The Awesome Playing Cards

Studio K is proud to introduce The Awesome Cards, a collaborative project with the Beacon Children’s Hospital in South Bend, Indiana. Every single card in this deck consists of hand-drawn illustrations by patients ages four to sixteen. With the help of these incredible artists, fifty-two unique drawings come together to create a deck like no other.

With the successful completion of this campaign, every child who participated in this project will be receiving a deck with their own artwork inside. The front design shows a creative interpretation of the fifty-two cards in a deck. Each child was given a pen, paper, and a card assigned to them while at the hospital. The drawings were collected and scanned to remove pencil lines, eraser marks, and smudges for a clean illustration. Four different colors were used for the four suits to enhance recognizability.

The deck maintains its hand-drawn aesthetic while remaining functional. The back design takes inspiration from Bicycle Rider Back Cards. Giving the iconic design a playful twist, it makes for a familiar yet original look that is sure to stand out. Every single element was taken directly from the drawings. Be sure to check out all the fun details! The tuck box is a collage of illustrations from different drawings. A colorful front design is accompanied by sides colored in yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink.