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Playing Card Chat ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦ => Design & Development => Topic started by: SeanWhelan on January 13, 2012, 04:56:15 PM
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Hey everyone!
Hows everyone's new year so far? I wanted to catch everyone up on the Galvanic playing cards progress. Yes unfortunately the first time around my Kickstarter page failed. No worries though, a second Kickstarter launch will happen within the next 2 months. Please follow me on Facebook by search Galvanic Playing Cards and make sure to like the page to get updates! : D
As of right now I retouched the current joker, ace and back designs to give it a little more umph. As an artist trying to showcase my skills, this project will happen no matter how many times I try!
Thanks!
Sean Whelan
Graphic Designer
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I'd really love to see some of the updated designs!
And heres the link to the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Galvanic-playing-cards/319403934741156
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Hey Sean!
I hope your new year is going great! It's good to hear that progress is being made on this deck! I look forward to seeing the updates you've made. The first looks we got were awesome and I'm sure the changes you've made have really added to the deck. I'm sure we'll all be watching this one closely.
Any word on the custom court cards?
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Ill be uploading the new joker and ace designs to the facebook page in a few minutes. The court cards?? well heres the good news for everyone: custom court cards will be added to the deck for the basic goal! If the goal goes over the funding I will again break it down into tiers such as upgrading the stock, finish etc etc. But the basic goal will have custom court cards regardless. Pictures of them won't be uploaded online for a few weeks though.
A side note on the new joker and ace designs: there isn't a huge change but the changes are very subtle. I just put more wow into them. Ill explain once I upload them on facebook : P
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Yes! Sounds awesome! Im really excited to see the new designs. Have you decided on the stock and finish is the goal is met at the lowest point?
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Thats where you guys can help me out if you follow me on the Facebook page. For the basic goal I was thinking of just the standard High Quality Bicycle stock as well as the Magic Finish. For me personally the standard stock is amazing, great control, quality, handling etc etc. However, if I get enough votes to change the stock for the basic stock by all means I will do that. I will listen to the fans.
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I think part of the reason of your failure the last time was the lack of custom courts. Not too many are going to back what that can't see...keep that in mind and look to your predecessors kickstarters...they showed custom courts, not just talked about them.
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The reason the Kickstarter failed was because it didn't have custom court cards, and it launched when there were another four card Kickstarters running already. That's just suicide.
I suspect you won't be too satisfied knowing this: In the next three months I know of four decks hitting Kickstarter. You're going to have to be better than the others this time around by a long run. I think you can do it!
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Here is the pic of the updated joker
"Joker Change Log: redid the middle orb, change the lighting for the outer orb as well as the static, gave the eye a sleight gradient, changed the overall lighting to the joker character, fixed the bottom right "J" (faced it the correct way), retouched the orb in the work Joker....many changes but again all very subtle : P " - Sean Whelan
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It sounds like we should see the court cards before the Kickstarter goes live though! Which is a good thing for sure. I think that those will really boost your projects status on Kickstarter.
@Alex I can't wait to see the other decks on Kickstarter! Any news you can release?
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Yes you will definitely be seeing the court cards before I launch the page : P
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Here is the updated Ace of Spades
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Some are obvious like Tendril and Ornate. the others I have been asked not to share yet.
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If I'm totally honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Jokers. While they fit the theme nicely, and definitely have the right idea behind them, I'm not fond of the bolts of energy/lightning/light coming out of the hands. I'm not sure why, it just looks a little odd. Maybe unrealistic? I'm not too sure - sorry I can't give any constructive feedback on that point. But that doesn't mean I don't like the Jokers - just that they're probably my least favourite part of the deck.
But the reason why I really want to get this deck is the back of the cards. I absolutely adore the design, and everything about it. It's just such a nice, intriguing back.
You can definitely count me as a backer. :)
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nice really exicted to see the new back design
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Way to go Sean, keep at it. I know exactly how you feel with being passionate about your project and being dedicated to making it work. Just keep working the design and details and you'll get it there.
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Really love to get my hands on one of these, saw it on kickstarter and wondered why it wasn't successful then i read the comment.. can't wait to see the customed court cards! love the design, the joker on the other hand, really matches the deck design and all but seems somewhat 'gentle' round body and all, but it still fits the deck theme very nicely, good luck with kickstarter! you've already gained a backer ;)
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Thanks everyone for the support!
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I look forward to backing this again when you get it Kickstarted.
Some nice "stretch" goals, in my opinion:
* Upgrade from Bicycle to Aristocrat, from Aristocrat to Bee - or possibly get the variant Aristocrat that's used in the Tally Ho deck; they handle extremely well.
* Nowhere to go up on the finish... But you can upgrade the box. Embossing is a popular option, and another possibility is upgraded paper akin to what was used on the EATCT box (from CARC) or the black Bee Stingers (from Theory11).
* Metallic inks are always a fan favorite for a stretch goal.
* When reaching a good stretch goal, a bonus deck for orders over $X would work. Even better, an extra deck for every $X invested. Invest $X, get one deck more; invest $2X, get two decks; for $3X, get three extra decks, etc. This encourages more investment for the bonus decks, as long as $X is high enough to to keep you from getting creamed on the cost while not so high that it feels too hard to attain or too much in invest for just one bonus deck.
* Art prints, uncut sheets, posters: all make fine stretch goals or rewards.
* Free shipping is a nice stretch goal (domestic only). For international, give them a discounted shipping rate, and/or a higher stretch goal for free international shipping.
* Info, teaser posters, even a free deck - of your NEXT project - might be a good reward or stretch goal. This assumes you have another project to follow this up with, which I believe you do.
*Maybe offering the deck in more than one color as a big stretch goal would be cool. Perhaps you can make a red version, or green, or even yellow. It's better to offer extra colors up front rather than offering them as the "second version" deck, because then people moan about what a lack of originality a simple color change is - while secretly many of them would actually like more than one color! Two colors works great for creating poker gift sets!
* Some of the deck designers around here have been teaming up with a guy who designs bamboo deck clips with custom laser engraving - they're a good deal cheaper than any metal clip I've seen, and they should be excellent to use, so there's a possible reward/stretch goal. Offer plain ones as a reward or a reward add-on, then offer upgrades to custom engraved with Galvanic images as a stretch.
Most important thing before offering any reward or stretch goal - crunch the numbers and see if it works for you financially. You don't need to go totally over the deep end with the upgrades; just a small number with the appropriate stretch goals would be fine, I'm sure. If you go over your highest goal, there's nothing stopping you from creating a new stretch goal with a new bonus feature.
Another recommendation: many "first time deck makers" are realizing what a helluva chore the actual shipments can become. Poke around and see if you can find an affordable order fulfillment service to handle that end of the dirty work for you.
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A Galvanic Eco Clip? That would be really cool. You should look into that!
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Thanks Good@Sabacc! I definitely keep that in mind. Also you get to see a glimpse as one of the court cards on the Facebook page : P keep in mind designs are not final
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Thanks Good@Sabacc! I definitely keep that in mind. Also you get to see a glimpse as one of the court cards on the Facebook page : P keep in mind designs are not final
I think that's a gorgeous start for the king, but you should include more detail and lighting. Having the entire king character in shadow is not as visually interesting as seeing him in all his colors. Use drive belts or drive chains as sashes and belts! Incorporate cogs into the design! Maybe pop open an access hatch and show some exposed circuits/wires! You can really have a lot of fun with this design, you just need to cut loose a bit more.
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I agree it's a great start but the all-black look isn't as interesting as it could be. Plus, you definitely need to customize the pips, they look completely out of place here.
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Wow, epic card designs, love them! :D
Edit: Just saw the backs and I want this deck right now! They're amazing!
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Thoughts? Would love as much feedback possible to help me create the court cards! : D
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Thoughts? Would love as much feedback possible to help me create the court cards! : D
You really love those robots without depth perception - only one eye! ;)
This is looking great, really. Keeping some elements in shadow lends a certain mystery to the character.
I'd go for a much better typeface for the indices, though, something closer to your theme. Don't go playing-card basic on us - look for something more cool and - I have to say it - galvanic!
I suggest you downgrade the center and upgrade the heads - most people focus on the faces when looking at a face card. Make them the visual focus instead of the big reactor-like bellies. Perhaps even tweak them to make them a bit more visually interesting in the face department - the snub-nose, one-eye thing isn't helping me. Perhaps a slight turn of the head, like the basic King of Hearts has - a dead-on angle can be boring. Most playing cards are looking off to the side rather than staring straight at you. A slightly larger head would also help in this department - that body is huge compared to that head.
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Can't wait to see these back on Kickstarter hopefully you guys will be successful this time :)
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Thanks! and btw its only me doing it : P
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Thanks! and btw its only me doing it : P
A thought just hit me - in most "double-headed" court designs, the two heads share the same center. Why not make one "reactor core" in the center and design the two heads around that? It's more consistent with Rouen playing card design, yet done in a totally unique and fresh way. Unless it's your design intent, don't be afraid of making your court card images larger - your king takes up a fraction of the space a traditional king would.
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The final design for the court cards are up on the facebook wall. This is how all the court cards will be for this deck : P please keep in mind facebook changed the hue as well as the saturation. Will not be that dark during print
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Thoughts? Would love as much feedback possible to help me create the court cards! : D
You really love those robots without depth perception - only one eye! ;)
Depth perception is overrated. ;)
Without it, the brain adapts to use perspective and other factors to make up for it - I'd know, I'm in this case myself. In theory, a robot could do it even more effectively because he/it could analyze those factors much more precisely and possibly faster. ::)
My favorite is the one with the darker red and the slightly angled head. There's no excuse to use raw RGB red anymore, and the angled head just makes the details stand out more.
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For anyone who would like a clean jpeg to see the full detail of the card, feel free to skype me: limpbiz2789.
I know uploading the images online changes the color and saturation.
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The final design for the court cards are up on the facebook wall. This is how all the court cards will be for this deck : P please keep in mind facebook changed the hue as well as the saturation. Will not be that dark during print
I like what you did with it. You didn't take all of my suggestions, but you took a few - and nobody died and named me the expert on playing card design, so make what you want! :))
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Don't worry Sabacc I took everything into consideration but found out some aspects didn't work with the design. Thanks a lot though
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Don't worry Sabacc I took everything into consideration but found out some aspects didn't work with the design. Thanks a lot though
I don't mind at all - it's good for an artist to stick to his guns when someone gives them a suggestion that doesn't work. I'm glad you found some of my input useful - it makes me feel like I had a tiny hand in the design.
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That is why I started this thread. To show the work in progress and to get feedback so the designs can be up to par for those wanting to purchase the deck
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A Galvanic Eco Clip? That would be really cool. You should look into that!
