Avant Card.
Faces Famous and Forgotten
The "Avant Card" deck is an attempt to shed light on significant designers from several movements spanning the twentieth century in an accessible and informative manner. This particular deck focuses on modernism and Avant-Garde design. The face cards of each suit highlight key designers associated with a movement or group, showcasing lesser-known but nonetheless influential individuals alongside their more famous peers. The suit icons, typography, and motifs pay homage to the design trends of the modernist movement and its associated artwork.
The architects, artists, and designers have been selected on the basis of their identity and their relationships with other individuals within their respective movements. Produced in collaboration with Kyle Anderson, as part of their History of Modern Architecture course at Auburn University, the cards were an opportunity for both designers to explore their interest in graphic design. Each deck is housed in a custom case composed of a single, folded piece of laser cut chipboard. Each package contains an illustrated guide to the featured designers, describing their identity and the role that they played in Avant-Garde history.
Categories
graphic design, history, avant-garde, designers, print, craft, games
Date
Spring 2019
Team
Henry Savoie, Kyle Anderson
Typology
Card Deck
Institution
Auburn University, History of Modern Architecture
Family Crests
Each suit features three related designers who exemplified their selected movement.
Craft and Contrast
Each deck is contained in a laser-cut and hand-assembled package made of a single piece of dense chipboard. The exterior ornamentation and information are kept minimal both in content and presentation. In stark contrast to the vibrant printed colors within, the natural brown finish of the chipboard provides an austere package that emphasizes craft and material over pattern and style.
Icon and Image
The spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts if the typical card deck provided ample opportunity to reinterpret classic symbols in a minimal and modernist manner. the reduced graphic palette extends to the simple red and blue color family, which is employed on both the symbols and the abstracted faces of the selected designers.
