Art Nouveau Playing Cards

Arrangement of playing cards on a textured wall, including a face-down five of diamonds at top, Queen of clubs on the left, 10 of hearts on the right, Ace of spades at bottom, and a pack of Art Nouveau playing cards in the center.

Creative Decisions

The inspiration around this card playing deck is the art movement 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 card’s 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.

Decorative pattern with black and red heart and leaf shapes on a cream background.

The ace of spades card (left), queen of clubs card (right), and card box (center).

The Card’s suits reflect the changing of the seasons. The spades represent the season of Fall, which is showcased in the spade card with the ace being transformed into a leaf with ornamentation in the Art Nouveau style.

Back of the cards design (left) and the five of diamonds (right).

The Art Nouveau art movement is represented by organic ornamental shapes. The design for the back of the cards depicts this representation to give homage to the movement the cards were modeled after.

The card box packaging has the same ornamental features as the back of the deck.

A flipped art nouveau style deck of playing cards with a dark teal and white floral pattern, labeled "Art Nouveau" and "Playing Cards".
Red and white intricately decorated gift box with floral patterns and the word "Noel" on the top flap.

The Exterior of the packaging is shown above and the interior to the packaging is shown to the right.

Ace of diamonds playing card with a red and white diamond pattern on a cream background.
An artistic illustration of a woman with long red hair, dressed in a flowing teal dress, curling around a playing card with the letter Q, surrounded by decorative snowflakes and a floral design.
Design featuring a black and white stylized lily flower in the center, with black curving lines and smaller plants in the corners.
Reversible playing card with intricate floral and swirl designs in teal and white.
Playing card ten of hearts with a white background and black edges.

Moodboards and Idea Development Maps.

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Other Works