Art Nouveau Inspired Playing Cards
Creative Decisions
The topic is Art Nouveau, represented by organic and ornamental shapes. The main figure represented by this style is women. This style was mainly used in advertisements. The back design for the deck will be strictly ornamental in the represented style. The ornamental features will be leaf, flowers, or both organic structures. I want the colors to align with the rest of the deck so that it will be limited in variation. The face card will be in a traditional playing card pose. The face card I will choose for the deck is the queen of clubs. The two number cards will be the five of diamonds and the ten of hearts. The cards will depict the diamonds and hearts with original designs and follow the same pattern as traditional playing cards. The ace card will be the ace of spades. Like the cards' back design, I want the ace to be ornamentally designed. The first series created with the Art Nouveau style was called ‘The Seasons’ in 1896. I thought that representing the Art Nouveau style by adapting the seasons to the four suits of a deck of cards would make a good homage to the history of the style. Playing cards measure 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches with a standard index. The player cards are easy to shuffle, slide across a table, and feature a robust paper weight for snapping.
Mood Boards and Inspirations
The mood boards for this project are a visual of my brainstorming process. I provide potential color decisions, patterns, framing, subject, shape of suits, and how the designs should be oriented on the card. Each board would be cohesive with the project which is centered around designing playing cards. The cards in question are a face card, back design, ace design, two number cards, and box design. I have each one of the suits represented for each card represented. The target audience for the deck of cards would be designed for a museum that features the 1890s Art Nouveau Movement. The client I chose for this project is the Dreihaus Museum in Chicago. This museum focuses on the Art Nouveau style represented in the United States. The main theme and focus for how I designed this set of cards is the 1890s Art Nouveau style.