|
|
EndersGame Inner circle Reviewer EndersGame 2196 Posts |
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. *** OTHER COLLABORATIONS *** Off The Wall The expression "off the wall" means unconventional, unusual, surprising, different, and that's certainly a good description of Art of Play's Off The Wall deck. The ad copy describes the concept of this deck as follows: "These rebel playing cards are inspired by 80s surf and skate culture in sunny California. The radical design is off the wall and bursting to be played with!" It's an apt description, and the tuck box already screams "unconventional", with a very bold choice of colours that include a vibrant blue, orange, and yellow, along with some black, and finished off with silver foil accents for the title of the deck and parts of the artwork. I knew I was going to love this new deck as soon as I saw the colours, because I've always been a big fan of combinations of bright orange and blue. Yes it's loud and dashing, but isn't that exactly what a lot of cardistry is all about? After making our way past the custom Art of Play seal and gaining access to the cards themselves, we are confronted with a design that continues the lively style of the tuck box. This deck was designed by Studio Muti in South Africa, and perhaps there's some tribal roots that account for the energy and vividness of the design and colours. But the abstract shapes and bright colours work perfectly for the stylish borderless backs, and ensure that our flourishes are not going to go unnoticed. Fans and spreads look particularly attractive in both directions courtesy of the creativity of the lively and symmetrical card-backs. From the card backs we turn our attention to the faces, starting with the Ace of Spades. The style here has a juvenile and casual feel about it, and yet the details and colours that reprise the main design show that us that there is nothing childish or accidental about what we are seeing here. Fans of custom designs will be pleased to know that all the Aces have adopted a similar over-sized pip that shows off the main design pattern in the same way. The court cards continue this style, with oversized faces that have a hand-drawn feel, and yet retain symmetry and make a stylistic statement that bursts with sunshine and energy. The colour used for the Hearts and Diamonds has a orange tinge to it, in keeping with the rest of the deck, and giving us a sense of sunny days, full of energy and vitamin C. The pips on the number cards, including the font used for the indices, continues the overall surf-skate theme with its deliberately styled casual look, and ensures that the entire deck feels customized and works together well as a whole. Besides a handy double backer, this deck also features two matching Jokers, and a colourful ad card. While functional, the attraction of this deck is really all about the colours and vibrant patterns on the card backs, court cards, and Aces. These are the main actors, and there's much to enjoy when giving them our full attentoin. This deck also handles well for cardistry too, since it uses USPCC's thin crushed stock. It's definitely one of my current favourites for card flourishing, and should appeal to anyone who likes a bold and colourful style. Cubeline Strictly speaking the Cubeline deck is not a collaboration, since it was created independently of Art of Play, and is simply being offered by them. That means that we need to put the spotlight on Cubeline's creator, and that is cardist Bas John. Bas John has more than 10,000 followers on Instagram (link), where you'll find some great photos and mesmerizing cardistry moves. His Cubeline deck presents itself in a low-key colour scheme of black and white, but it is all about the graphic design. Central, of course, is the cube. The back of the tuck box introduces us to the main concept, which features the curious card backs: a simple black and white picture consisting entirely of black lines that depict cubes. It's only when we look at this image again ... and again ... that we begin to notice how it functions as an optical illusion. Are those cubes popping out of the card or popping into the card?! Look, and look again! This isn't the first deck to be based on an optical illusion, and Bas himself acknowledges that the Stripe deck from Dealersgrip was a partial inspiration. Famous artist M.C. Escher is also noted as an influence. What also catches our eyes with this deck are the customized court cards, which are clearly inspired by traditional designs, but have a simplified and minimalist look that dispenses with complex artwork and gives us smiley faces as the main point of interest. A simple red and black colour scheme ensures that we won't get too caught up with colours, but can focus on enjoying the design. As for the cards themselves, the pips don't draw attention to themselves too much, with the usual black and red colour scheme, although they are flatter in shape than normal, which is chiefly noticeable with the Spades, so there is customization here as well. As for the handling, since these cards weren't produced under the Art of Play label, but by Bas John himself, it's not surprising that he's turned to a European publisher to produce his deck: Cartamundi. These decks have been produced with Cartamundi's True Linen B9 finish, a relatively new finish that many consider optimal for cardistry. Our smiley minimalism is found in its wildest extreme on our two Jokers, because that's all that you'll find on these cards: a simple smiley face. Two gaff cards also come with this deck (a blank faced card and a double backer). Especially when compared with USPCC's thin crush stock, these cards feel very thick - even thicker than a standard Bee stock deck - and yet they are incredibly soft and smooth. Right out of the box, the cardist will be surprised and impressed at how soft they feel, and there's no need to break these in before taking them through their paces in springs and other flourishes. *** 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 |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Deck the Halls » » Other collaborations from Art of Play (Off The Wall, Cubeline) (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.08 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |