Gallery: Designers, Classic Playing-Card Maker Win Big on Kickstarter
01necronomicon
Aspiring artists have customarily emphasized canvas and poster to display their talents, while co-opting the t-shirt as a medium starting in the 1950s and 1960s. Now, a new batch of designers are turning to a more venerable channel as an artistic outlet — the traditional deck of playing cards. And their use of 21st-century tools like Kickstarter are bringing a certain 19th-century company a new era of success. Over 137 years, the [United States Playing Card Company](http://www.usplayingcard.com/) has grown from a four-person partnership into a globally recognized presence. The Erlanger, Kentucky-based company stocks casinos (and David Blaine) with its Bicycle, Hoyle, and Aviator-brand cards — some of which pre-date the company itself, having beginnings in the 1700s. The company doesn't just make the same sets of cards over and over, though. Its printing presses are also able to create custom decks. The program has grown over the years with a small community of card artists producing limited editions — but new designers, taking advantage of Kickstarter's promotional power, have upped the ante. In just the last few months the crowdfunding site has fostered [dozens](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&term=playing+card) of 52-card projects by these independent designers, raising over $600,000 in aggregate. "I've definitely seen an increase in the past few months that has had us re-organize the structure of the custom team to designate me as the point of contact for Kickstarter customers," says Tiffany Mahan, the brand manager for custom projects. "It's very exciting for us." Kickstarter has essentially become the front end that turns the USPCC into the [Threadless](http://beta.threadless.com/) of playing cards. Instead of having a website that allows creators to submit and vote on designs, Kickstarter draws fans in and lets the marketplace decide which hands to hold and which to fold. It's also an exciting development for creators. A successful Kickstarter project leaves the creator flush with cash, but their projects often flop because they're blind to the complexities of manufacturing. This leaves the artist with a busted bank account and sends backers up a river. The USPCC provides a flexible, but nearly foolproof, structure on which designers can build a unique product that reflects their style. Most importantly it gives them the confidence to go all in on a project and know they won't bust — the art may be ugly, but the cards will be produced properly. The process to create a custom deck is straightforward. "A project begins when an artist contacts me for pricing and with questions about artwork specifications, print guidelines, and custom options to get the layout for their Kickstarter project," says Mahan. "When the Kickstarter project is fully funded and they are ready to start the process of printing a custom deck with us, they send us their art files in our designated templates." From there it takes the prepress group a week to prep them and send proofs to customers. A contract is signed and a month later the project creator has a full house of custom decks. The USPCC also offers custom boxes, premium paper, embossing, foil stamping, gilding, and other options. The Bicycle brand and logo can even be used on a custom deck for an upcharge, and pending a rigorous review process. The ten following projects were all funded on Kickstarter, manufactured by the USPCC, and show how a dose of crowdfunding can reinvigorate a low tech company. Designers have just begun to scratch the surface of partnerships like this one and there is no limit on how big they could become. __Above:__ Necronomicon and Mythos by 4PM Designs -------------------------------------- __[Mythos: Necronomicon Playing Cards](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4pm/mythos-necronomicon-playing-cards-printed-by-uspcc?ref=live) — $42,660 pledged__ __[The Grid: A Playing Card Deck](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4pm/the-grid-a-playing-card-deck-by-4pm-designs) — $47,444 pledged__ The sheer number of options available to creators can be a bit overwhelming. "On my first deck 'The Grid' I didn't even know how many options I could have when it came to the overall deck," says 4PM Design's Pablo M., the mysterious creative director of the project. "On my second deck 'Mythos: Necronomicon' I wanted to explore more of the features and quality the USPCC provided. I also experimented with their tuck box options and had a type of foil that they no longer produced in mass quantity anymore. It was overall a bit more expensive to produce, almost double the cost of 'The Grid', but it produced a great product that I'm extremely proud of." The extra time and effort paid off. The first production run of 5,000 deck sold out quickly at retail and a second edition of 1,500 decks was commissioned immediately.  *Photos: [4PM Designs](http://4pmdesigns.webs.com/mythos-necronomicon-deck)*
