I had the honor of being chosen to work on a commission through the Adobe Creative Residency Fund in 2020 to promote Illustrator on the iPad. The app has become one of my go-to tools since it was released with how easy files flow from the app to desktop.
Timeline: November–December 2020
Sketches
Design Brief
This year has been tough, and one thing that has helped me stay positive are the online creative communities I have been privileged to be a part of. They have helped me stay grounded and connected through all of the chaos, and have given me something to look forward to every day.
Every Friday a small group of us creatives gets together on Discord to play art games, help each other with feedback, troubleshoot, or just chat. These hangouts remind me of the pinochle card game gatherings my family used to play. I thought a good analogy for this feeling would be creating a deck of playing cards.
Playing cards can be enjoyed solo or with family members, and are a great analog activity break from screens with a wide range of games to choose from.
Living in Ohio, I am fortunate enough to experience 4 seasons of weather—which aligns nicely with the 4 suits in a deck. The artwork will hopefully serve as a reminder that whatever season you are in, a new one is right around the corner!
Final Cards
The final deck consists of designs for 54 cards total. This includes 10 number cards and the crown cards (king, queen, and jack) in each of the 4 suits, as well as 2 jokers. Also included is the card back design for all 54 cards, the box art, and a series of 2D and 3D mock-ups.
Card Mock-ups
I used Adobe Dimension to create card mock-ups to see how the product would look in the real world.
Final Box Art
Box Mock-ups
Process
I learned a lot about my process from this project. Working on the overall landscapes in different colors first and then editing them individually with details saved me a lot of time and kept them consistent visually. Using Adobe Dimension for the mock-ups worked perfectly, and once I started putting the mock-ups together, I realized I needed to add a few things—for example, an interior color for the tuck box.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I feel great about how the project came together. I sent the project off to be printed by The Game Crafter. All profits donated to the Western Reserve Land Bank, a non-profit focused on land conservancy in Northeast Ohio.
