STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

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STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

Hello UC,

here is a sneak peek at the designs for a new deck design called STEEPED. This deck celebrates Teas of India with the 4 suits representing 4 different regional teas.

Spades = Nilgiri / Diamonds = Kangra / Clubs = Assam / Hearts = Darjeeling

Sign up to the prelaunch page here... https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sq ... ory_id=273

I wanted to use some popping colour and create a deck with a fun aesthetic. The deck will have pink foil gilt edge and will have a soft touch or matt tuck. Obviously the design is quite far along however, thoughts are always welcome.
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DEMO 1 small.jpg
DEMO 2.jpg
Stacey Jay Kelly - playing card designer @ Squiddle Ink // Instagram: https://bit.ly/3Uq4UWD // Webstore: https://squiddleinkshop.com/
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

Courts and pips
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DEMO 4.jpg
DEMO 5.jpg
demo 6 small.jpg
Stacey Jay Kelly - playing card designer @ Squiddle Ink // Instagram: https://bit.ly/3Uq4UWD // Webstore: https://squiddleinkshop.com/
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

Pips and Aces
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demo 4 small.jpg
demo 5 small.jpg
Stacey Jay Kelly - playing card designer @ Squiddle Ink // Instagram: https://bit.ly/3Uq4UWD // Webstore: https://squiddleinkshop.com/
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Honeybee »

I really like the vivid tuck, back and courts. The pips and Aces post does not look as vivid but that may be a pic size thing as the large ToD pic in post 2 seems to match/work well with the Queen
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

Honeybee wrote: Thu Mar 06, 2025 4:23 pm I really like the vivid tuck, back and courts. The pips and Aces post does not look as vivid but that may be a pic size thing as the large ToD pic in post 2 seems to match/work well with the Queen
Yes pip image is just a screen grab so may look different. I've added more mock ups above to demo more clearly.
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by kevork »

The hands on the back look a bit flat to me but Ilike the art so far!
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by GandalfPC »

Nice!
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by rousselle »

Who knew that tea could be so psychedelic?
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

I know right? I wanted the colours to pop and reflect the maximalist decor seen in India
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by manu »

I love the vibrant colors, and I’m a big tea fan so this deck is right up my alley.

Only one possible area of concern stands out to me: aren’t the skin tones a little too light for a deck themed around India? Please don’t take this the wrong way—I don’t mean this as an attack, just a genuine question.

The design itself is super fun and I’m looking forward to seeing more.
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Honeybee »

An interesting point manu
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

manu wrote: Wed Mar 12, 2025 4:03 pm I love the vibrant colors, and I’m a big tea fan so this deck is right up my alley.

Only one possible area of concern stands out to me: aren’t the skin tones a little too light for a deck themed around India? Please don’t take this the wrong way—I don’t mean this as an attack, just a genuine question.

The design itself is super fun and I’m looking forward to seeing more.
No worries at all, its a valid point and one I've mulled over already. I'm not too worried about this since contrast is the more important factor and this not a photorealistic deck. I will be pantone matching the colours and intend to select a slightly more saturated colour for skin tone. I of course experimented with different tones and found the slightly lighter shade gave some relief against the other bold pop colours, but your are right, it is desaturated which could be an issue. I will provide an update once my pantones are selected which will reflect the final colours more precisely.
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Adamthinks »

I'm digging the heck out of these.
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

Jack and Queen of Clubs
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

Elephant Jokers
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Honeybee »

The elephants are the perfect jokers for an Indian tea deck but they're not in the same league as the fantastic courts
If the whole elephant was patterned maybe. I am not sold on the cup
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Squiddle_Ink »

I'm inclined to agree,

I have played with a few iterations of these and spent hours pouring over my printouts. I think I am happy to ditch the cup version in favour of having two Jokers in a similar seating position in different colourways. I also prefer the image with the solid leaves in the background as it feels more full.
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Screen Shot 2025-03-25 at 19.42.08.png
Screen Shot 2025-03-25 at 19.42.10.png
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Re: STEEPED - by Squiddle Ink

Unread post by Honeybee »

I like. The solid leaves was a good idea. I was going to say that I felt the jokers were a bit empty compared to the courts but didn't as jokers generally are but now you have improved them in that regard too.
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