Corona Playing Cards

Design: Tuyệt Duyệt
Location: Vietnam
Project Type: Produced
Client: BOMBMAGIC
Product Launch Location: Vietnam
Packaging Contents: Playing Cards Design, Deck Of Cards, Cards Design
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Cardboard, Paper, Newest improved Vintage Stock, Legendary Finish
Printing Process: Cold Foil Printing, Cold Foil, Embossing Printing

Corona Playing Cards is a small project about playing cards from @theivinsiders – an organization about cardistry & sleight of hand in Saigon, Vietnam. They want touse the deck of cards to spreads cardistry to community with a long-life culture of Viet Nam on the design. So the idea is to create something unique, traditional and brings back the characteristics of the ancient culture in Vietnam.

I have chosen the Dong Son culture – it was a bronze age culture in Vietnam. Designs on the highly ornaments of Ngoc Lu and Dong Son drums reflected a sea-oriented society, taken some details on them: human figures, triangles, Viet birds with a long-tailed, deers, circle-life, animals, the sun,… with a various number of there lines out from a center of the design – this is immediately recognizable to people as a representation of the sun. Everything is connected and stylized depictions them on the box/the back/the faces design with a modern-twist and brings a touch sophistication.

Most inspired by Corona Playing Cards motifs on the Dong Son culture with the circles, triangles, Viet birds, deers,… on Ngoc Lu and Dong Son bronze drums. The origin of Dong Son drum and Ngoc Lu drum is the name of two typical drum types for Dong Son Culture of ancient Vietnamese people. Many drums with huge sizes, well-proportioned, perfect shapes have shown a very high level of skill and art, especially the motifs depicted on drums, depicting activities of the people in the old-time, expressed many things in Vietnamese legends.

Identification characteristics of Dong Son and Ngoc Lu drums: the multi-pointed star in the middle of the drum represents the sun god of the ancient Vietnamese, and this is why the name of the deck called Corona – it means halo – ring of light around the sun or moon. Around the star there are human figures, animals and geometric patterns. The common geometric pattern is: the small dotted line, the plain thread, the circle dot between the tangent, the concentric circle between the tangent, the pattern, the serrated pattern and the parallel short line. Some pictures of Vietnamese people pound rice, dance and warriors on the boat.

The next to animals like Viet birds with a long-tailed, deers, and some types of tropical animals,… The drum body is usually shaped like a boat, a warrior figure, an animal figure, and the rest are geometric patterns. The use of bronze drums is still a function of an instrument, which can help the ancient Vietnamese see the calendar and see the seasons of the year. It is also a symbol of the power of an old leaders.

The tuck case with some detailed embossing will be added on all the sides and adorned with gold cold foil on the paper. People will look at it as something classic and luxury, the beauty of golden foil and embossed details look so elegance. It will be so good when you used to collect or display in your collections. Of course, there will be great to open the first scene for cardistry and magic video or anything you want to do too.

Now let’s take a closer look at the back design of the card with fours Viet birds flying around the rhombus, the circles, triangles, deers,… you will see more about the characteristic details of Dong Son culture on it. I also have designed and custom court cards, classic but contemporary in nature. This is what I want to makes something special on the design, at the faces and all the details on them. It doesn’t look like anything else you have seen before. No borders, no current standard faces, and yes – special with some new weapons. Not just on the faces and the back design, these pips are designed according to the patterns and small details on Dong Son and Ngoc Lu drums. Here are the circles, lines, triangles and more. Take a closer look.

What’s Unique?
Corona Playing Cards – 1st playing cards printed in Taiwan used cold foil printing technique on the box and using highest quality vintage paper stock and legendary finish on the cards.