We'll see about it, but don't tie us down on that. ;)
Part of the reason why the first Kickstarter failed was because it wasn't backed up by any marketing. If there's no marketing, there's no people to fund it, and if there's no people to fund it, it will fail. Simple as that.
But I'm sure this run will be much better. I wish you the best of luck, Sean. :)
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A Galvanic Eco Clip? That would be really cool. You should look into that!
We'll see about it, but don't tie us down on that. ;)
Part of the reason why the first Kickstarter failed was because it wasn't backed up by any marketing. If there's no marketing, there's no people to fund it, and if there's no people to fund it, it will fail. Simple as that.
I'll grant that the lack of marketing may have been a factor, but there were other issues that needed squaring away as well. He was offering a "barely customized" deck - the back, jokers and Ace of Spades only - in a market that's seeking more customization, and he was offering his Kickstarter project at a time when a handful of others were also being offered. You can market the hell out of an idea, but if the idea lacks polish and there's adequate competition, it can still fail.
The fact that he's on this board, talking up the deck as he makes design improvements, shows that he's interested in doing a bit of marketing. He's marketing with every post he makes here! For Sean's sake, I hope this isn't the only board he logs into to discuss the ideas for his "Galvanic version 2". Getting onto the card boards (I just realized how funny that phrase sounds!) and getting the word out before the project's even being re-offered is a great start in the promotion department.
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A Galvanic Eco Clip? That would be really cool. You should look into that!
We'll see about it, but don't tie us down on that. ;)
Part of the reason why the first Kickstarter failed was because it wasn't backed up by any marketing. If there's no marketing, there's no people to fund it, and if there's no people to fund it, it will fail. Simple as that.
I'll grant that the lack of marketing may have been a factor, but there were other issues that needed squaring away as well. He was offering a "barely customized" deck - the back, jokers and Ace of Spades only - in a market that's seeking more customization, and he was offering his Kickstarter project at a time when a handful of others were also being offered. You can market the hell out of an idea, but if the idea lacks polish and there's adequate competition, it can still fail.
The fact that he's on this board, talking up the deck as he makes design improvements, shows that he's interested in doing a bit of marketing. He's marketing with every post he makes here! For Sean's sake, I hope this isn't the only board he logs into to discuss the ideas for his "Galvanic version 2". Getting onto the card boards (I just realized how funny that phrase sounds!) and getting the word out before the project's even being re-offered is a great start in the promotion department.
He's doing a very good job, participating in forums and doing public relations. Customizing the deck is all part of product decisions; what the deck should or should not include. People are going to see more variety and contrast in Sean's deck, which is what prospects really like. He's also diving into about 3 different markets; decks, art, and magic/flourishing (Most are mixed); he has it pretty well laid out.
But I do have to disagree with how you said unpolished or bad ideas can't sell, even with good marketing and decent competition. I've seen people sell complete garbage like hot cakes. They didn't market it as garbage, they marketed it as something with value. Case in point, the "Pet Rock" that sold like no other back in the 1970s. It was just a rock in a orange box, probably one of the most stupidest ideas to have ever existed. I'm not saying Galvanic deck is a dumb idea, I'm just making a point. :P
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A Galvanic Clip? Easy there Evan lol. Sean has great ideas and I fully support them. I feel like his deck should have made it through but it wasnt time yet. But I love to mess with you Evan. A Eco Galvanic clip= no.... A Galvanic Clip: time will tell. But dont count your chickens before they hatch. It may not me in the cards :)
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But I do have to disagree with how you said unpolished or bad ideas can't sell, even with good marketing and decent competition. I've seen people sell complete garbage like hot cakes. They didn't market it as garbage, they marketed it as something with value. Case in point, the "Pet Rock" that sold like no other back in the 1970s. It was just a rock in a orange box, probably one of the most stupidest ideas to have ever existed. I'm not saying Galvanic deck is a dumb idea, I'm just making a point. :P
I didn't say that all "bad" ideas fail - the odds are simply against them. You want garbage that sells, look at any Merz67 deck!
The Pet Rock was actually a very clever bit of marketing. It wasn't the rock so much that was being sold, but the concept, the whole bundle - the packaging, the little "nest" in the box to hold the rock, the humor-filled "care instructions" booklet, even the smoothness and simple coloration of the rock itself... It was more than simply a rock in an orange box. Not the most useful thing a person could buy, but then again, so are most tchochkes people put on their shelves to decorate with (and collect dust!).
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So everyone I would like to show you the final version of one of the court cards. Here is a download link so you can view the detail:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8YMT5US5
Keep in mind all the court cards in this deck will have this theme. Each in its own unique way but staying true to the original Bicycle court cards. For this card, the original had the crown and sword....so does mine. For the queen she will be wearing the head piece as well as holding a mechanical flower etc etc
Hope you like it : D
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I think u should start with a fresh idea go back to the drawing board because didn't u say it failed the first time to me this looks like a child's deck sorry bro only my opinion :-\
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What exactly makes it a child's deck? Just wondering your thoughts on that and what parts you personally don't like. Maybe it'll help
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like the whole robot theme doesn't really catch my attention .
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Ok well going into this I understood that some people may oppose of the theme or designs. Thanks though for the input sorry this didn't fit your needs : /
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If it's not your kind of thing, don't get it. Simple as that.
I'm not a big fan of the theme either, but I can see the effort put into it and the general quality of the work. It's a nice design. Just not one that appeals to everyone. Nothing does.
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I think Frost is Hybrid (the troll), he just changed his user name. I wouldn't sweat anything he has to say.
I think the new court cards are much better but I really wish you would change the indices and pips; I really think they look wrong with the design.
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At the standard goal, the pips and font style will remain as is, but if the goal reaches a certain tier they will be changed
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i agree with u guys i'm not saying that he didn't do a good job i'm saying if he wants to make a deck that every body will want to have to make it cooler why do u think it failed the first time because people didn't like the theme that's why i didn't fund it but i think your a great artist and designer its the theme of your cards that i don't like.. :o
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I do appreciate the feedback on how you feel about the deck. Everyone has a say. For me though, the reason I created the Galvanic deck was I had this vision in my head for almost 4 years now. This character never left my side. At first it was just a 3d model I created for fun but then turned into a passion and a creation. Originally it was supposed to be turned into a short animated film but thats a lot of work to be done by one person.
So the next big thing was playing cards for me. I turned two passions into one. I'm also creating this deck to showcase my work as an artist, to show my potential that I am and how self-motivated I am. I got my bachelor's back in May last year and still have not been able to find a job related to this field. I work full time as a computer technician and do not want to be doing that for the rest of my life. After that job I go right home and work on these designs in hopes of landing a job in the field.
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Well the first time was just a rough time for kickstarter decks. I think Sean has done a lot of great work and is continuing to make this deck better and better. :D
@Frost, the theme is going to be appealing to some and not so much to others. I have hated themes of other decks in the past, but they still were big hits.
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Queen of hearts has been uploaded to the facebook page! Download link available tomorrow
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Here are the images to view on the forums
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Would love as much feedback as possible! The rest of the court cards will follow the same concept. next up in a couple of days will be the Jack of hearts! : P
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I like it a lot Sean! Very nice work! The only thing is that those designs in black that are around the queen, seem out of place IMO
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I really like this deck, I didnt have the money to back it last time around but I will this time!! I really think the custom court cards will help you ALOT in raising pledges and I think you have a pretty good shot at this getting funded. I really like how you are keeping the traditional detail in the robotic court cards.
Good Luck :)
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Thanks Aaron! I was hoping having the court card images up would help me with this project.
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i agree with u guys i'm not saying that he didn't do a good job i'm saying if he wants to make a deck that every body will want to have to make it cooler why do u think it failed the first time because people didn't like the theme that's why i didn't fund it but i think your a great artist and designer its the theme of your cards that i don't like.. :o
There is no deck that exists that everyone likes. People have different opinions and have different "taste" in designs.
You said, "if he wants to make a deck that every body will want to have to make it cooler ". But what deck do you know of that everyone has bought and liked?
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Would love as much feedback as possible! The rest of the court cards will follow the same concept. next up in a couple of days will be the Jack of hearts! : P
The robot at its core is nearly identical to the King. I'm guessing the lack of color spectrum is intentional in the design, so perhaps something around the head for a visual equivalent of hair might help. Also, do more with the hands - the positioning is nearly identical to the King. If color can be tweaked, perhaps an electric rose shade instead of electric blue for the ladies?
i agree with u guys i'm not saying that he didn't do a good job i'm saying if he wants to make a deck that every body will want to have to make it cooler why do u think it failed the first time because people didn't like the theme that's why i didn't fund it but i think your a great artist and designer its the theme of your cards that i don't like.. :o
There is no deck that exists that everyone likes. People have different opinions and have different "taste" in designs.
You said, "if he wants to make a deck that every body will want to have to make it cooler ". But what deck do you know of that everyone has bought and liked?
Bicycle Rider Backs. Most like Bees and Tally Ho as well. :))
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i agree with u guys i'm not saying that he didn't do a good job i'm saying if he wants to make a deck that every body will want to have to make it cooler why do u think it failed the first time because people didn't like the theme that's why i didn't fund it but i think your a great artist and designer its the theme of your cards that i don't like.. :o
There is no deck that exists that everyone likes. People have different opinions and have different "taste" in designs.
You said, "if he wants to make a deck that every body will want to have to make it cooler ". But what deck do you know of that everyone has bought and liked?
Bicycle Rider Backs. Most like Bees and Tally Ho as well. :))
[/quote] So you think that everyone in the world likes those decks?
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Rider backs and Tally-Ho are pretty much universal, yes. ::)
But then again, mostly because they're classics.
Bees aren't liked by everyone, though, mainly because of the lack of border and that rumored lack of durability :-\
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Again I understand not everyone will like these designs so lets try to stay on topic : P
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Well its official! I will be doing a limited run of my Galvanic Playing Cards of only 2,500 decks : D It will now be known as "Bicycle Galvanic Playing Cards: Artist Edition". I will be launching the Kickstarter again February 15th! This time around it will have 60 days to reach its goal. Also, because it is a limited run of 2,500 decks I will bump up the card stock to a higher grade right off the bat, they will include custom court cards and only 50 limited uncut sheets. There's no way it can fail this time after the work I've been into the designs. Once printed, I can officially say I have my own deck of playing cards as a 3D Artist!!! : P
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Congrats man! The deck looks great and I'm sure it will succeed this time!
