Design of Playing Cards
Deck of Cards
This custom-designed deck of cards takes inspiration from the city of Niš, weaving its identity into both the overall style and specific card details. The back of the cards features an abstract representation of Niš’s streets, creating a geometric, cubist-inspired pattern. The joker cards are uniquely designed around Bubanj Memorial Park, one of the city’s most important landmarks, blending history and symbolism with playful design.
Client
Personal
Date
November 2023
Industry
Games and Entertainment
Scope of Work
Illustration
Printing
Design
Problem
Most playing cards rely on generic, globally recognized patterns that lack local identity. For Niš, a city with deep history and cultural heritage, there was no modern design object that visually celebrates its streets, landmarks, and stories in a contemporary way.
Challenge
The challenge was to create a deck of cards that works both as a functional everyday object and as a collectible design piece. It needed to respect traditional card formats while introducing strong local storytelling and a modern visual language rooted in geometry and abstraction.
Solution
The result is a deck that merges cubist-inspired geometry with Niš’s cultural landscape. The city’s streets form the basis of the card backs, creating a bold and recognizable pattern, while the jokers pay homage to Bubanj Park, symbolizing memory and resilience. This combination of modern abstraction and historical symbolism transforms a classic deck of cards into a unique cultural artifact, making Niš both playable and collectible.