02pedale
Pedale Design ------------- __[A Deck of Playing Cards by Pedale Design](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1537415287/a-deck-of-playing-cards-by-pedale-design?ref=live) — $146,596 pledged__ Tyler Deeb is the owner of an illustration and design firm that paired up the USPCC and Kickstarter to bring his vision of arty playing cards to market. "I had made several phone calls to printing companies, troubleshooting with them on the best way to execute quality playing card print stock, but every time I got off the phone with them, I was left feeling like they had no idea what they were talking about," says Deeb. "Throughout all of my research on printing companies for my deck of cards, the solution was sitting on my desk, staring at me. I had a deck of playing cards sitting on my desk for weeks. And on the side of the tuck box, in big bold letters read 'Printed by The United States Playing Card Co.'." With nearly $150,000 in the pot from his Kickstarter campaign, Deeb ran one of the rare Kickstarter projects that shipped on time. His campaign ended November 1st, 2012, and by December 18th of the same year backers had their rewards. "Getting the cards printed in time to ship them to my backers before Dec. 18th was an absolute roller coaster," says Deeb. "Myself and several friends collectively worked over 400 hours in just fulfillment." Fulfilling the first 4,000 orders has kept Deeb busy, but he has plans to make his cards available to card sharps and design fans later this month. *Photo: [Pedale Design](http://pedaledesign.com/)*
03army-card
The Circle City Card Company ---------------------------- __[Army Men Playing Card Deck](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/onefreehour/bicycle-army-men-playing-cards-deck?ref=live) — $16,253 pledged__ __[Brimstone Metallic Gold Accented Playing Cards](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017676492/brimstone-metallic-gold-accented-card-deck?ref=users) — $20,983 pledged__ __[Revision 1: Drafting Themed Playing Cards](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/onefreehour/revision-1-drafting-themed-playing-cards?ref=live) — $26,681 pledged__ __[Americana Playing Card Deck](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017676492/americana-playing-card-deck?ref=live) — $26,953 pledged__ __[Quicksilver Playing Card Deck](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017676492/quicksilver-playing-card-deck?ref=live) — $50,871__ For some, the combination of Kickstarter and the USPCC has created a platform upon which thriving businesses can be built. The Circle City Card Company was formed when two creators of successful card campaigns joined forces. This company specializes in sourcing new designs and distributing them to hard core fans, called "Cardists." "I have seen other Kickstarter projects fail because they were going with a cheaper Asian printer, only to be relaunched on Kickstarter being printed by USPCC, and have a successful project the second time," says Russel Kercheval, one of the Circle City founders. "There are other manufacturers in the USA that we have looked at, and while they do produce fine products at a great price, the collectors demand USPCC to be the manufacturer." The only downside to selling through Kickstarter is that the market ends up getting saturated quickly. "Most designers that I have spoken to have done between 50-90% of their 'sales' through Kickstarter," says Kercheval. "The numbers fall off pretty quick, but by then you have a fantastic base of fans that know your name and cards. It is crucial during the campaign to make sure you have a presence all lined up for after Kickstarter to continue to market your company and your decks."  *Photos: [Circle City Cards](http://www.circlecitycards.com/)*
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Medusa Playing Cards by Wen Yu Li --------------------------------- __[$18,789 pledged](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1188790300/medusa-playing-card-deck?ref=live)__ The turnkey service offered by the USPCC lets creators easily expand the reach of their IP. In this case, the designer already had a roster full of characters and an established design aesthetic that could easily be applied to the playing card format. The cards help serve as a gateway into other products and create more revenue in the short term. *Photo: [Kai Nesbit](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1188790300/medusa-playing-card-deck)*
