Brief 2 - Playing Cards: Bicycle Playing Cards

http://www.bicyclecards.com/about/bicycle-cards

Bicycle Playing Cards is a popular American brand of playing cards. Bicycle is a trademark of Cincinnati. The cards are popular amongst many, especially including magicians. Many different backs were produced including cards for people with poor vision which were called lo vision cards. They had larger numbers in light blue on them.

Feeding into the idea of them being cards for magicians the cards were used in WW II as a way of giving prisioned soliders a map. When seen normally they were playing cards however when placed in water they could be peeled apart so that both parts would contain a map on the inside. When all 52 cards were put together fit made a large map. These were given to prisioners of war so that if they did escape they would have a map to navigate from.

The company shipped of 1,000s of Ace of Spades cards for US soldiers in the Vietnam war because they belived that Viet Cong saw it as a symbol of death. He was rumoured to flee at the sight of an ace. Although this wasn't true the idea that it was helped US soldiers morale. The decks of cards were genuinely scattered across the jungle in the hope that Viet Cong would see them and flee.

The thing that really attracted me to Bicycle playing cards was the intricate detail and patterning on the back. I think the greys and light brown make a really nice change from the blue and red that is originally used. 

I especially like how they have incorporated the bicycles into the backing of the cards and fitted it in with the delicate style they have worked with. Bicycle seems like a very odd and not really relevant playing card name but yet they have managed to design a whole identity for it and make the name not even questionable.

even with the use of the common blue it still manages to look different from a normal back. They have still managed to fit bicycles into the top corners of each card. The front of the pack has gold detail which actually works really well in making it feel vintage and precious.