And I'm just wondering why you chose to use Bicycle? Just wondering :)
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Yes to discuss the Bicycle branded deck. I am choosing to stick with Bicycle on the box to show collectors and cardistry people that it is an official playing card deck from a world renown company. This is my first deck as a 3D Artist and there will be more to come in the future. For now, though I need to establish a crowd before I feel comfortable taking off the Bicycle Brand name. Much like Ellusionist did with there decks. However, you guys can prove me wrong during Kickstarter. If the goal amount reaches a certain level (tiers and goal will be giving out before launch) and its demanded..then by all means I will take off Bicycle name from the box and turn the deck into the Galvanic Series
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How would everyone feel if the deck had an Aristocrat stock right off the bat? : D
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I'm a fan of Aristocrat myself. I love the variant they're using for the Tally-Ho deck the best, since they no longer make the original Tally Ho stock. But the stock on the 727 Banknotes is also top ranks.
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I love Aristocrat at first..... but it breaks down fast :(
It'd be fine if it was on the Galvanic deck especially right off the bat.
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What other card stock would you guys prefer right off the bat?
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999 stock is pretty amazing but it might not be right for your deck. The other popular one is 825 (Bee Casino Stock) but I think it's kinda expensive.
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My top choices are Bee Casino and Bicycle Casino
They may be too expensive to start out with though
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999 stock is pretty amazing but it might not be right for your deck. The other popular one is 825 (Bee Casino Stock) but I think it's kinda expensive.
What is the 999 stock?
My top choices are Bee Casino and Bicycle Casino
They may be too expensive to start out with though
Alex recently reported in another topic that USPC no longer offers Bicycle Casino. He also told me about the Tally Ho stock being discontinued. With the move, it appears that they've trimmed down the stock inventory/selection. But they do have variants within the stock lines, such as the modified Aristocrat that's the current issue for Tally Ho. No one here would say a Tally Ho from Erlanger performs the same as a reprint Aristocrat, right?
He also said in that other thread that Bee Casino stock not only costs more, but there's a longer wait time to get your deck printed as well. If forced to guess, I'd say it's because they have to honor their casino contracts first before printing customs, and casinos eat and breathe Bee stock, consuming the lion's share of it...
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First Promo image to be revealed! Share the link with everyone you know! : P
http://imageshack.us/f/716/firstpromo.jpg/
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That is so bad@$$! 8) (I don't know if Alex likes cursing on here) 8)
I shared it on my Facebook page :)
I'm really excited for February 15th!
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I will pick up about 3 of these. Your deck is beautiful Sean and you should be very proud of it!
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I really like the theme of this deck and hopefully the kickstarter this time could be successfully funded!
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First Promo image to be revealed! Share the link with everyone you know! : P
http://imageshack.us/f/716/firstpromo.jpg/ (http://imageshack.us/f/716/firstpromo.jpg/)
I like the image a lot. I would suggest making the words "playing cards" just a little more prominent - after all, that is what you're selling, right? :))
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And the date is set!! I look forward to it. The teaser looks good. I can't wait for it to go live. It will be cool to see the different rewards for pledging.
Are you planning on keeping some of the same from last time? Any new ones?
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And the date is set!! I look forward to it. The teaser looks good. I can't wait for it to go live. It will be cool to see the different rewards for pledging.
Are you planning on keeping some of the same from last time? Any new ones?
I'm just happy he chose a date that's AFTER Valentine's Day... :)) Easier to not be in the dog house for chasing a new deck!
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Thank you so much everyone for the positive feedback! I am very proud that I created these images. Also I felt the 15th was just a good time to launch. Gives me time to market and fine teak the designs a bit. Speaking of switch I would like some input if you guys will. On the facebook page I uploaded the new back design. Personally I love it better, not so clouded with the shadows and such. Its not 100% done though but I wanted to get your thoughts.
Thanks everyone!
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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BTW sorry I didn't answer this above...yes the reward system will be different this time around : P
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Thoughts on the back design?
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Here it is:
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The back design looks really good! The changes aren't to crazy and it has a similar feel as last time. I think it's my favorite part of the deck so I'm glad that it isn't totally different! Great work! :D
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I'm enjoying the level of detail on this card back. Please, put as much detail work into the finalized court cards! :))
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The 3D looks so cool! You can really tell that is 3D.
This deck is so unique and unlike anything I've ever seen :D
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Hey everyone I just want to apologize that I always reply late. I don't get home from work till almost 10. Tonight I finally got a mid shift. Anyways, the two comments above really made my day. Believe it or not the level of detail was my fear going into creating a deck of playing cards. Like most of you here, I have studied numerous playing card decks on the market and I was always blown away by the details.
I sat back and really thought at one point I wasn't going to be able to do that. Throughout this process I really leaned towards my girlfriend for help. She would always say well yeah thats cool but do more and I would always be like what??? So shes the one that really pushed me to my limits when it came to these designs.
I'll admit the first time around with my Kickstarter launch I was so caught up in the moment of thinking omg I'm going to make my own deck of cards!!!!! That thought was in my head that I just rushed everything. It was bad timing, the designs weren't complete, no custom court cards etc etc. So this time around yes that thought is still in the back of my mind of creating my own deck of cards, but I took the time to jam pack as much detail as possible.
As for the 3d comment, that made me so happy as well. What got me into Graphic Design to begin with was the fact that I always wanted to create my own deck of cards one day. My true passion for arts is 3d elements such as modeling and animation. That was my main focus during college. So again I sat back and thought how I can change the playing card market from my point of view. I never saw a deck based off 3d elements before. Most designs you see are entirely done with photoshop or illustrator. Only a few decks were created using 3d elements but not the entire design, maybe like 10%.
I was actually looking at the new Theory 11 Steampunk deck and on the bottom it said it was created using 12 million 3d polygons....now most people have no idea what that means and because of the number will be like : o that sounds amazing!!!.....the fact is...for that number to that design is really really sad and nothing to brag about whats so ever.
Let me break that down for you: In the Transformer movies, optimus prime was very well constructed and was very very detailed. It had 10,108 parts to the design. That 3d character alone for the movies only had 1.8 million polygons... so to brag about 12 million for a little design is very sad.
For my design, almost 95% of the designs you see were all modeled using 3d software. The rst were touched up in photoshop. So I did a cross breed for two of my passions in life.
I would love to hear everyones thoughts about the polygon statement I broke down.
Thank you again for those comments. I love this deck, theme, design, everything about it. Lets make this a reality for me as well as for you guys. This deck was intended for collectors, not so much magicians.
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wow! I really like that new back design. I dont really have any thoughts on the polygon :-\ thing because I dont know anything about them.
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Telling a playing card collector/user/player that the design of a deck required 12 million polygons is like telling me that the deck required 17.4 gigajoules to create at 450 kelvins using 50 metric tons of paper with 8,000 liters of ink under 400 millibars of pressure and a moisture-to-air ratio of 0.02 ml/cubic meter.
It means NOTHING! It's about as important to me as saying, "It's PRETTY!"
Tell me it has Magic Finish. Tell me it has Tally Ho stock. Even tell me it has an embossed box with a Hello Kitty sticker seal! But polygons? WTF?
You may have aimed more for collectors than magicians, but I think you hit both markets squarely in the bull's-eye.
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And this is why sincd day one I never mentioned polygons for my deck even though it utilizes 3d elements : P
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"We used 12 million polygons" = "We wasted x hours of processing power rendering 12 million polygons, creating something that isn't as good as the Actuators"
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haha that made me laugh
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Heres a desktop wallpaper for all of you to download : P Its full hd. If anyone needs a smaller resolution just let me know!
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/513/desktopwallpaper2.jpg/
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Here is the last Custom Court card that will be revealed before launch! : P
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It looks good! That's one mean looking ax >:(
I can't wait to see the rest of the court cards when it launches! Hopefully everything goes smoothly up until then!
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Those will be the only 3 court cards that will be displayed during launch. This is to show as an example of what the other cards will be. However, during the Kickstarter time I will be updating it to show other court cards along the way. I might show one every 5 days or something like that
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I think that's a good idea. Keeps peoples attention on the deck and there will always be something to talk about regarding the cards themselves. Instead of people backing it and forgetting about it. The 5 day thing would be a smart move!
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Exactly how I saw it. Theres 9 more court cards to be revealed so I will set my funding to $10,000 with 50 days to reach that. Every 5 days I will reveal a card. I definitely think it will get funded this time around.
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Yeah that's a great strategy! On top of that you have a lot of buzz this time around, and it's not like we are going to stop talking about it! It's awesome to see this deck get a second chance :)
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Yes this deck deserved a second chance with the amount of detail and time I took into creating it. Again, I'm not going to stop after this deck gets produced. A villain deck will be the follow up and then thats it for this series. After that I have plans on creating more and more decks. I would love nothing more then to develop a fan base and a strong relationship with uspcc. I want to showcase my skills as an artist and hopefully by the end of all of this I will get some job offers. Mind you w.e. happens it will not prevent me from creating new decks : D
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That new Jack looks WAY better than the other court cards you posted. If I'm honest, although I liked the back design and you seem like a good guy, these were never a definite buy for me. If the rest of the court cards are at that standard, they are a definite buy.
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Yes the rest of the court cards will follow the same theme. However a sleight change, if you look at regular Bicycle court cards now, all he swords and axes look the same. Well with my design, each sword and axe will be different on every card.
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Please post the smartphone wallpaper here too :)
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Here is the desktop wallpaper for smart phones! Hopefully the resolution is correct.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/smartphonel.jpg/
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Yes this deck deserved a second chance with the amount of detail and time I took into creating it. Again, I'm not going to stop after this deck gets produced. A villain deck will be the follow up and then thats it for this series. After that I have plans on creating more and more decks. I would love nothing more then to develop a fan base and a strong relationship with uspcc. I want to showcase my skills as an artist and hopefully by the end of all of this I will get some job offers. Mind you w.e. happens it will not prevent me from creating new decks : D
So, you'll have "Galvanic: Heroes Edition".
Then "Galvanic: Villians Edition".
What about "Galvanic: The Last Battle Edition"? Or something to that effect? Conflict Edition, or Epic Clash Edition? (Just please, not "Pillow Fight Edition"...)
I think it would be a cool idea. Tweak the spot cards to have background images of the heroes and villains going at it against each other, blasts of energy flying, swords and axes clashing! Make two-headed courts featuring heroes on one half, villains on the other!
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ahh yes I did think about that idea of having a third deck. "Aftermath" but personally I would like to move on from the theme after the villain. UNLESS I develop a strong enough fan base and they tell me to create one. If that happens that by all means you guys are getting one. As far as the names go, this deck is just called Galvanic. The villain deck will be an entirely different name. However, to me and you guys it will be nick named the hero deck and villain deck.
