The Great Gatsby Deck of Cards
Illustration, Print Collateral, Visual System
(PAGE IS UNDER REVISIONS!!)
Gatsby Card Deck
If you were told to illustrate an entire deck of cards it wouldn't seem that daunting; just illustrate 12 face cards and do a simple layout for the number cards… right? Well, what if I told you every design choice, down to the suit symbols, needed to be unique to the theme? This is exactly what I executed for my Great Gatsby-themed playing cards. A lot of intentional choices, thought, and creativity was needed to execute a completely customized visual system for 54 playing cards.
Design Skills:
Illustration
Typography
Visual System
Print Collateral
Packaging Design
Ideation
The SparkNotes version of my Literary analysis
- A deck is composed of two “sides” (traditionally red and black)
- Each side had two “suits” (traditionally the suits are Heart, Spade, Clover, and Diamond)
- Each “suit” has 3 “face cards”: King, Queen, Jack (12 face cards in an entire deck)
- Each “suit” has 10 number cards (40 number cards in an entire deck)
- Each side has a Joker Card
Lets Break the Deck: Understanding the Structure
- The colors for the two sides are silver (represents old money) and gold (represents new money). In the book, two of the main settings are the East and West Eggs. East Egg is where “old money” families live, and West Egg is where “new money” people live. Social class is a major theme in the book and causes division and conflict.
- If you thought two sides were enough, think again. Split each side in half and now you have your four suits; 2 suits per side (I know, it’s confusing). I chose to reference both characters and major literary symbols for my suits. Each side has one suit for characters and one suit for symbols.
- The four suit icons were inspired by the opulence of the 1920s. Old Money: fedora and money New Money: (flapper) headband and champagne
- The characters picked to be Kings and Queens were chosen in accordance with whether they were considered “old money” or “new money”. They were unwavering in their social circle. I chose Nick (old money) and Myrtle (new money) as the Jacks because although each character belonged to a social circle, neither truly fit in.
- For the literary symbols, I determined the King, Queen, and Jack when the symbols were introduced chronologically in the book (Kings- beginning, Queens- middle, Jacks-end). How I chose which were old or new money was based on which character or social circle the symbols were connected to. For example, “The Green Light” card is king because it’s mentioned in chapter one, and it’s on the “new money” side because it symbolizes Gatsby’s love for Daisy
Now, here is the breakdown of my deck’s structure:
“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled
by the inexhaustible variety of life.
- Nick Carraway
Design Decisions
Some examples are: White: purity, green: jealous
yellow: materialism, blue: loneliness, red: arrogance/rage,
Color: Yes, its symbolic too
Timeless Typography
Copperplate was created in the early 1900s and is a perfect front for small print. The sharp terminals and serifs give it a distinctive look that matches art deco style.
(Art) Deco-dent Imagery
Art Deco utilizes frames which were implemented on the front and back of the cards. Some key points to the style are symmetry, layered shapes, Intricate line art, and rectangular shapes.