Historic playing cards revived in new highly anticipated deck, the Origins

HAMILTON, New Zealand - Jan. 19, 2014 - PRLog -- Over the past year and many hours of work, New Zealand designer and illustrator Rick Davidson has researched and re-imagined the art of 15th and 16th century playing cards to create a unique deck, the Origins.

Exploring the art of museums and archives, and gleaning information from card experts, the art in the deck is inspired by historic cards from the region of Rouen, France.  These patterns were copied in Britain and spread around the world to become the art in today’s standard deck.

With a love for historic art, the Origins were initially a purely personal project for Rick. Until he submitted his early designs to Dribbble, a site for designers to share and critique their work.  The postive feedback by card enthusiasts who noticed his work put Rick on a journey of research and design.  And the chance of seeing a dream realised - reinventing the historic art and creating a high quality deck through the United States Playing Card Company.

“ I’ve worked incredibly hard to create something special and hope that I’ve shown respect to the exquisite art that became the world of cards we know today.”

A Kickstarter campaign is underway for funding of the costly project, with the prestigious United States Playing Card Company, itself a company with a 147-year history.   Alongside his First Edition deck, Rick has also created a limited edition version, the Origins Grail.

“The last year has been an amazing journey as I've tracked down this beautiful historic art and worked to create a deck all card lovers can appreciate.  To produce a deck like this is expensive, but I've been overwhelmed by the support of enthusiasts around the world."

The Origins campaign is currently active on Kickstarter, closing on February 22nd.