Collaboration Decks Produced by Art of Play

Art of Play is known for its fine collection of carefully curated decks of high quality playing cards, many of which are optimized for cardistry or for playing card games. Run by cardistry innovators and pioneers Dan and Dave Buck, it is not only a paradise for those who appreciate unique games, puzzles, and playing cards, but it is also the online label under which the Buck twins produce their own brand of playing cards. The Art of Play website has been carrying a wide range of literally hundreds of custom playing cards already since 2013, but in recent years Dan and Dave have more and more been making a unique contribution to the playing card industry by producing their own decks of cards, with many colourful and impressive designs that are especially popular with cardists.

To produce such excellence on a consistent basis, Dan and Dave need help. And that's why they continue to partner with talented artists from around the world, with whom they team up to produce their high quality and novel decks of playing cards. I've covered quite a large number of Art of Play's attractive decks previously, but this time I'd like to cover a number of decks that they have recently released, virtually all of which are collaborations with creative artists and design companies from around the world.

So if you're looking for a quality deck of playing cards - whether it's something classy for your poker night, something impressive for your family game of Hearts or Spades, something sophisticated for your card magic, or something eye-catching for your card flourishing - look no further: Art of Play has you covered with great decks like these.



*** ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS ***

Flying Dog

As the name of this deck already indicates, the Flying Dog deck doesn't take itself too seriously, and nor should you. It should be noted, however, that the name actually is borrowed from the Flying Dog Brewery, which collaborated with this project. That means we can expect to see a few beers as we make our way through this deck, and we're not about to be disappointed.



But the real highlight of this unusual deck is that it was produced as part of a collaboration with surreal artist Ralph Steadman, whose name and signature is emblazoned on the tuck box. The artwork we see on the cover gives us a good idea of what we are in for with this deck, and will return on the King of Spades. Ralph's style of art is unusual to say the least, and a look at the small print on the tuck box sets the tone, where it says: "Don't draw Ralph! It's a filthy habit. Not." At least, I think that final word says "not"!

Whatever the case, this deck is really a miniature art collection that showcases some of Ralph Steadman's wacky art, hence the true title of the deck: Ralph Steadman Art Collection: Flying Dog Edition. A Welsh illustrator, Ralph Steadman has produced thousands of artworks in his distinctive and somewhat bizarre style. He is especially well known for his successful collaboration with writer Hunter Thompson, whose work he often illustrated. Besides many political and social caricatures, he also did illustrations for the Flying Dog Brewery.



The card backs pick up the same ink splattered design that's found on the back of the card box, but with the details now in a beige colour on an otherwise full red background. The observant will notice that it is actually a one-way design, despite this not being apparent at first glance.

The deck is billed as featuring a collection of 18 classic Steadman paintings, which is considerably more than the usual dozen court cards. To increase the size of our gallery, all the Aces get special treatment and have become works of art as well.



The surreal artwork on the court cards is hard to put into words, and really needs to be seen first-hand to be appreciated. No attempt has been made to create mirrored court cards, so that the Steadman paintings can take up the whole card, and so that we can enjoy them with the most detail possible on a playing card. The images themselves are simultaneously amusing and clever, and at times even slightly disturbing.



The number cards continue the splattered paint style, with each one being a unique image, and also facing in the same direction to continue the one-way feel of the court cards and Aces.



The Jokers are perhaps the most playful and bizarre of the lot, and one of them makes another obvious nod to the Brewery that contributed to this deck.



Thin crush stock ensures that the cards feel soft in your hands when admiring them or shuffling. A most unusual deck to be sure, and undoubtedly one that will be somewhat polarizing. But few will disagree that what we have here is a real work of art, even if this art isn't going to please everyone.



Art & Machine

One look at the tuck box of the Art & Machine deck, and you immediately get a sense of a blue-print or industrial design.

The back of the tuck box does us a wonderful favour by explaining the concept as follows: "This deck of cards is a look at four specific moments in the history of art and design as it has wrestled to incorporate machine technology (or push against it). Each suit in the deck focuses on one of these four moments—the new typography of the Bauhaus era, mid-century book cover design, the late 20th century silk-screened poster aesthetic, and contemporary art & design in the age of mobile."