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Here is the Tuck Case for my Galvanic playing cards!
http://imageshack.us/f/542/galvanictuckcase.jpg/
Please keep in mind those are not the true colors as the web cannot handle them. Also that Bicycle logo image on the front is not the final image. USPCC will apply it to the design once Kickstarter succeeds and the designs are sent.
I would love feedback from you guys!
Thanks everyone,
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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Here is the Tuck Case for my Galvanic playing cards!
http://imageshack.us/f/542/galvanictuckcase.jpg/ (http://imageshack.us/f/542/galvanictuckcase.jpg/)
Please keep in mind those are not the true colors as the web cannot handle them. Also that Bicycle logo image on the front is not the final image. USPCC will apply it to the design once Kickstarter succeeds and the designs are sent.
I would love feedback from you guys!
Thanks everyone,
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
Times New Roman (and anything too similar) are insanely common typefaces. Go for something a little more unique, at least for the deck's brand name. Otherwise, looks fine to me.
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Now that looks awesome! I agree with Good@Sabacc though about the font. Try something special :)
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normally I don't think it would be that big of a deal, but I think that you should really try to draw the viewers eye to the word galvanic. So I would go for something a little more flashy (but still fits with the theme).
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Maybe you can do like the fulton clip joint .. 1 random pip will have a lighting design in it
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Maybe you can do like the fulton clip joint .. 1 random pip will have a lighting design in it
Eh that may just be a little too unoriginal. It will just look like he is copying that deck. I wouldn't go that direction.
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10 days until the Kickstarter launches! Sadly, the Tendril deck just launched on Kickstarter. Lets hope that both of them succeed!
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10 days until the Kickstarter launches! Sadly, the Tendril deck just launched on Kickstarter. Lets hope that both of them succeed!
Sadly? I'm assuming you mean because of the overlap/closeness in the two project. I'm sure it won't be a big deal.
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10 days until the Kickstarter launches! Sadly, the Tendril deck just launched on Kickstarter. Lets hope that both of them succeed!
Sadly? I'm assuming you mean because of the overlap/closeness in the two project. I'm sure it won't be a big deal.
Yes, thats exactly what I meant
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We really need to get this project funded! This is the second time, and I doubt there would be a 3rd one... :( definitely buying 2-3 of these!
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Tendril is aiming for a hit-and-run with this one - only 30 days to raise the funding. If the Galvanic is offered with a longer timeline, perhaps it will have a better chance at success.
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Yeah I would also suggest a little longer run time! I know many of us would love to see this deck come to life and a little extra time might help a lot.
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Wasnt the vortex deck longer than 30 days?
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Maybe you can do like the fulton clip joint .. 1 random pip will have a lighting design in it
Eh that may just be a little too unoriginal. It will just look like he is copying that deck. I wouldn't go that direction.
The fulton clip joint pip colour is just like the pirates deck
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Maybe you can do like the fulton clip joint .. 1 random pip will have a lighting design in it
Eh that may just be a little too unoriginal. It will just look like he is copying that deck. I wouldn't go that direction.
The fulton clip joint pip colour is just like the pirates deck
Dude. Not even close. I own the two Pirate decks and FCJ. The changed pip colors on the Pirate are NOT the same as the single curlicued pip on the Clip Joint. The only thing that makes them even close to being the same is that not all the pips are alike, but there the similarities end.
Let the guy make the deck he wants WITHOUT having to copy ANYONE ELSE'S DECK. Originality is a GOOD thing.
Wasnt the vortex deck longer than 30 days?
I'm pretty sure it was.
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Yeah the first update for the Vortex deck was on October 10th and it was fully funded on the 3rd of December. So that's almost two full months. I remember I was looking at it for a month or so before I finally pledged.
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Yes, I found out about it near the beginning of November, almost a month had gone by, and there was a bit less than a month left.
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Hey Eeveryone,
I just wanted to remind everyone that the Kickstarter page for these cards will be launching tomorrow 3pm Eastern time!!
Make sure you spread the word and lets get this funded this time around!. The reward system is different, the designs have changed/updated and custom court cards have been added to the deck!. The goal will be $10,000 for 50 days. Every 5 days a new custom court card picture will be uploaded so make sure you stay tuned! It will have Aristocrat stock as well as the Magic Finish.
Im so excited for this guys so lets make a dream come true!
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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Hey Eeveryone,
I just wanted to remind everyone that the Kickstarter page for these cards will be launching tomorrow 3pm Eastern time!!
Make sure you spread the word and lets get this funded this time around!. The reward system is different, the designs have changed/updated and custom court cards have been added to the deck!. The goal will be $10,000 for 50 days. Every 5 days a new custom court card picture will be uploaded so make sure you stay tuned! It will have Aristocrat stock as well as the Magic Finish.
Im so excited for this guys so lets make a dream come true!
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
Wow! This is perfect! Just a double backer and/or blank face card and/or gaff card would make it even perfecter!!!!!!!!!
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Hope we fund it this time!
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Double backer will be included : D
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Awesome! I really hope these succeed this time and I have a feeling they will succeed this time.
A double backer is a must have for uncut sheets :P
:o
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Yes! Double backer FTW!
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Wow, I have a strong feel the deck's gonna be awesome! now all I need is someone to pledge for me... :'( stupid kickstarter, Y U NO ACCEPT PAYPAL?! >:( >:( >:(
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I'm excited to see what the reward tiers are! Hopefully this will make it this time, I know how hard you have worked on this Sean!!
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1 more day left! Definitely getting 1-3 of these! We need to make this thread more popular so others can see it!
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Wow, I have a strong feel the deck's gonna be awesome! now all I need is someone to pledge for me... :'( stupid kickstarter, Y U NO ACCEPT PAYPAL?! >:( >:( >:(
BUY A PREPAID VISA CARD! This complaint is getting tired, especially since SOLUTIONS EXIST!
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So, I thought the kickstarter would be launched today! ?
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Half hour till the page goes live!
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Half hour till the page goes live!
Very excited! Let's keep flow to this page so people can be informed about this deck. :D
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9 minutes until launch! I'm excited! We need to spread the word about these because not many people know of them.
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Actually 4 minutes now. We need to keep commenting on this thread so people get to see it! :D Any ways, I really do hope this gets funded. To an amazing deck, Sean!
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Its official! Galvanic Playing cards are now available for pre-order on Kickstarter.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1293645903/galvanic-playing-cards-design-by-sean-whelan (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1293645903/galvanic-playing-cards-design-by-sean-whelan)
Thank you everyone who followed me throughout this process. It's been a dream of mine to develop my own set of playing cards. I've worked so hard to get here and its a privilege to showcase this for everyone. Lets hope that this project of mine is successful because this won't be the last time you see my name on a deck of cards. I have plans to keep doing this and creating many more deck sin the future.
Thank you everyone!
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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People are going to see the thread! I'm ALL for promoting Sean and his deck but spamming this thread is really not needed. The thread will be marked as unread for those who haven't seen it and thus they will check it out. Make sure your posts are adding to the conversation instead of repeating what you've said many times before. If you want to promote the deck and really get the word out for the deck (and the discourse) share the link to this thread on facebook and share the Kickstarter link!! That is what will really boost the project. Just don't spam
Back on topic. I'm looking forward to seeing this project go live!! Hopefully this time the Kickstarter will be more fortunate! All the best Sean!!
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Yes! Let's give it another shot! I backed the 25$ pledge. and I was 10 seconds away from being the first backer lol. I'm second now! I really like how you updated the pledge system. However I don't understand how 1 deck is 9$, 2 decks is 16$ (8$/deck) and 3 decks is 25$ (More than 8$/deck). We pay more per deck for buying 3 decks than we do for buying 2 decks? Or is it because of the shipping which costs more for more decks?
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Congrats on launching it! The goal is not too high so this will hopefully be funded soon! Good luck :D
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The goal is really low. How many are you printing?!
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Nathan those higher rewards are for those who come too late. So lets say the $9 reward is all sold out, they have to choose the next ones up then
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The goal is really low. How many are you printing?!
It says 2500 decks
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Nathan those higher rewards are for those who come too late. So lets say the $9 reward is all sold out, they have to choose the next ones up then
But do you have to pay more per deck to get more decks?
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Wow! Almost 700$ already! Even if you get 500$ a day, which I think is less than what will happen, you will have 20,000$+ by the end of the funding! Congrats!
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Nathan those higher rewards are for those who come too late. So lets say the $9 reward is all sold out, they have to choose the next ones up then
I put in for the $16/2 decks deal but paid $32 to get 4 decks. Cool? :))
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Loving the international shipping included in the $25 tier! FINALLY!
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Glad you gave it another go! Missed the last one but happy to say that i'm a proud backer of this one! Good Luck!
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Backed the $25 pledge, free international shipping, LOVE IT :D . Good luck, hope to see this funded.
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I just backed your project too. Hope this could make it through.
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Thank you everyone for the positive feedback I've been getting off forums and Kickstarter. I honestly didn't expect to do this well so fast. Lets hope the pace stays the same because I want nothing more then this deck to get printed. Shortly after this post, new rewards will be added to the system to fix the gap between $100 and $400. Also, I am just waiting for the word over from uspcc for me to show the tuck case. It does show the Bicycle logo so before I can display it I need clearance to do so. Any questions I will be on these forums everyday so feel free to let me know. Ill try to respond as fast as I can.
Thank you again everyone!
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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I think the rewards tiers are very poorly chosen...I mean you have a 25 limited reward for 3 decks at $25, but 50 rewards at the $300 and $500, plus another 25 at the $400 level.If you count the decks only for this 3 levels you get 6600 decks :o .
Plus I think the bread and butter would be the 2 and 3 decks rewards.
As a suggestion: trim the number of the high pledges and do a new reward for the 3 decks(with added international shipping charges, to don't get burned on the high cost of shipping overseas).Think about 200 rewards multiplied by $25= half of your needed funding.
I'm going to post the same thing in Playing Card Plethora Forum.
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I think I'm gonna make isos for each awesome kickstarter that comes out from now on... :'(
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So theres more decks on Kickstarter than what will be printed?
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Theoretically yeah... But for top three packages to sell out the funds would have $33,000, which would be enough to get the extra decks and then some...
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But if he says he will print 2500, he shouldn't print more than that
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But if he says he will print 2500, he shouldn't print more than that
I'm sure he would give everybody a heads up that he is printing more if this was to happen. I doubt he would act like he didn't print more. It is strange that he is allowing more to be sold than he is printing haha
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I think its a case of he knows he isn't going to sell that many, he's just opening up to offer more ways to get funded, especially since the last try failed. It's risky, but lets face it - even the vortex and tendril havent managed to sell out every big deck package, and now Glavanic has like 10 times as much, Sean knows he wont sell them all.
