Playing cards were first invented way back in the 9th Century, but it’s hard to imagine that the multi-billion
dollar industry that is online poker hasn’t been around since the dawn of the internet, and that it wasn’t until
2003 that the scene really took off. Over the years since, mostly thanks to customisable card designs, card games
have evolved as much as the versatility of the designs themselves. You can choose from literally thousands upon
thousands of different themed decks such as sport, cartoons, television, various collectibles and of course horror.
But what are the scariest card designs?
Playing cards is a great way to pass the time and can be an awfully fun activity regardless of the game you play.
The sheer number of online poker sites out there offers avid gamblers an endless portal of numerous card
games that enables gamers to play whenever and wherever! A deck of cards was already portable enough but
now thanks to online casinos via your smartphone or other mobile device it has taken on a entirely new life.
In collaboration with Stranger & Stranger, Dan and Dave completely ditch the standard set of playing card
graphics in favour of some pretty neat artwork that incorporates classical art with illustrations from various
contemporary artists. Their deck is deemed one of a kind and each card comes with its own unique illustration,
as well as an elaborate back design and these aren’t just random drawings. Each illustration represents a
unique story related to the card. Th designs are pretty scary and you certainly wouldn’t find yourself shuffling
them alone late at night.
If you take a look at surreal artist Mr. Mead’s designs, you may describe him as the Tim Burton of the design
world. He creates some beautiful yet haunting characters, focusing his work on dressing animals as humans, a
childhood fear he has used to his advantage many times. He creates his very own edition of playing cards, each
adorned with a bio-anthropomorphic character, birds adopt the hearts set, horned beasts take the diamonds, the
foxes own the clubs and cats inhabit the spades. Dark yet stunning.
Felix Blommestijn, a Netherlands based illustrators and designer, creates a weird and wonderful set of playing
cards in which a whole cast of creepy characters take centre stage. Blommestijn uses a monochrome colour
scheme and uses space to his advantage enabling himself to create an environment as well as the characters
themselves on the small space. His illustrations include skulls and faceless characters with gaunt figures.
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