Personal project to a product - Part 1
Consider this an intro into my journey from a few vector lines to a product launch.
It is funny how things sometimes fall into our hands and before you know it you are fully invested in creating something that has the potential to take shape in a physical world.
A Few test prints
I love print! I love the mixture of excitement and sheer panic when I'm pressing send to print. To my disappointment, print projects are a rare occurrence these days. Mainly due, as you might have already guessed, to budget constraints. The fact that audiences sit pretty on social platforms where you can cast your net far and wide for a fraction of the cost isn't helping matters. But the good news is, as a designer, I can conjure a project that will allow me to have fun in the realm of tangible artefacts.
As I'm writing these words, my desk is occupied by sample packs of papers, prints and finishes. I am in heaven! I print, cut and ponder the project trajectory. Soon, that stage will be replaced by prepping stuff to launch the Kickstarter campaign to get the print funded. But before we get to that, I should probably tell you how this came to be.
This project had its start many years ago as a creative escape from typical commercial work. Since then it has grown slowly into a sizeable batch of illustrations. There were two options; call it a day and move on or develop it further. If I decided to work on it more I knew that I didn't want this to be a supporting actor in another branding or packaging project, but it should be the hero of a bigger story. So I started looking for something that would allow me to develop the illustration even more and most importantly give purpose and structure to the work. And since I was craving a print project it had to be created with that medium in mind. This is how I landed on the idea of tarot cards. From then, all things fell into place.
The main motif of the illustration is hand gestures. This meant that I got to employ not only illustrative skills but also skills that are typically used when creating logomarks. Distilling a complex concept into a small form of line illustrations made a challenge that I gladly took. Why hands? Well, they are very emotive and allow for a minimalistic approach.
Some of the early compositions
78 cards, a tuck box and a booklet make the shortlist of items required for this product. It sounds simple and almost easy. Creating the illustrations for all 78 cards and covers took a few weeks of spare time between projects. The booklet still needs to be done as it requires a lot of writing. I thought that the sheer amount of cards would make the process long and arduous but the truth is, production is currently taking the cake. The good news is I am loving every moment of it.
Before you pass any judgment on the project, allow me to say that this deck is being created
as a design object that can be used in all manner of ways. Whether you want to put it on your desk as a print design artefact or want to take a glimpse beyond the veil, it is up to you. For me, this is, to date, the most fun and learning I have had in a very long time.
For more visual journey and glimpses into the process follow me on IG
You can follow the campaign here