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Hey everyone,
Thank you so much for all the feedback as usual. Im sorry I haven't been on. The past few days I've been really busy and then at night I've been going out to celebrate the launch of Kickstarter page. To explain about the rewards: First off this deck is very very different then your usual Bicycle deck you would purchase from E or Theory 11. This deck was to get my ideas which were originally supposed to be a short film, and turn them into playing cards (my next biggest passion).
These cards were for collector's in mind and not so much magicians. The Kickstarter page failed last time and it crushed me that it did. So this time the reward system has changed and yes to you it doesn't make sense. You have to understand my point of view. I wan to the best options to get this deck funded. Will I ever sell out?? Of course not, I'll be lucky if I sell through even half of the stock. It's all about thinking ahead and various combinations. What if people only pledged for the $1000 reward?? ok what if only the $9 reward etc etc. Not all of the rewards will be sold out.
To answer other peoples questions, this deck will never be printed again. Only 2500. When it comes time that funding is successful, I will change the reward limits so there is no way that 2500 will be going over.
I hope this helps to address the various problems.
Ill be on checking the forums everyday. I might not respond right away but you will definitely get an answer.
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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There we go :)
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Okay that makes sense. Now that you've explained it, it's pretty clear and logical. I really hope that this succeeds. I know that as an artist this is something you've put a great deal of yourself into. All the best!!
-Baggs
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I pledged for 3. I really like the sound of those Iphone cases though!
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Wow what a fantastic artwork. I really liked the ACE of spades.
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We really need to spread the word on this one...
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Hey Everyone,
So todays the 5th day into the Kickstarter page and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who pledged. By the end of today I will have over 100 backers already and hopefully reach over $4000 towards my goal. As promised the new court card has been revealed on the Kickstarter page. So be sure to check it out!!
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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Congrats on hitting $4000 :D
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with over 40 days remaining, I think this will definatly get funded. I really like the deck and you are very talented sean :) I am guessing it will be funded by mid-March :)
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I'm surprised that the resellers haven't hit this deck yet.. any ideas of why?
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I'm surprised that the resellers haven't hit this deck yet.. any ideas of why?
I think it might be because they don't see a high enough demand for the deck. There is some buzz about the deck but most of those people are buying it from Kickstarter itself so they aren't going to rely on a reseller. They may not see it as a smart business move
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It's all in how much the deck gets promoted. Generate enough buzz, get enough people to want it, and resellers will want a piece of the action. Of course, none of that helps if the deck's terrible in the first place, but this one doesn't fit that mold, in my opinion.
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A new court card image will be uploaded in a few hours! Those of you who still want to pre-order my playing cards still can! Not even two weeks and my goal is about to reach $6,000! Need $10,000 with 37 more days to go!. Please share the link to everyone this way the cards will be produced!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1293645903/galvanic-playing-cards-design-by-sean-whelan
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For those that haven't already pledged, you HAVE to at least check these amazing cards. It would be great to finally get them funded, and with metallic ink and bee stock if possible!!!!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1293645903/galvanic-playing-cards-design-by-sean-whelan
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Here is the second court card to be revealed in the spade series:
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8118/queenofspades.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8118/queenofspades.jpg)
Thank you everyone who pledged this project so far! 37 more days left and right now I'm about to break $6,000. Spread the word so that this deck can be produced : D
Sean Whelan
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I really like that queen, except look at what she is holding in her hand. Anyone see a resemblance? Or just me and my perverted mind?
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I really like that queen, except look at what she is holding in her hand. Anyone see a resemblance? Or just me and my perverted mind?
I think it is your mind... lol I see what you ment. Although it is a wand and looks pretty cool.
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I really like that queen, except look at what she is holding in her hand. Anyone see a resemblance? Or just me and my perverted mind?
I think it is your mind... lol I see what you ment. Although it is a wand and looks pretty cool.
Lol I need to go see the doctor LOL but anyways, now you won't see that queen the same way ever again!
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When I work on the court cards, I have a standard original court card laying in front of me. I keep that as a reference when I design. Again for my designs, I try to implement my theme into the original ones. I try to model whatever they are holding exactly how it looks. Any other thoughts on the court cards so far?
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When I work on the court cards, I have a standard original court card laying in front of me. I keep that as a reference when I design. Again for my designs, I try to implement my theme into the original ones. I try to model whatever they are holding exactly how it looks. Any other thoughts on the court cards so far?
I recommend tweaking the shape on the top of the queen's scepter. It looks like the bastard child of a club and a diamond.
Have you considered adding the suit symbols to the court characters? Often they appear on court cards somewhere in the robes, but I could envision them appearing on the "Galvanics" as part of a spray-painted stencil on the side of the head or something, perhaps as part of a serial number.
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I agree with Don here, the queen needs a little bit more work. I'm also not really in fond of that squiggles beside the scepter and the head. It could definitely look better.
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Congrats on hitting $6,000!
All we need is more resellers to hit this project! Its moving slow but its definitely moving! Lets keep the money coming!
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I truly hope we reach 15,000! A bee stock and metallic ink would be truly amazing with this deck!!!!
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Just broke 7k tonight! Thank you everyone for the feedback.
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Just broke 7k tonight! Thank you everyone for the feedback.
Yay! Congrats! Only 3,000 to go. And hopefully we will get 8,000 more!
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I was thinking about something but wanted feedback before doing so. Once this deck gets funded the villain deck will be the follow up. No designs have been created but I do know exactly I'll be going for. Once the goal is funded, would everyone like a desciption of what that deck will look like? Or would you want to wait and see the back design a few months down the road? Both maybe? Which would you like.
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I was thinking about something but wanted feedback before doing so. Once this deck gets funded the villain deck will be the follow up. No designs have been created but I do know exactly I'll be going for. Once the goal is funded, would everyone like a desciption of what that deck will look like? Or would you want to wait and see the back design a few months down the road? Both maybe? Which would you like.
I definitely want to hear and see it!
Just broke 7k tonight! Thank you everyone for the feedback.
Congratulations man! Thats a great step closer. You're so close to $10,000!
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there is 1 mounth left on this deck, there is no doubt that it will get funded with some Extra
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Congrats on the progress so far! It's awesome to see this project grow and hopefully succeed!
Maybe a little of both Sean. I think a little description would be nice but you don't want to give to much away ;) Gotta save some of the excitement for later!
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I was thinking about something but wanted feedback before doing so. Once this deck gets funded the villain deck will be the follow up. No designs have been created but I do know exactly I'll be going for. Once the goal is funded, would everyone like a desciption of what that deck will look like? Or would you want to wait and see the back design a few months down the road? Both maybe? Which would you like.
The choice on that is solely yours, Sean. You can use it as a teaser to get current funders to bump their funding a skosh and spread the word.
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Last court card in the spade series has now been revealed. Check out the Kickstarter page under the Update tab to view the image.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1293645903/galvanic-playing-cards-design-by-sean-whelan
Thank you everyone
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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The Jack of Spades is my favorite of the Court cards so far! Awesome job and congrats on your progress so far.
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The project is going slowly.
I really hope this get through the goal.
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Sean, you've got plenty of time but you need to get out there and get people excited! There's not far to go but I think you need to make more noise on the forums, put together a little Tumblr or something about your project and give people some more meat to chew on! Get folks to spread the word for you, it will work wonders.
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I know I'm doing the best I can : ( This is my first time ever doing this and it's just me behind this project. Do you guys have any ideas on how I could market the deck better?
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I know, it's a ton of work. I'd suggest that you set up a twitter account and facebook page for them and then spend some time out there liking other pages, following people, etc. Start putting up some links to images and the kickstarter, maybe setup a giveaway of some kind. I had a few little contests that would happen when I got to certain point of "socialness" and since people LOVE free stuff you'll get some attention that way.
I don't think I've seen a website for you or Galvanic, and with great free resources like Tumblr and similar services you can setup a nice looking website quickly and get content out there.
It certainly takes a lot of effort. I've spent at minimum a few hours a day, every day, for months on my project. And that is after the art is done! Stick with it though and setup a few more channels and I think you'll get to your goal.
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I know I'm doing the best I can : ( This is my first time ever doing this and it's just me behind this project. Do you guys have any ideas on how I could market the deck better?
Hey Sean,
The best thing you could to help the project is right at your fingertips! You can use Maya to create a nice Animation of the cards themselves. A playing card and tuck box model would take an hour at the most to build and then a couple hours to create the texture maps and surface all 54 cards (or less if you only feature some). After that it just comes down to parenting cards to each other and animating their rotation axles to create fans or other simple animations. You still have 28 days! You could whip out a video in a week and have plenty of time leftover to build more momemtum.
I don't buy the "I'm one person" comment. I would bet the majority of projects on Kickstarter are created by one person. Look at the success of Paul's Tendril Deck and Cosmo's Spectrum Deck. Both projects are one-man teams and both projects have videos as a big selling point. I know they both take advantage of having a prototype deck to shoot, but with Maya you don't need an actual physical copy to create a cool video.
Just my thoughts on what I would do.
thanks, Randy
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I think I will chime in...
Sean, Remember when you were going to make it a Modern Manipulator Deck? We had some solid Ideas about creating an animations and a story within it. I dont know how you got away from that but I think you should strongly consider some of the origional ideas we discussed a few months back.
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A video is a great idea and something a lot of people respond to. Put it on the KS as well as youtube and vimeo.
Some of my very first "promo" photos and such were done with fake cards I printed on my inkjet and creatively shot to look real. Having a prototype deck does help a lot, but as Randy said you can do it in 3D. As a little behind-the scenes-tidbit, I did some of my video using my camera on top of my daughter's lego car to get a smoother pan. :) You can do things on the cheap and quick if you get the vision in place.
If I can do this on my own, you can to. I'd wager you don't have a 3 month old baby and highly-interactive 4 year old dominating your time like I do. LOL. :)
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A video is a great idea and something a lot of people respond to. Put it on the KS as well as youtube and vimeo.
Some of my very first "promo" photos and such were done with fake cards I printed on my inkjet and creatively shot to look real. Having a prototype deck does help a lot, but as Randy said you can do it in 3D. As a little behind-the scenes-tidbit, I did some of my video using my camera on top of my daughter's lego car to get a smoother pan. :) You can do things on the cheap and quick if you get the vision in place.
If I can do this on my own, you can to. I'd wager you don't have a 3 month old baby and highly-interactive 4 year old dominating your time like I do. LOL. :)
He is very talented Paul and he already has the robot all modeled and ready to animate! I say make that animation!!!