The deck's creator, freelance designer & illustrator Ryan Hewlett, is also credited on the tuck box with a link to his personal website RyanHewlett.com, where you'll quickly find the minimalist x-logo that is on both the tuck box and the card backs.

The card backs have thin white borders - a brave decision when printing with USPCC given their lack of consistency in this department - and are otherwise filled with an all-orange canvas, besides Ryan's signature x-logo.



The four suits all focus on one moment in the history of art:
- Spades: the new typography of the Bauhaus era
- Hearts: the mid-century book cover design
- Clubs: the late 20th-century silkscreen poster aesthetic
- Diamonds: the contemporary art & design in the age of mobile



This may not say much to the average person that hasn't studied the history of art and design, but fortunately the cards do a good job of speaking for themselves, even if we don't always understand their language.



The pips look relatively ordinary, despite a clearly custom design that is consistent throughout the deck, but for the rest this entire deck is anything but ordinary.

Each card makes an individual statement about some aspect of art and design. The average person may need an interpreter to understand their significance and meaning, but it's clear that considerable thought and creativity has gone into each of them!



Produced under the direction of Professor Kelly Holohan, Ryan created this deck as a student MFA Project at the Tyler School of Art, as an exploration of some notable moments in art and design history. The ad copy describes it as "a visual representation of the history of modern art, design, and machine technology."



One of the extra cards included with deck gives us a working Table of Contents that is the key to this deck's arrangement.



As with most of the Art of Play decks, thin crush stock ensures good and soft handling as you enjoy this modern art gallery of designs, or even if you're a cardist who is happy to ignore the faces and enjoy playing around with the deck by relying on the strength of the stylish and minimalist card backs.



*** CONCLUSION ***

I continue to be impressed with Art of Play and the decks that they are putting out. I use playing cards for a variety of different purposes, including playing card games like poker and other classics, as well as for card magic and card flourishing. With their background in cardistry and magic, Dan and Dave Buck have a lot of expertise with playing cards, and know exactly the kind of quality in looks and handling that a good deck of cards needs. Cardists can be confident that Art of Play's carefully curated collection only includes the very best patterns, colours, and designs that will serve cardists well, and that anything produced under Dan and Dave's own label first has to meet their own exacting standards for visual aesthetics and performance.

By collaborating with world class artists and creative thinkers, Dan and Dave continue to ensure that their growing catalogue includes fresh new designs that are the kind of thing that consumers today are looking for. The decks featured in this review are prime examples of what they are contributing to the playing card industry. And all of these creative decks are matched with high quality materials and tuck boxes, with durable air cushioned cards that ensure durability as well as smooth and consistent performance.

Certainly some designs are already tried and true, like the Green Wheel deck, the Third Man Records deck, and the Bruce Lee deck, all of which build on the success of earlier versions. But there's also some very original and new concepts, particularly my favourite: the effervescent and vibrantly coloured Off The Wall deck. And of course there are artistic decks like the Flying Dog deck, which is effectively a miniature gallery of Ralph Steadman art, and the Art & Machine deck, which largely defies categorization beyond being a sophisticated art project.

Recommendation

Whether your interest is in card games, card magic, card flourishing, or even just card collecting, you're almost certain to find some treasures in Art of Play's growing collection, and the decks reviewed here are fine examples of what they offer. If you enjoy quality playing cards, puzzles, or games, then you definitely need to check out whether they can help improve the tools in your hands when you are at play. After all, these guys have turned play into an art!



What to learn more? Check out Art of Play:
- Official website: artofplay.com
- Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest

Direct links for items featured in this review:
Artistic Collaborations: Flying Dog, Art & Machine
Pop Culture Collaborations: Bruce Lee, Third Man Records
Nature Inspired Collaborations: Bloc Marble Edition, Green Wheel
Other Collaborations: Off The Wall, Cubeline