MEMENTO a new bycicle deck based on Hystory

[Eoghann]

Love it! 23 daggers, ouch!

One suggestion? The center dagger, the one right on the X, it's making the court card one sided. Kind of defeating the purpose of mirroring the artwork.

[Valerio]

yeah but they have to be 23... can't mirror a 23...

[Eoghann]

Can't argue with history.

How about....instead of a dagger you make the center one a bleeding wound instead? Too gruesome? That could make the court symmetrical.
Regardless, I don't exactly mind one way courts, but a lot of people might object to it.

[Valerio]

I could try with a wound.. It will have to bleed on both sides though....

[Valerio]

Update in the first post!

[Valerio]

The back

[MagikFingerz]

Very many have done the "4 suits on back design", and it almost never works. It makes the back asymmetrical and one-way, which is not what most seem to prefer. In my personal opinion back designs SHOULD be mirrored, it is what separates a good playing card back design from any other type of design.

Another thing to keep in mind is that most people look at the top half first. That back has the pips right way in the bottom half.

I like the kinda "3D room" effect it's got going on though, and the center part is very nice.

[Eoghann]

Aside from the corner pips, I really really like everything else. I agree with Tom in making the back symmetrical. Perhaps working all four pips into each circle if you really want them there. Although I think the back could very well do without them at all.

[zev hoover]

I agree, put something else in the corners and you have a killer design. one thing, I think your center radial thing with all the lines is not symmetrical. if you just rotate it a smidgen it would be.

oh, and also I think that in the dot fields, you should make the dots a little smaller, or further apart. they seem to be touching, which doesn't really look that good.

seriously though, awesome design.

[MagikFingerz]

I agree, put something else in the corners and you have a killer design. one thing, I think your center radial thing with all the lines is not symmetrical. if you just rotate it a smidgen it would be.

oh, and also I think that in the dot fields, you should make the dots a little smaller, or further apart. they seem to be touching, which doesn't really look that good.

seriously though, awesome design.

The center piece not being symmetrical could be a subtle way of making it a one-way, ie not noticable unless you look very closely or know about it (useful for magicians). Although things like that are usually closer to the edge so as to be visible without having to see the whole back (ie in spreads and fans).

The dots I feel are working the way the are, I think it might be intentional for them to be so close. Makes it look like they are the "floor" in a room (the "borders" in the corners have that 3D effect to look like walls).

[zev hoover]

with the suits being where they are, a subtle one way element is not really necessary, and as you said is almost useless in the middle.

as for the dots, I think the dots on a rider back (for example) look much cleaner, but that could be partially ink bleeding. I think it is also how they sort of wrap around the objects around them, and are not just a smattering.

[MagikFingerz]

with the suits being where they are, a subtle one way element is not really necessary, and as you said is almost useless in the middle.

as for the dots, I think the dots on a rider back (for example) look much cleaner, but that could be partially ink bleeding. I think it is also how they sort of wrap around the objects around them, and are not just a smattering.

True. Hopefully the suits in the corners will be removed/replaced.

As for the dots, it shouldn't be a problem to make a few quick mock-ups for comparison.

[zev hoover]

ok, on further inspection the thing in the middle IS semiotical oops. just doesn't look like it. my bad. I am working on a mock up of the dots.

[zev hoover]

sorry for being so long, here it is. I replaced the upper right dots with ones I prefer. just preference really though.

[Valerio]

They actually do look better!
I'll try to do something similar.

[Valerio]

another shot...

4 diferent kinds of "dotting" tecnique...

Wich one is the best?!?!?

[Eoghann]

Top right.

[MagikFingerz]

Top left spade definitely looks best, though I have to admit that zev's mock-up looks even better. Maybe use something like that and have the pips be white?

Btw, I think you've made the center piece too busy, it was better before IMO. The simpler one would also fit more with the "starry night" type of background that zev made.

[Eoghann]

I second the less busy center. It gets pretty lost with the new design. Stood out more before.

[Valerio]

yeah sry forgot to say that the center is the same as the old one this is just a try for the dos...

[Valerio]

Another Try....
Have a look at the center... the other one comes out to be to small in the printed version...

Working on the zev point design...

[zev hoover]

I like the newest version, but it is kind of even density, if you know what I mean. I think you should make the dots sparser, and make the pips in the dot fields white (or black in the inverted version).

still not sure I prefer this layout to the old one, but I cant really think what you would put in the corners with that 4 cercle design.

also, I would go back to the first center design. I think even less dense is better. also I recommend looking at the dot fields on a Bicycle rider back, something like that would look fantastic. it was sort of what I was going for.

[Valerio]

Have a look at the aces...

Ace of spades, Death
Ace of clubs, Knowledge
Ace of hearts, Love
Ace of Diamonds Ambition.

[volantangel]

Nice aces, but i think the words can definitely be bigger if you want them there, its close to unreadable.

[zev hoover]

also I think you could get a better font. something slightly vintage, to match the rest of the design.

[Valerio]

You mean for the words or the A ??

[volantangel]

I think he meant the A, which i agree as well, tonnes of better font out there for your choosing

[zev hoover]

yup, the A. the words are a little plain, but I like them. have a look at the Misc. Goods Co. font. something with some big serifs would look great.

[lolo]

Working on the zev point design...

There are blanck spaces near your diamonds pips...

Have a look at the aces...

The aces design looks great ! Perhaps designing ace of spade more specificly from the design of other aces could add value to the deck.

I don't like phrases (or words) on cards except for ace of spade (and eventually jokers) where a phrase could underline the theme. Here, i don't see the relation between the name/theme of the deck and the phrases. IMHO, these phrases add nothing to your theme/deck. But there are counter-examples ("black book of cards" or "Different Deck") where phrases or words **do** the design...

[Valerio]

Hi guys no updates yet but a question...

Do you know someone who can contact the bycicle team?

I'm deciding if printng the cards whit Modiano or Bycicle.
I tryed to contact Bycicle from the contact form in their website but they didn't answer yet and it has been a couple of weeks now.
Maybe some artists who already printed with them...

Do you know if it normally takes more?!?