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I would suggest not worrying about animating the Robot. Just worry about the cards themselves, that's would people want to see and learn more about before they pledge. Any character animation would slow down the creation of the video and I don't think the casual Kickstarter lurker cares much about the story of the cards, they want to see what it is they are putting their hard-earned money towards. Another way to setup a couple quick scenes is to layout the cards in a pattern or even a random pile and setup a camera panning overhead. Let the camera do the work for a couple scenes!
OFF-TOPIC - Paul I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old who are crazy and crave attention! I feel your pain. It's a lot of fun though, and I wouldn't change it for anything.
thanks, Randy
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I would suggest not worrying about animating the Robot. Just worry about the cards themselves, that's would people want to see and learn more about before they pledge. Any character animation would slow down the creation of the video and I don't think the casual Kickstarter lurker cares much about the story of the cards, they want to see what it is they are putting their hard-earned money towards. Another way to setup a couple quick scenes is to layout the cards in a pattern or even a random pile and setup a camera panning overhead. Let the camera do the work for a couple scenes!
OFF-TOPIC - Paul I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old who are crazy and crave attention! I feel your pain. It's a lot of fun though, and I wouldn't change it for anything.
thanks, Randy
As much as I'd love to see a cool animation with the deck's "characters", Randy's right in getting a quick "these are my cards, aren't they SO cool" video done and put it up, ready for your Kickstarter project. Then once the ball is rolling, you can add the animation partway into the kickstart to revive incoming new investments and spark increases from current investors.
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Tuck case has been uploaded the Galvanic Kickstarter page! : D Go check it out!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1293645903/galvanic-playing-cards-design-by-sean-whelan
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I see you didn't change the Times New Roman font.... that's ok, it still looks good. :)
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The font is actually Arno Pro. i wanted everything to be consistant and not have 30 different kinds of fonts like some decks. Not to mention it fits the theme just fine
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I really like that box, I am only pledged for 2 but I am going to have to move that to 3 :)
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King of Diamonds has now been revealed on the kickstarter page. Go check it out under the update tab! If you haven't pledged please support me to make this project come true!
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Hey Sean,
Did you decide to work on a card animation for a Kickstarter video?
Thanks, Randy
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Hey Everyone,
I apologize I haven't responded in awhile. I read the above post and to make it clear I would love to do a video like that. Unfortunately, at this point in time that type of video probably wont be done until a week or two after the Kickstarter page is complete. It takes many hours to do that type of work but I do want to do that for the follow up deck : )
Here is a new promotion to try and get the goal reached:
So with just 12 days left to get this project rolling, as days go on I will be posting special promotions to really get this goal reached. Starting tonight: The next person to pledge for the $1000 reward will receive an additional 144 decks free of charge! That's 288 total for that person alone! Each backer that pledged for that reward before that person will receive 72 decks in that tier for free! : D
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Come on guys lets get this funded! I really want these to succeed because I love these cards, but it is going to be close. :)
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Yes!!! Lets get this funded!! I know all you collectors would love these babies!! : D I understand going into this it was a big gamble because....well how different they are to most playing cards. They are not for magicians but for more collectors. I simply wanted to fuse my two passions into one creation thats all. Of course this is my first Kickstarter project so now I know what to expect with the villain deck. Definitely will have magicians in mind : )
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Someone is really trying to contact me to give them a set of the printing plates if they pledge for the $1000 reward -___-
are you kidding me? Those are something meaningful to a creator why would I give it away when these cards are printed...
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Someone is really trying to contact me to give them a set of the printing plates if they pledge for the $1000 reward -___-
are you kidding me? Those are something meaningful to a creator why would I give it away when these cards are printed...
Others are. The idea of collecting plates, at least around here, came up when photos of a plate from the Mana deck popped up. It's like how some people collect newspaper printing plates to display on their walls.
They may be rare and all that jazz, but what significance do they really hold for you? I'd make a better deal than that - keep a front and back plate for yourself, make the others available as rewards at a high level. With a deck that has four color faces and two color backs, you have a total of six.
The alternative could be that the plates never get made, because the deck doesn't get made.
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Have you pledged for your Bicycle Galvanic deck yet? With only a week left, the goal is only short by $1314. So close!! Since the Kickstarter went live, only a little over 980 decks have been pre-ordered. So here is what I can do for everyone: promotion time! : D Starting tonight at 7 PM Eastern Time - Saturday 12 PM Noon Eastern Time.
For people who backed this project already: Since you guys have helped me get this far, if you would like to get a deck added to your order just simply increase your pledge by $4! Thats less then half the price. This is for international buyers as well. So thank you in advance for helping me along the way. Again, any extra decks you would like it'll be $4 per deck : D
For People who have not backed this project yet:
Each deck will be $9. Each additional deck after that in the same order will only be $6. For those choosing higher rewards please contact to cut you a deal depending on which reward you choose.
The first promotion still stands for resellers. However I'm raising the stakes! The next person who pledges for the $1000 reward will receive 300 decks! Each previous backer in that tier will receive an additional 72 decks free of charge this way everyone wins.
I want this project to succeed. It's been a dream of mine for a for year snow and a lot of effort when into these designs. I understand its very different then most playing cards on the market but this series was for collectors in mind. Not so much magicians.
Thank you everyone who pledged so far!! 7 days left. Only time will tell : D
Any questions or concerns please feel free to personally contact me at sean.whelan.designs@gmail.com
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Sean, you might consider printing plate offer. You'll have 8 of them, so you can easily keep your favorite pair and then sell the rest.
I'm getting them for my deck, and will let the others go to market. It really won't do you any good to have more than pair and if it can get your deck done, it might be a great option. I think they are worth many hundreds each, so don't give them away but of somebody wants them that badly...
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I think you should sell 1 of the plates because there are few days left and a couple thousand left. If that gets us over the goal, that would be nice. Anyways, if these don't get funded, no one will get the plates...
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Hello Sean,
I can see this is your second attempt at funding the same project.
As a support, I have backed for one deck.
Hope this time gets funded and you realize your dream.
Best Wishes!
Yours,
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Hey sean, If this doesn`t reach funding you could always print through Rajas company, They seem to have good quality and then this deck, that should have been funded the first time through idk why it is having such a hard time getting funded, I like it more than alot of decks out there, Will get funded.
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Thank you everyone for their support! I have actually had a lot of people tell me they love my designs compared to most decks coming out recently. So why is it having such a hard time reaching its goal? Its because how different it is. These truly utilize cgi into the designs and have a very futuristic feel to them. Nothing wrong with breaking away from the norm though : P
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Sean, Your concepts are great and thats not why your having trouble. Why your a strong artist, marketing is your weakness. I feel like if you had maintained a strong presence on Facebook, twitter, Kickstarter & all possible forums it you have made a difference. Marketing is tedious and take creativity to make it work well. I know you have tried but its just how it works.
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Thank you everyone for their support! I have actually had a lot of people tell me they love my designs compared to most decks coming out recently. So why is it having such a hard time reaching its goal? Its because how different it is. These truly utilize cgi into the designs and have a very futuristic feel to them. Nothing wrong with breaking away from the norm though : P
Sean, Your concepts are great and thats not why your having trouble. Why your a strong artist, marketing is your weakness. I feel like if you had maintained a strong presence on Facebook, twitter, Kickstarter & all possible forums it you have made a difference. Marketing is tedious and take creativity to make it work well. I know you have tried but its just how it works.
I think the market as a whole has slowed down a bit since the holidays. Can't you tell? Dan and Dave haven't released a new deck in, what, days? :))
If you haven't noticed, a lot of people are talking on this board and probably on others about how they're tightening their belts a bit more than usual and really getting choosy about the decks they buy.
Robert raises a very valid point about marketing. Are you promoting the cards on Facebook? Are you popping in on the card boards (funny!) often and talking up the production? What other ideas do you have for promotions besides just giveaways? Because if you aren't drawing new people to the project, you'll have no one new to give those offers to. Have you tried contests either here or on FB or both?
You aren't just in the business of making and designing playing cards. You're in the business of getting eyeballs on your products and generating interest in them. Beta videocassettes were the technically-superior product at the dawn of the home VCR age - but because Sony failed to market the format effectively, it crashed and burned in favor of the cheaper VHS cassette. HD-DVD suffered the same fate when high-definition video discs came to the market place. Don't be the next Beta or HD-DVD.
You only need a SMALL amount to get you over the hump. Promote the crap out of this project, get on FB and make up a contest that stirs up attention, FAST.
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Ahh, we are just onder $800 to go! Please people if you havn't can you pledge for even 1 deck!! :)
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Thank you everyone for their support! I have actually had a lot of people tell me they love my designs compared to most decks coming out recently. So why is it having such a hard time reaching its goal? Its because how different it is. These truly utilize cgi into the designs and have a very futuristic feel to them. Nothing wrong with breaking away from the norm though : P
Sean, Your concepts are great and thats not why your having trouble. Why your a strong artist, marketing is your weakness. I feel like if you had maintained a strong presence on Facebook, twitter, Kickstarter & all possible forums it you have made a difference. Marketing is tedious and take creativity to make it work well. I know you have tried but its just how it works.
I think the market as a whole has slowed down a bit since the holidays. Can't you tell? Dan and Dave haven't released a new deck in, what, days? :))
If you haven't noticed, a lot of people are talking on this board and probably on others about how they're tightening their belts a bit more than usual and really getting choosy about the decks they buy.
Robert raises a very valid point about marketing. Are you promoting the cards on Facebook? Are you popping in on the card boards (funny!) often and talking up the production? What other ideas do you have for promotions besides just giveaways? Because if you aren't drawing new people to the project, you'll have no one new to give those offers to. Have you tried contests either here or on FB or both?
You aren't just in the business of making and designing playing cards. You're in the business of getting eyeballs on your products and generating interest in them. Beta videocassettes were the technically-superior product at the dawn of the home VCR age - but because Sony failed to market the format effectively, it crashed and burned in favor of the cheaper VHS cassette. HD-DVD suffered the same fate when high-definition video discs came to the market place. Don't be the next Beta or HD-DVD.
You only need a SMALL amount to get you over the hump. Promote the crap out of this project, get on FB and make up a contest that stirs up attention, FAST.
I am one of those people you were talking about. Since the link to your Kickstarter is neither in your signature, in the first or last pages of this thread, nor in the most recent posts of your facebook page, it is kinda hard to find a link to it. Try making it more obvious and your chances of reaching your goal will greatly increase. Also don't forget that some people may have credit card failures after the project gets funded, so having a bit of leeway may be helpful. JMO :D
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Hey Everyone,
Man am I glad I created that promotion. Without it that number to the right over here would not be where its at so thank you to all who increased their pledges and all of those who backed me on this project! Remember this promotion will end exactly at 12 Noon Eastern Time so those who pledge $4 extra will not be getting an extra deck.
