Branding/Identity    -    Illustration    -    Production    

Toolkit: Illustrator

A card deck worth keeping on your coffee table.

THE QUICK PITCH​

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I illustrated a deck of cards inspired by my Indian heritage. I then launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring it to life. Grab a deck here!

JUMP AHEAD

The Concept

The Process

The Rani deck blends my my passion for pattern-making and illustration into a product that brings people together.

It's the kind of deck that makes you want to play cards.

I created Rani with two ideas in mind.

A Harmony of Color & Pattern

Rani combines the rich details of traditional Indian patterns, textiles, and jewelry with a modern style to make a fun, clean new design.  I wanted to make Rani as great to look at as it is to play with.

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I drew inspiration from my Indian culture because it’s colorful, diverse, and playful. Each card has layered patterns and details that give you something new to appreciate every time you play.​

Quality & Functionality

A “cool” deck is useless if the cards stick, wrinkle, warp or fall apart. That’s why the Rani deck was produced by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC), the same company that makes BICYCLE® and BEE® brand card decks. 

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The Rani deck features: 

• Vibrant, original card designs and tuck box 

• Classic Grade cardstock 

• Embossed finish for comfort and durability

It all started with a queen. I began sketching her as a simple block printing exercise. But she wasn't satisfied.

Turns out, she had a whole story to tell me.

The queen kept pushing me, telling me it could be more–it could be better. Over the course of a year, I was inspired to expand on the project and illustrate the entire deck.

Pulling inspiration from each suit.

My favorite part of the design was also my biggest challenge: illustrating each character to mimic the shape of the suit they represent. I really enjoyed the constant push and pull to find the balance between subtle and literal.

Rani, the Muse

The word Rani means queen in nearly every Indian language. I chose to name the deck Rani because she was the inspiration behind the entire project.