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Cthulhu Playing Cards by Albino Dragon -------------------------------------- __[$96,583 pledged](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1460165270/cthulhu-playing-cards?ref=live)__ Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic entity was an unlikely candidate for playing card stardom, but a deck inspired by his horrible visage has become one of the top earners in its category. Just because the manufacturing challenges are handled by the USPCC doesn't mean everything will be smooth sailing, especially when dealing with pop culture properties. "We had to stop our campaign for a few days in order to resolve trademark infringement disputes," says Dahlman. "The community support from Kickstarter during this conflict was absolutely amazing with many of our backers offering legal support, additional donations to offset legal expenses, and many removing their funding from the company's Kickstarter that was running concurrently. We resolved everything amicably but it was definitely a very emotionally charged point in the campaign." Dahlman notes that having post-Kickstarter fulfilment ready is important. "Right after the project we saw the decks going for $30 on Ebay." says Dalman, quite a mark up from the original price of nine dollars. *Photo: [Albino Dragon](http://albinodragon.com/)*
06alice
The White Rabbit Playing Cards by Shane Tyree --------------------------------------------- __[$38,470 pledged](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1460165270/the-white-rabbit-playing-cards)__ Erik Dahlman had so much success with his Cthulhu deck, he decided to push his luck and see if the backers would follow him down the rabbit hole with an *Alice in Wonderland* themed deck designed by artist Shane Tyree. The new deck was successful, but there were bumps like seals on boxes being mixed up and some odd quality control issues. Dahlman also warn that a successful campaign can lead to a strained back. "One thing I would not recommend is carrying 34 cases of cards up three flights of stairs."  *Photo: [Albino Dragon](http://albinodragon.com/)*
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Spectrum Deck ------------- __[$21,141 pledged](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1790617455/the-spectrum-deck?ref=live)__ The USPCC isn't just about card games — magicians are also a key demographic. Magic man Cosmo Solano took advantage of their flexible printing capabilities to produce a deck of cards where each card back was printed in a unique color creating a smooth gradient. A deck like this would be a disaster for inexperienced players, or the greatest thing ever for a shark, but adds a dash of color to an illusionist's flourishes, arm spreads, and other deceptions. *Photo: [Tricksite](http://www.tricksite.com/ts-zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23)*
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Bohemia Playing Card Deck ------------------------- __[$46,078 pledged](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1244376122/bohemia-playing-cards-deck?ref=live)__ Even pros have problems occasionally and the arty, repeating design of this deck proved challenging for the USPCC. The Bohemia deck went through three full print runs before the designers were satisfied with the quality — costing the creators a shot at a placement in the New York Times holiday gift guide and creating some disappointed fans. In the end, the cards finally shipped — a straight flush has never been more stylish. *Photo: [Uusi](http://uusi.us/)*
09core-playing-cards-wired-design
Core Playing Cards ------------------ __[$19,280 pledged](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tniou3/core-playing-cards?ref=live)__ One of the most interesting aspects of the USPCC's customization offering is their willingness to license the "Bicycle" brand, for a $0.50 fee, to anyone who can produce quality artwork. "Using the Bicycle name was pretty simple because it is an option that is available," says Timothy Niou, a first time deck designer. "There are some additional design guidelines for the tuck case to incorporate the Bicycle name into it. Although going with the Bicycle brand is the more expensive option, I opted to go with it because of the name recognition and me being an unknown in the card design industry." *Photo: [Timothy Niou](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tniou3/core-playing-cards)*
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The Hedge Playing Card Deck --------------------------- __[$6,805 pledged](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/farocards/the-hedge-bicycle-playing-card-deck?ref=live)__ Playing card Kickstarter campaigns have been able to raise outsize sums by reusing the deck designs in higher value packages. Uncut sheets of cards are a popular perk and can be reused as posters. This campaign has created a book that explains each card's history and little known facts as a way to bump up pledges. *Photo: [Faro Cards](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/farocards/the-hedge-bicycle-playing-card-deck?ref=live)*