After 12 noon, all pricing will be going back to normal. $9 per deck. So get the deal while its hot! Less then 12 hours to go with that promotion and only 4 days left! I believe its safe to say the project will be funded. So all those resellers who wanted to wait....now is your chance to pledge! Maybe 12k can be reached for metallic ink. You never know what will happen in 4 days!
Thank you again to everyone!
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I bumped my investment. Good luck, man - you're very close now, I think you'll make it.
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Congratulations Sean on getting this wondewrful deck funded :D Now your work really begins :)
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Congrats Sean. I new your deck could make it. You see, despite it's originality, hard work pays off. Lets hope no one cancels their pledges and we hit 12,000$!
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Congrats of funding sean! Can't wait for the deck to come to me.
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Yes! It was a close one but you succeeded! Congratulations on funding it and I know its very important to you so go celebrate man! You did a great job with the deck and I cant wait to have it in my hands!
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I want to thank everyone who pledged for this project!!! The day is finally here where goal was met. Lets keep this number where it is and hopefully no one backs down now. $ days to go so lets see if metallic ink will be added to the decks : D Thank you everyone for there support!!!! You guys are amazing. Because of you guys was I able to reach one of my goals in life.
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I want to thank everyone who pledged for this project!!! The day is finally here where goal was met. Lets keep this number where it is and hopefully no one backs down now. $ days to go so lets see if metallic ink will be added to the decks : D Thank you everyone for there support!!!! You guys are amazing. Because of you guys was I able to reach one of my goals in life.
Congratulations, Sean. Let's face it, it was a good design once you improved it to version 2.0. Custom court cards from the start rather than as an upgrade was definitely a good decision, something to make your deck truly stand out.
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This project is close to ending so please do not back down now. I hate seeing people cancel their pledges : ( For some I understand why but thats a different reason. This project took a lot of effort and I would hate to see it go down the drain. Last thing I want to do is go at it a third time. The sooner these go into production the sooner I could get working on the villain deck! : D Lets keep this up and shar ethe link to everyone you know!!!
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it is at $10005 right now, come on guys lets keep it over! I will up my pledge by a bit if it is really close when it is close to being done.
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A few observations and lessons to take away here:
1. It's not enough to simply design a great project. Marketing everywhere, constantly and relentlessly while simultaneously being approachable, fun and responsive is critical. It is also a huge amount of work. Projects that have a lot going for them but don't have that big push to bring awareness have a much harder time.
2. The card market is dumb and uninformed. When you take out the aggressive marketing efforts mentioned above, work like Galvanic and Blue Blood (that have obvious passion and artwork put into them) don't have a huge initial advantage over complete and utter garbage like that Mystic deck. That steaming piles of poo like Mystic can make $1300 but Galvanic comes down to the wire to get $10,000 is sad. In the end the garbage probably won't succeed but that they have any traction at all is indicative of a poorly educated customer base.
3. We all need to support the quality work as much as possible and even if it was free, don't lend support to obvious trash. That's the only way we'll help teach the market what has value and what doesn't.
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Thank you xmetal for saying all of that. I don't know why people back projects such that Mystic Deck : /
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Have you pre-ordered your Galvanic deck?? Well now is the chance to do it! With less then 13 hours to go and the Kickstarter goal reached......looks like these will be getting printed!! So hurry up and pre-order before you miss your chance! These decks will never be printed again and will only be sold on reseller sites (which means price per deck will be higher). Only 2500 are being printed so definitely a collectors item!.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1293645903/galvanic-playing-cards-design-by-sean-whelan
Sean Whelan
3D Artist
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Congrats Sean!! I hope that $200 over the goal holds up for 13 hours! :bosswalk:
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Kickstarter Update:
Well its official! Bicycle Galvanic Playing Cards have been successful!! : D
I will be taking survey's within the next few days to get everyone's mailing address. I will also be keeping this project updated frequently to let everyone know what stage the cards are at. As of right now, funding has been successful and it takes 14 days for me to receive the payments into my bank account. During those 14 days I will be finishing up the rest of the designs. Once the 14 days are up I will be ordering prototypes to make sure everything is good and then its off to the printing press! Thank you everyone who helped me with this and I will be getting these cards to you as soon as possible! Any questions at all please feel free to contact me.
Sean Whelan
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Congrats Sean! I really hope no backers will cancel their pledges, because your deck is truly something new and innovative!
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@Nathan,
Will? The project is successful and funded...
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@Nathan,
Will? The project is successful and funded...
There's always a certain percentage of pledges lost due to declined charge cards.
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The "failed charges" thing is something Kickstarter tells project creators about, and you're supposed to take it into account when you decide on the amount you need. If you actually need $10k to make your project happen, you have to ask for $12k in funding to allow for the KS/Amazon cut and the possibility of 10% of the charges failing. Even then, you need to be prepared to kick in some of your own money.
Also, while you can get away with removing "overfunding" bonuses when you don't get all of the money, you can't get away with just not producing the products unless you are willing to give refunds (and I don't think KS will refund their cut in that case). This is one reason that some projects prefer not to have really high cost rewards unless they are sure they will be heavily funded or know the people who want the expensive rewards.
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Yeah I took that 10% into account. I'm looking at the backer reports and from what i see only 5 cards were declined out of the entire project. So I'm really happy about that. I will be ordering prototypes as soon as the hold is taking off from the account. Will be posting pictures first thing!
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Congrats on funding Sean, I can't wait for your deck. :)
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Fund transaction is complete and transferred to my account! Only 2 credit cards were declined out of 267 backers!! : o Crazy to me. All of the artwork is complete and submitted to uspcc! It will take about 2 weeks to get prototypes: 1 deck, 1 uncut sheet and 1 uncut sheet of the tuck case. Photos will be uploaded a.s.a.p.!
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Congrats Sean ! All the best for the processes henceforth.
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Fund transaction is complete and transferred to my account! Only 2 credit cards were declined out of 267 backers!! : o Crazy to me. All of the artwork is complete and submitted to uspcc! It will take about 2 weeks to get prototypes: 1 deck, 1 uncut sheet and 1 uncut sheet of the tuck case. Photos will be uploaded a.s.a.p.!
We're looking forward to it, Sean, especially those of us who backed you.
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Just got my digital proofs for the playing cards! : D Reviewing them now then will be uploading the images later today! As soon as I give approval its off to the printing press to make the prototypes!
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Digital proofs for the Bicycle Galvanic Playing cards have now been uploaded to the Kickstarter page! : D Check it out
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1293645903/galvanic-playing-cards-design-by-sean-whelan
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New announcement has just been uploaded under the Updates tab. Check it out! I'm pretty sure most of you will be happy about it : D
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I don't know much about getting a deck printed, but to me, that seems like it could be good but could also not be good. What if there is something on the deck that you don't want there, or something like that. I think it would be good to see exactly what the final product will look like, before you pay to have 2500 of them printed. Thats just my opinion.
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Already got my proofs and it will be printed exactly how they look. If there is a screw up uspcc fixes it with no charge within 90 days of shipment
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I don't know much about getting a deck printed, but to me, that seems like it could be good but could also not be good. What if there is something on the deck that you don't want there, or something like that. I think it would be good to see exactly what the final product will look like, before you pay to have 2500 of them printed. Thats just my opinion.
I totally agree. I don't think you should risk the 10,000$ and your backers just to save some time. It has already occurred more than once that there errors, and you wouldn't want that to happen to you as well. + it would be a good addition to your collection and a reward for your hard work.
EDIT: I just saw your post Sean. I still think you might regret it later on if you don't get a prototype though.
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It'll be an additional 4 weeks which I personally don't want
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Sean, trust me when I tell you this, even if it did delay the release as long as you think it will (which it shouldn't), GET THE PROTOTYPE.
The potential for disaster is high if anything doesn't look right once you've gone to press. And consider the delays THAT would cause, getting it fixed, even if USPC's willing to cover the costs.
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Having been in the print industry for almost 17 years and spending the first 4 of them prepping files for printing to film, I would have to agree with Sean. The hard part, the part where things could go wrong is pretty much worked out once the press sheets are setup. As long as Sean has seen a high resolution CMYK version of the digital proofs and checked over each channel and the images are clear and crisp, I say go for it! If the prototypes are truly printed through a regular color laser printer (or at that size, probably a large-scale inkjet plotter), and not the actual printing press that the final cards will be run on, then the color matching is pretty much useless. If you don't need the prototype for promo purposes then the possibility to check for color is the only factor that isn't covered by the digital proofs, and that possibility isn't there, unless the USPCC has their prototype printer calibrated meticulously close to their printing presses. Which I would think is highly unlikely.
In the non-playing card industry, approvals from digital proofs are an everyday occurance. We do a lot of work for big alcohol brands like Absolut, Jameson and Malibu and do a lot of large-scale grocery displays for them. We approve prototypes for the displays but they are always "white box" prototypes, finished displays without graphics to check the structure of the piece. Once the graphics are built to the dielines then digital proofs are used for approval purposes. If it's an extremely important or large print run then one of us will be at the printer for a press check when the first press sheets are printed. I don't think the USPCC allows that! The USPCC works out the Finish and Card Stock, so if there is a problem with either of those then that is nothing Sean or the Prototypes would have foreseen and I'm sure they would correct the mistake. If the prototypes were truly printed on the same press, paper stock and finish as the finals then I would say definitely get them but since they aren't it could be just an unneccessary luxury item.
For my cards I was planning on sending the art for the Prototype deck with slight variations for each face card's background pattern. That way I would be able to pick which pattern density looked the best against the background and PIPS and change all of the patterns to the matching opacity level. Once I found out that the prototypes were only printed on an office printer (making my pattern opacity tests useless), I changed them all back to the opacity that looked best on screen and print on my laser printer.
That's just my opinion on it though!
thanks, Randy
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Dont get a proto, there is no sense wasting money on something that isn't needed.
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Aaron, stop speaking, that brought nothing to the table.
The prototypes from USPCC are 99% accurate, even if they are 'digital prints' and not press copies. They are an invaluable resource, without them you are just guessing at the color.
CMYK =/= RGB
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I'm with Russell on this. I'm no expert professional printer and I can't tell you the number of times what I saw on the screen and what I saw on the page didn't match or even come close. "WYSISYG" - "what you see is what you get" - is never 100% on the money, or even close.
