UnitedCardists.com - The forum for Cardistry, Magic, Custom Decks and All Things Playing Cards.

EDIT: NOW LIVE on Kickstarter here:



Hey all, I've got a new project launching soon (it looks like Cardistry Club will most likely be put on the back burner for a bit):
Vanda Standard Playing Cards

I've been wanting to create a standard-style deck under the Vanda brand for a while and tried various iterations in the past but wasn't happy with the results, however I'm happy to announce that I've finally come up with a design that I really feel good about and I hope you'll enjoy. The back design is based on the Aladdin "Dome-back" deck and the courts are a stylized reworking of the beautiful court cards that Srdjan illustrated for the Earth deck of The Planets. I've tried to keep the pricing as reasonable as possible since as a standard deck it's intended to be used. The upgraded versions of the deck listed in the progress thread may be available as stretch goals to be unlocked later.

You can see the draft progress thread here:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=14040

And preview the Kickstarter campaign here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/go ... n=27d542e3

I appreciate the front, but the backs... why?

Aladdin 1001 Vintage Dome Back Playing Cards:






EDIT:

I see that this is an adaptation of the Aladdin Dome Backs, but wouldn't you be worried if someone decides to make the uncanny comparison and say that Vanda is ripping off the design? (And just shortly after the controversy of Bocopo too.)

I really like the courts at least

As mentioned on the Kickstarter page, here is the thought behind this deck:

"In our past projects we've really tried to push the envelope creatively with redesigning a deck of playing cards in different styles and aesthetics. But this project is about taking a look at how to refresh the basics that have become standard through the years in card decks. The Vanda Standard deck takes inspiration from tradition and includes subtle adjustments to familiar elements."

I wanted to incorporate some very traditional elements from past decks and I find the dome-back design to be much more visually compelling than the standard Bicycle-style back design.

Curious what your beef is exactly with the dome-style back design...

As I've edited above:

I see that this is an adaptation of the Aladdin Dome Backs, but wouldn't you be worried if someone decides to make the uncanny comparison and say that Vanda is ripping off the design? (And just shortly after the controversy of Bocopo's rip-off/plagiarism too?)

Decknowledgy wrote:As I've edited above:

I see that this is an adaptation of the Aladdin Dome Backs, but wouldn't you be worried if someone decides to make the uncanny comparison and say that Vanda is ripping off the design? (And just shortly after the controversy of Bocopo's rip-off/plagiarism too?)

I'm using it as inspiration, not ripping it off, and I've given credit to the original design source, which is pretty much never mentioned by any of the "ripoffs" of the standard Bicycle back design that are essentially only changing a single element on the back and using the original artwork as is otherwise. It's one thing to use inspiration and pay homage to a classic design, it's something else entirely to copy something and try to pass it off as an original creation. I certainly don't intend to do the latter.

EDIT: perhaps I should be more explicit in the campaign and show the actual comparison of the original dome-back design next to the Vanda Standard version.

Alright, I guess that's a fair point, as long as the original is being paid homage, I'm happy with that. Probably I had been quite taken aback by Bocopo's management that I react quickly to these things.

Decknowledgy wrote:Alright, I guess that's a fair point, as long as the original is being paid homage, I'm happy with that. Probably I had been quite taken aback by Bocopo's management that I react quickly to these things.

I added an image to the kickstarter page that clearly shows the original Aladdin design in a side-by-side comparison to the Vanda version.

I have backed almost all Vanda projects all the way from Polaris. These Standards are decent - a nice update of Aladdin's. But I look at them and they don't look like Vanda to me. Am I expecting too much?

Cardistry Club was way cooler than these And where is Stories??

hsbc wrote:Cardistry Club was way cooler than these And where is Stories??

Cardistry Club is still a work in progress...we'll be at Cardistry Con with the ZERO deck and some other fun/cool stuff.

Stories is still in progress but we're getting there...probably launching that later this summer, depending on how everything goes with finalizing details.

There's also another project coming soon that I haven't announced yet but will be sharing shortly...

But for now, Vanda Standard! C'mon guys...as I said, this deck isn't an creative envelope-pusher...it's more of a refined look at tradition. It could be a good staple deck to have

I'm still excited for these, but the more I look, the more I wish the standard courts had the color treatment that the premium are supposed to have. Given that even the cheapest Bicycle deck has color courts, there doesn't seem to be a compelling enough "artistic" reason for the mono-colored courts in the standard version.

I actually like the deck a lot. Simple often does it.

davegk wrote:Cardistry Club is still a work in progress...we'll be at Cardistry Con with the ZERO deck and some other fun/cool stuff.

Good to hear! Part of me wishes that you'd let the campaign run its course - I've seen projects get funded on the last day! Though I'm sure the economics are different with three separate decks I just really like the Cardistry Club designs is what I'm trying to say

wingedpotato wrote:I'm still excited for these, but the more I look, the more I wish the standard courts had the color treatment that the premium are supposed to have. Given that even the cheapest Bicycle deck has color courts, there doesn't seem to be a compelling enough "artistic" reason for the mono-colored courts in the standard version.

This is an excellent point - could you perhaps color in just a few elements with the same red/blue as the backs of the cards?

I've played with a number of variations on the colors (see below). Personally I think the monochrome courts are very stylish and have more of a classic feel to them, but curious what you guys think...

Thanks for showing these. The middle column and the column second from the right "pop" the most for me. The only one I really don't like is the second column from the left.

Second from the left is my favorite

wingedpotato wrote:The only one I really don't like is the second column from the left.

hsbc wrote:Second from the left is my favorite

And THIS is exactly why at the end of the day I'm left to make the design choices around here Everyone has completely different preferences and I can't make all of you happy at the same time :p

2nd to the right makes most sense to me for a standard distinguishable black and red suits

I actually like column 4 and column 5. I may be in the minority by I do like the monochrome option also.

2nd from the left is my favorite, when I consider that the cards have a blue back. 2nd from the right is the best overall.
First from the right is the worst. Monochromatic back + monochromatic fronts, not the best choice, imo.

Middle KoC for me and 4th from left KoD for me makes the most sense for a Standard deck in terms of playability. The colours pop the most with the background making it clear it's black or red at a distance.

To add to the wide-ranging views, my preference would be to go for the monochromatic versions. It is a simple and straightforward deck and all the other options are a bit too loud for that.

I like columns 1 and 4.

davegk wrote:

wingedpotato wrote:The only one I really don't like is the second column from the left.

hsbc wrote:Second from the left is my favorite

And THIS is exactly why at the end of the day I'm left to make the design choices around here Everyone has completely different preferences and I can't make all of you happy at the same time :p

Yeah, but, you could make ME happy and that's all that matters...

TwoPiece wrote:

davegk wrote:

wingedpotato wrote:The only one I really don't like is the second column from the left.

hsbc wrote:Second from the left is my favorite

And THIS is exactly why at the end of the day I'm left to make the design choices around here Everyone has completely different preferences and I can't make all of you happy at the same time :p

Yeah, but, you could make ME happy and that's all that matters...

I dont know if anyone has that much time on earth...Duncan MacLeon mbe....

I like columns 1 3 and 4.

Sent from my Galaxy 8 using Tapatalk

3

macstrat wrote:

TwoPiece wrote:Yeah, but, you could make ME happy and that's all that matters...

I dont know if anyone has that much time on earth...Duncan MacLeon mbe....

3 or 4 for me. 3 bit better than 4.