Bronze Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design · 2023
Pattern Play Playing Cards Calendar
- A' Design Award 2023 Bronze Winner in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Awarded April 15, 2023
- CLIENT: Topys
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 9,908
- Verification code FF3702F734 · Verify this award
About Pattern Play Playing Cards Calendar
Pattern Play is a set of playing cards and a calendar designed to bring color into daily life. The playing cards carry 54 unique illustrations in place of standard suits. The court cards are inspired by kaleidoscopes, while the number cards show irregular patterns and shapes. The cards are printed on 310 gsm waterproof black core stock with a matte finish and rounded corners. The calendar enlarges 12 of the artworks on 250 gsm specialty paper with a tear-off line, so each sheet can also be used as a poster. The design aims to add positivity to ordinary days.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Pattern Play! is Design For You’s newest series, a TOPYS project that aims to enliven daily objects with design power. The designer plays with patterns and colors, dots, and lines, and put them on playing cards and a calendar. 54 unique illustrations with unbridled imagination make one-of-a-kind playing cards. They can also be used as tarot cards, or bookmarks... 12 artworks are enlarged and paired with one-liners from editors to make the calendar. They can also be posters that light up your living room, office, favorite corner, and your 2023. The team hopes these two beautiful non-standard products will stir up a little splash in ordinary daily life and bring the most joy and inspiration to you. Pattern Play, Pattern Fun!
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Playing Cards: 63mm x 88mm x 19mm
Calendar: 270mm x 430mm - Tags
- product design, illustration, graphic design, playing cards, entertainment, recreational, home decoration, lifestyle
- Production Technology
- 'Pattern Play!'' Playing Cards was made with 310 gsm waterproof card stock paper, matte cover finish, and rounded corners, double-sided solid color printing. The calendar was made with 250 gsm specialty paper which was printed in solid color with a tear-off line.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge in the creative process is to balance originality and practicality. The designer has to follow design rules for playing cards while trying to separate them from standard products. Instead of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs, 54 unique illustrations were created for each card. J, Q, and K are kaleidoscope-inspired. A to 10 are irregular patterns and shapes. Jokers are TOPYS's IP little ghost. The team also did several internal tests and spent a lot of time adjusting the size and colors of the letters and numbers to make sure they were easy to read and play with.
- Project Duration
- It was started in July 2022 in Shenzhen and went on sale in November 2022 in Shenzhen.
- Operation Flow
- Daily recreational activity and home decoration
- Research
- As a first-timer, the team did a lot of research on different types, printing techniques, and materials of playing cards, wanting to make sure that it is a top-quality product with top designs. We studied many cases ranging from big companies like Art of Play, and Bicycle to small local labels. Then we compared many suppliers and paid factory visits. With in-depth research, the team decided to produce in poker size, which allows more visuals, and with international standard 310 gsm black core card, matte cover finishes to provide a premium playing experience, even for daily recreational activities.
- Inspiration
- People have taken unprecedented safety measures during COVID-19. Being socially isolated for so long makes everyone feel more or less lonely or depressed. And thus the designer wants to create designs with vivid, bold colors within organic patterns and shapes to inject positivity and hope into people's daily life. The team chose playing cards as the main product in hopes to provide a refreshing and special entertainment experience for family and friends, while a colorful eye-catching calendar can brighten up and energize any space as a nice decoration.
- Image Credits
- IP / COPYRIGHT / IMAGE / PHOTO / SOUND / VIDEO CREDITS
Image #1-5: Photographer Zichen Yang, Pattern Play!, 2022.
Image #1-5: Creator Huimeng Li, Pattern Play!, 2022.
Video Credits:
Motion Graphics by Huimeng Li.
Colors of Pattern Play Playing Cards Calendar
Grand Interview about Pattern Play Playing Cards Calendar
Launched at the end of 2022, this calendar welcomes the new year with a wish: whether you seek a kaleidoscopic life or aim to rewrite the rules, may you start with a good hand and a calendar that foreshadows good fortune.
Through constant experimentation and playful exploration of abstract, meaningful patterns, we reapproached the everyday with a renewed curiosity for beautiful living. Shaped by creativity and imagination, we created a textured and delightful surprise object. This time, by merging playing cards and a monthly calendar, we infused daily life with vivid color, sparking joy in the mundane and offering a poetic, aesthetic experience.
The material of the cards largely determines their durability. Beyond practical considerations, we also pay close attention to the color performance of spot printing, as color plays a crucial role in this project.
For this edition of PatternPlay, we created 54 unique illustrations—one for each card face. From these, 12 were carefully selected, enlarged with high precision, and printed using two specialty colors to accompany each month of the coming year. Thus, the PatternPlay 2023 calendar was born: a way to light up everyday scenery with art.
We hoped to break free from the usual design constraints, letting points, lines, shapes, and colors take center stage—drawing with intuition and unleashing boundless imagination. At the same time, we aimed for high quality, eye-catching aesthetics, and a solid conceptual brief. A good hand can play out in countless ways depending on who’s holding it—beyond gaming, it could also resemble tarot readings or home accents.
Each month features a witty “highlight phrase” as a hidden gem, curated by the editor to match the illustrated scenes or the cultural mood associated with that time of year.
Creativity often arises from everyday life—whether it’s the entryway we pass through each morning, the blank wall we glimpse before sleep, or the workspace where we seek focus and energy. In all these moments, life calls for the ritualistic spirit of creativity—something that can awaken vitality, soothe discouragement, and open up new possibilities.
Each card functions differently, inviting interpretation. Their vivid colors make them ideal as decorative objects, while the tarot-like dimension is built through visual cues—designed to encourage intuitive connections between color, shape, and meaning.
We prioritized durability and color performance in our research—selecting materials that last and spot colors that stay vibrant, as both texture and color are core to the calendar’s experience.
Launched in 2016, “Designing the Unknown” is a TOPYS initiative that reimagines the potential of everyday objects through experimental, forward-thinking design. This project showcases our bold approach to color and pattern, which has been warmly received by our audience. Moving forward, we plan to further explore these two elements in our future creations.