This is what Sean posted at KS three days ago:
I wanted to explain something to all my backers and for those following this project. I was talking with the reps over at uspcc earlier today and one of them told me they are being slammed over there in the prototype department. If I would still like to do prototypes (1 deck, 1 uncut tuck case and 1 unsheet) it could take up four weeks for that alone.
Here is what I'm going to do. I am going to skip the prototypes and go right for the printing : D Personally this is great news. This means the decks will be produced in a matter of three weeks. Prototypes are only mock ups. They are digital prints and don't use printing plates. They are hand cut and not machine cut. So to make prototypes and making an actual Bicycle deck are two completely different processes. The only purpose they serve to give a 3d visual of the deck to come. Most companies order prototypes for marketing purposes (i.e. pictures, videos, promotions, trailers etc)
So tomorrow I will be handing in the contract so I'll be put on schedule. Thoughts or concerns? Feel free to contact me at anytime. I'll try to respond back as fast as I can.
So excited! It's getting closer and closer to having this deck in your hands! : D
Based on this, he hasn't seen ANY HARD COPIES from USPC of this deck, and he's just signed off on getting it made. This is not a move I'd recommend to anyone printing anything of significance. For his sake, I hope he gets lucky and everything looks exactly as he envisioned it.
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The prototypes from USPCC are 99% accurate, even if they are 'digital prints' and not press copies. They are an invaluable resource, without them you are just guessing at the color.
Since Russell is one of the few people on here who's been able to compare the USPCC Protodeck side-by-side with the final printed cards, I would reconsider and get the prototype. If their prototype printer is really that close to the presses then it would go a long way to ease your mind and remove a lot of concerns, and second-guesses, while they're in the final printing stage.
thanks, Randy
EDIT: Don, WYSIWYG is very doable as long as you have a properly calibrated monitor, always work in CMYK, check your levels and stay away from bad CMYK builds (ex. 83c, 76m, 45y, 92k vs. 30c, 30m, 30y, 100k for a Rich Black - this happens when starting in RGB and converting later to CMYK). No that I think more about Sean's cards, I realize with the court cards originating as 3d Renders (3d can only Render out in RGB), he should be careful on the CMYK values of the blacks and shading of the court robots themselves.
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EDIT: Don, WYSIWYG is very doable as long as you have a properly calibrated monitor, always work in CMYK, check your levels and stay away from bad CMYK builds (ex. 83c, 76m, 45y, 92k vs. 30c, 30m, 30y, 100k for a Rich Black - this happens when starting in RGB and converting later to CMYK). No that I think more about Sean's cards, I realize with the court cards originating as 3d Renders (3d can only Render out in RGB), he should be careful on the CMYK values of the blacks and shading of the court robots themselves.
True, yes, but those are a lot of caveats. I was simply recalling a simple MS Word project I did for my boss at work last week creating a sign. I chose a shade of green for some highlighting that should have stood out rather brightly based on how it appeared on the monitor, but when printed it looked like mud. Very often the colors on-screen with her hardware and software don't entirely match with printed hard copies.
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True, yes, but those are a lot of caveats. I was simply recalling a simple MS Word project I did for my boss at work last week creating a sign. I chose a shade of green for some highlighting that should have stood out rather brightly based on how it appeared on the monitor, but when printed it looked like mud. Very often the colors on-screen with her hardware and software don't entirely match with printed hard copies.
Word and Publisher are the banes of any Production Artist's world! Back in the mid-90's when I was prepping prepress files we would occassionally get clients wanting 4-Color separations printed out from MS Publisher. I don't remember exactly how anymore, but we were able to do it after countless exporting and importing accross different softwares and file types. It was always a nightmare! They may have saved some money on buying Publisher instead of Quark or Pagemaker (now InDesign), but it cost them in the long run once they got the extra hourly prepress charges!! With Word files we didn't even try. Back then it was impossible to print color separations from MS Word. Today, I have no idea.
I would imagine Sean doesn't have to worry about any of those problems with his files though.
thanks, Randy
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True, yes, but those are a lot of caveats. I was simply recalling a simple MS Word project I did for my boss at work last week creating a sign. I chose a shade of green for some highlighting that should have stood out rather brightly based on how it appeared on the monitor, but when printed it looked like mud. Very often the colors on-screen with her hardware and software don't entirely match with printed hard copies.
Word and Publisher are the banes of any Production Artist's world! Back in the mid-90's when I was prepping prepress files we would occassionally get clients wanting 4-Color separations printed out from MS Publisher. I don't remember exactly how anymore, but we were able to do it after countless exporting and importing accross different softwares and file types. It was always a nightmare! They may have saved some money on buying Publisher instead of Quark or Pagemaker (now InDesign), but it cost them in the long run once they got the extra hourly prepress charges!! With Word files we didn't even try. Back then it was impossible to print color separations from MS Word. Today, I have no idea.
I would imagine Sean doesn't have to worry about any of those problems with his files though.
thanks, Randy
I know, I know (lol) - no one doing print uses MS Word for anything other than driving themselves insane!! It was just an example of how things on-screen and in-print can look very different. Even a little different might be enough different to leave Sean (and his customers, like me) unhappy, but let's hope for the best.
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In any case, it's an interesting gamble. If things go perfectly, he makes his May delivery date (or at least he gets to start shipping in May) and gets to be a hero. If not, he could be looking at a long summer of waiting.
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Well I bring to you the first image fresh from the printing press : D The tuck cases have been printed ans the cards themselves will be printed by Friday! The printing came out very very well! Crisp and clear with no problems! Can't wait to get these to all of you!
I know during the Kickstarter all pledges said the estimated delivery was by May. I do apologize about this and I hope most of you will understand. This was my first ever Kickstarter project and I know now what to expect for my next deck. Thank you everyone for your patience and thank you again for making this project come true.
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Well I bring to you the first image fresh from the printing press : D The tuck cases have been printed ans the cards themselves will be printed by Friday! The printing came out very very well! Crisp and clear with no problems! Can't wait to get these to all of you!
I know during the Kickstarter all pledges said the estimated delivery was by May. I do apologize about this and I hope most of you will understand. This was my first ever Kickstarter project and I know now what to expect for my next deck. Thank you everyone for your patience and thank you again for making this project come true.
Dont worry too much about being over the date. I have never bought a deck on KS that was delivered when it said.
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Printing has been completed!! : D
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The deck looks great! I'm glad to see that the process is almost over and we will have the decks in our hands soon!
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a new pic
(http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae240/1rideout/galv1-1.jpg)
CBJ
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So glad this deck was funded. Amazing how quickly it was printed and ready to ship,now the kickstarter backers can get there decks. ;D
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I think Sean was the luckiest card designer of all of us, he hit the USPCC scheduling so perfect that galvanic just flew through faster than anything I've seen or heard of. Sure wish everyone could get that kind of timeline. Now all the fun and games are over, and the grind of shipping begins. :)
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Paul your right with your post. These decks were printed dead on schedule. As a first time customer through uspcc, they definitely earned my respect for wanting to come back in the future. Everyone who I talked with was so kind and helpful throughout the entire process. Any questions I had they took the time to explain to me clearly the answers. Thank you again everyone who followed me with this project. Without you guys this wouldn't have happened. Shipping starts Friday and to tell you the truth I cannot wait. For some reason I feel like thats going to be fun rather then annoying and stressful. We'll see how it goes! : D
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Congrats Sean! They look amazing in the pictures, can't wait to see them in real life :)
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just got my decks... the color on the backs for the deck are VERY faded. like not even close to the same color that is on the box. also all the the court cards have small red dots on them are they supposed to be there? also the blacks on all the black pips and numbers seem faded as well.
the stock is REALLLLLY soft as well
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The back design on the box was my only disappointment with this deck. It printed out a different hue compared to the actual back design on the cards. The blacks personally came out nicer faded that way. Also those red dots....are ladybugs. They are my good luck charm : D
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Hey Everyone! I wanted to give an update and let everyone know that all backers have been personally contacted and their orders have been shipped! Took a few weeks but we tried to fulfill every order in a timely matter.
Thank you to everyone who pledged for this project and I truly hope you will enjoy this new playing card deck that is now part of Bicycle history. A lot of hard work went into the designs so I hope you all appreciate the fine detail in every card. All of you had made a dream come true and for that I thank you!
We have 1291 Galvanic Decks and 25 uncut sheets left. I will keep two gross for myself; one gross for my personal collection to last me a lifetime and the second gross to keep for promotions in the future.
The remaining decks will be sold to resellers at a first come first serve basis:
1 gross = $850
1/2 a gross = $475
Both prices include free shipping to all domestic locations. International orders will need to pay a little extra for shipping expenses.
The remaining uncut sheets will not be sold to resellers but sold through me directly. Again first come first serve basis. $50 each. This price again includes free domestic shipping. International orders will need to pay extra for shipping since it cost a lot more to ship outside of the u.s.a.
I am giving a grace period of one week before I ship out to resellers. I want to make sure everyone gets their deck. If any decks were damaged I will replace them.
Thank you again! This project was such a great experience! Its unbelievable to me to be able to say I have my own Bicycle Brand Playing card deck. I would love to hear feedback on the designs, handling etc etc! Also be sure to look out for the following Villain deck to hit Kickstarter early next year! : D
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the deck looks great in fans! the deck also looks very clean which i enjoy a lot!
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Hey Everyone, this will be my last update for this project as it is coming to a close. All backers have been shipped. This has been nothing but a fun experience so i want to thank everyone again for making these deck come to life!
19 boxes came to my house (2610 decks and 51 uncut sheets). Whats left? Only 2 and a half boxes and 26 uncut sheets. Thats right 2 and a half gross and 26 uncut sheets!
For those resellers who still want some decks, this is your last chance. Once those 2 and a half boxes are gone....thats it. No reprints. If your interested please contact me at:
sean.whelan.designs@gmail.com
Those interested in an uncut sheet please contact me as well! Everything is first come first serve so get them while you can! Its $50 for domestic and $75 for international. Both prices include the shipping!
Thank you again for this. This truly was a fun experience and honestly cannot wait to do this again. Speaking of switch here is a sneak peak on the next deck! : D
Follow me on the Galvanic Playing Cards Facebook page for updates throughout the entire process. Thank you again!
This project has now come to a close.
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Bicycle Galvanic Playing cards are still in stock! Get them while you still can! (roughly only 350 decks left). $10 per deck, $850 for 1 gross, $450 for half a gross and $50 for an uncut sheet! Anyone interested please contact me at sean.whelan.designs@gmail.com
Please note that these prices are for domestic buyers. International purchases will be a little higher due to shipping cost.