Well, folks - I suppose it's time for me to make a little (?) public announcement and bow out of discussion of the DeckStarter.com website for legal reasons. Let's just say that I think big, and I don't want to get caught up in the BS. Give me a little while and I'll disclose exactly what I'm talking about.

I said from the very beginning that this was going to be a fiasco, and the D$D had served up a steaming pile of pooh. I couldn't have been more correct!

[volantangel]

Hahah maybe they still need math lessons... But well good job on making the regular consumer feel even more shitty paying that $25 a deck

[Stockholm17]

yes but, MH
The backers have the right to buy whatever they want for the price they think it's affordable. That´s not the problem with debbie's deck.
De gustibus non est disputandum (In matters of taste, there can be no disputes)

the problem is that deckstarter is not a deck-starter.
It's a limited-edition-deck-seller. period.
No crowd funding. There is nothing to fund.
There is to refund the cost of production (partially), marketing, pay the designer and more.
Basically it is a crowd-re-funding website.

the whole concept is twisted in my opinion..
Sold as crowd funding for card deck designers, it´s a online shop where they sell "x" quantity of a produced deck. And you loose your privacy as well if you buy, since you are not backing.

[Maddest Hammer]

[Mirror]

the problem is that deckstarter is not a deck-starter.
It's a limited-edition-deck-seller. period.
No crowd funding. There is nothing to fund.
There is to refund the cost of production (partially), marketing, pay the designer and more.
Basically it is a crowd-re-funding website.

I'm pretty sure this is only true for those two launch decks because they already printed them for HOW live. I think after those two decks it will actually be a crowd-funding site, at least that's how I understood it.

[Stockholm17]

@Mirror

maybe, let´s wait. It was a very stupid start in my opinion.
I dont see the point with engaging Debbie the famous graphic designer and the concept of deck-starter.
Let´s wait the next in the pipeline.
cheers

[Mike Ratledge]

Hahah maybe they still need math lessons... But well good job on making the regular consumer feel even more shitty paying that $25 a deck

Which would only be more than double what you pay for the average "great" deck now (look at Heretic: they are $11 each), but when you add $5 shipping, it's $30 each, and you can get 3 decks for that - close enough. Sure, some decks are $12/$13/$14 even $15 now, but that's because they are not using the production discounts they should, or at least not passing it along to the backers. Now, if Lorenzo can afford to sell them for $11 each, and certainly less in bricks, what's the reason that they should be $30 each? That funky box nobody wants? In my mind that just makes them not fit in my collection.