Carbon Fibre cards with minimalistic design

[jakubmg]

Hi guys,

I have released an Indiegogo campaign where together with my team we are offering playing cards. They are made of carbon fibre check them out --> http://bit.ly/indiewoko

We decided to go with a minimalistic graphics since CF is such an interesting looking material that we did not want to cover it with unnecessary labelling. What do you think about such minimal graphics?
We are still aiming to slightly change the design and the font, but really only a little bit.

[Don Boyer]

Hi guys,

I have released an Indiegogo campaign where together with my team we are offering playing cards. They are made of carbon fibre check them out --> http://bit.ly/indiewoko

We decided to go with a minimalistic graphics since CF is such an interesting looking material that we did not want to cover it with unnecessary labelling. What do you think about such minimal graphics?
We are still aiming to slightly change the design and the font, but really only a little bit.

Minimalist design was a big deal several months ago - not any more.  It'll be a tougher sell in this market.  Add to that the fact that there's been a few CF decks to come before yours and it becomes a real uphill climb.  Most people remember who was the first to do something cool - very few people remember who was 19th...

You'd actually probably do better with this design if you made it on black paper with foil stamping on the cards.  I'm not talking about white paper inked to look black, but paper that's black through and through.  Talk to Legends Playing Card Company about it, or maybe Expert Playing Card Company.

Back design - CRITICALLY important as well.  You're not even showing it!

[Justin O.]

This is boring, and a waste of carbon fiber. You are going to fund because for some reason people think that carbon fiber is somehow magical and it doesn't matter what you make out of it, you are guaranteeing success. But this design is lazy, uninspired and insulting, a clear example of someone that just wants money but doesn't want to have to put any effort into design.

[Fess]

The novelty here is in the carbon fiber itself, not so much in the playing card design. I wish you luck with your project however I feel like I should inform you this has been done before and in Kevlar and with a blend of carbon and Kevlar. You may want t o considering bringing in some shnazzy design elements to the cards themselves. There you have the novelty of the material as well as the artistic draw of your design work. I know of no elaborate or even minimalist carbon fiber decks that have that eye appeal beyond the fiber itself. Usually it's thick paint on carbon with very little to engage beyond the carbon weave. You could put a twist on that and have yourself a new niche. As it is, again, I wish you well with your project it's great to see people enjoying success! 

[Don Boyer]

I just checked the IndieGoGo site for this - there is NO back design.  They think the CF alone is enough to make them appealing.  Sounds more like they're a day late and a dollar short...

The project creators are based in Bielsko-Biala, Poland.  It might be a novelty there, but it's old news here.  I still think they'd stand a better shot doing something like this on black paper, perhaps with a little more SOMETHING to the design.  CF cards are old news now and this model is terribly expensive - $69 for the lowest early bird, $89 for full price, and that DOESN'T include shipping.

Plus they don't seem to have worked out the issue that a lot of CF decks suffer from - edge damage becomes catastrophic damage pretty quick with these things and they don't appear to have sealed edges, just cut and sanded.

Then there's also the scratched-paint issue - whatever paint they use to apply the design to the cards, it needs to be coated somehow or it will simply scratch off over time, leaving you with a very expensive pile of carbon table leg wedges...y'know, to keep the table from wobbling when one of the legs is bent!  Many other CF decks have had this flaw and I've seen the complaints.

I hate to say it, but it doesn't surprise me that with 23 days left, they haven't raised so much as a single dollar as of this posting.

Why make cards out of such an expensive material if you can't properly protect them from wear and damage?  Cheap cards are popular precisely because they're cheap - damage a few, no big deal; a new deck won't break the bank.  Scratch the back of one of these CF tiles, boom - you now have one of the most expensive marked decks in the world.  Scratch the faces and it's also one of the ugliest.

[jakubmg]

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, the project was created focusing on the material. This is the aim of the whole thing, to make things out of composites. We know that there were other CF cards released before. We offer our own, handmade, not china purchased - focusing on process and material. We have obtained a durable print. Also, we have a suitable process for edge finish but will be only viable when a larger quantity of decks will be purchased.

It was good to learn how important the graphics on the cards are. Yet, the point was to expose the material and not cover the cards with graphics. Seeing the response, cards enthusiasts would not be the primary target but those who like the material and this is what we planned for.

Again thanks for the input.

[Justin O.]

It was good to learn how important the graphics on the cards are. Yet, the point was to expose the material and not cover the cards with graphics. Seeing the response, cards enthusiasts would not be the primary target but those who like the material and this is what we planned for.

Why make playing cards? It's been done before, and clearly been done better, why not make something else out of carbon fiber? I would expect if you guys are producing the product yourself you would have the ability to do something new and different, not just re-hash an idea that has already been seen on crowd funding websites several times before..?

[Fess]

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, the project was created focusing on the material. This is the aim of the whole thing, to make things out of composites. We know that there were other CF cards released before. We offer our own, handmade, not china purchased - focusing on process and material. We have obtained a durable print. Also, we have a suitable process for edge finish but will be only viable when a larger quantity of decks will be purchased.

It was good to learn how important the graphics on the cards are. Yet, the point was to expose the material and not cover the cards with graphics. Seeing the response, cards enthusiasts would not be the primary target but those who like the material and this is what we planned for.

Again thanks for the input.

Great to hear that your plan is for experience with the material. I truly hope you have a wonderful success with your campaign. The more hands on time you can get with this stuff and various ways to apply print to them could make your next deck shine all the more and be a treasure. 

[Don Boyer]

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, the project was created focusing on the material. This is the aim of the whole thing, to make things out of composites. We know that there were other CF cards released before. We offer our own, handmade, not china purchased - focusing on process and material. We have obtained a durable print. Also, we have a suitable process for edge finish but will be only viable when a larger quantity of decks will be purchased.

It was good to learn how important the graphics on the cards are. Yet, the point was to expose the material and not cover the cards with graphics. Seeing the response, cards enthusiasts would not be the primary target but those who like the material and this is what we planned for.

Again thanks for the input.

Consider some of the advice you've been given here.  If you want to make a deck of cards, make a REAL deck of cards.  If you want to show off the carbon fiber material, consider other products that can do this better - perhaps jewelry?  Some other kind of accessory?  Maybe one of those slim-line wallets that are so popular on Kickstarter?  Whatever you choose, make it UNIQUE and make it WELL.  To do anything less isn't worth the time or effort involved and unique alone isn't enough.

I mentioned previously that with 23 days remaining, you'd raised zero dollars.  Eight days later, you've raised only $5.  At this pace, you're not going to come even close to achieving your goal, so it's time to look into "plan B."  Clearly there's not enough here to capture the attention of either playing card collectors or CF enthusiasts.