I was assigned to either copy a playing card design that already existed, or design my own playing card. I opted to design my own card with a retro and funky feel to bring a vision I had to life. This is one of those projects that came together fluidly and was just so much fun to make. I challenged myself to not use black, as it was known to be a safety color for me in the past. I then went on to develop a single playing card design into a deck for a complete project that did not feel partially done. What started as a queen of hearts design developed an entire deck that I had professionally printed and use routinely in game nights, for gifts, and as a fun way of showing off my work.
In winning the BYUI 2023 Student Art Show Merit Award in Graphic Design, I am extremely pleased with the outcome and recognition I have received from this project. As with both award winning projects, this was a mostly self-initiated endeavor. Unlike my other award, this started a an assignment and developed into more. I trusted my own intuition and am extremely proud when I get to play a game with my deck and know that each and every card has me written all over it. There is such an encouraging feeling attached to any sort of recognition I receive, but am always striving for my next best work. I take special care to soak in the acknowledgment my projects have received, but ultimately know that this is not the best I will ever be. It is important to me that I maximize my skill and aspire to make my next my best.
