Pattern Play Playing Cards Calendar by Topys - Huimeng Li Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design

Topys - Huimeng Li recognized for graphics, illustration and visual communication design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category for Pattern Play Playing Cards Calendar by Topys - Huimeng Li, designed for Topys. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Bronze A' Design Award Means

The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

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.

Award Record

This recognition makes Topys - Huimeng Li a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award

The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Entries typically include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. Awarded graphic designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/graphics

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://designers.org/148121
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/148121
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!148121
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/327469
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.topys.cn/article/33266

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Pattern Play Playing Cards Calendar
Function: Playing Cards Calendar
Category: Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Branding & Advertising and Arts
Colors: Royal Blue, Orange Red, Dark Orange, Gold and Steel Blue
Images: 5
Client: Topys

The Recognition

Laureate: Topys - Huimeng Li
Country: China
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2022 - 2023
Design ID: #148121

Credits

Team: Huimeng Li, Silin Chen, Jing Lin, Jing Lin, Xiwen Wang, Zichen Yang, Yun Ji and Wanjun Xie
Image Credits: IP / COPYRIGHT / IMAGE / PHOTO / SOUND / VIDEO CREDITS; 5: Photographer Zichen Yang, Pattern Play!, 2022.; 5: Creator Huimeng Li, Pattern Play!, 2022. Video Credits: Motion Graphics by Huimeng Li.

Design Details

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.
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.
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.
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.
Realization and 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.
Operation and Interaction: Daily recreational activity and home decoration
Project Duration and Location: It was started in July 2022 in Shenzhen and went on sale in November 2022 in Shenzhen.
Specifications: Playing Cards: 63mm x 88mm x 19mm Calendar: 270mm x 430mm
Keywords: product design, illustration, graphic design, playing cards, entertainment, recreational, home decoration, lifestyle