GLITCH 2.0 Playing Cards – a chat with Soleil Zumbrunn

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GLITCH 2.0 Playing Cards are on Kickstarter now – click this link to be taken to the project page.

Glitch 2.0

No need to adjust your screens. We are experiencing a slight technical glitch, and we apologise for any disruption.

GLITCH 2.0 - 10 of Spades

OK, so… we have Windows 10, the iPhone 6, Playstation 4, and now Glitch 2.0. When a product is a huge success the creators will always find a way to release a newer, bigger, brighter, bolder version to satisfy the ever-growing demands of the buying public.

San Francisco-based Swiss designer Soleil Zumbrunn knew she was on to a winner when the first edition of Glitch playing cards sold out after being successfully funded on Kickstarter in June 2014. 500 backers pledged almost $16,000 to ensure that the original deck went into production, and now GLITCH 2.0 hopes to achieve the same level of acclaim. With 62% of the funding goal of $12,000 already achieved it’s safe to say that this 2nd generation deck is sure to match, if not exceed, the triumph of the first.

A laboriously simple concept in playing card design, GLITCH 2.0 is a re-vamped, bolder and even glitchier deck of cards than it’s older sibling. While this deck almost looks as if it’s simply been mis-printed, in actual fact it is designed to represent digital malfunction, and it took a lot of painstaking work to achieve this look.

GLITCH Tuck Box and Backs - [Circuit Fail] (green) & [Error Msg] (orange)

GLITCH Tuck Box and Backs – [Circuit Fail] (green) & [Error Msg] (orange)

There are 2 editions of GLITCH 2.0 – [Circuit Fail] and [Error Msg]. Neon/flourescent inks will be used in the printing process making the cards vibrant and visually impressive, and Legends Playing Card Co. (LPCC) will be printing the deck guaranteeing a smooth finish and spectacular handling.

GLITCH 2.0 - Jokers & Ace of Hearts

GLITCH 2.0 – Jokers & Ace of Hearts

The deck’s designer, Soleil Zumbrunn, has very kindly agreed to answer a few questions for me, so enough of me harping on – I’ll let the designer and the deck itself do the selling.

iCollectPlayingCards – Soleil – thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us about your GLITCH 2.0 playing cards. A lot of designers in recent years have been producing decks of cards (with varying degrees of success) and most, if not all, will admit to not being card players, cardists or magicians – simply that they love designing playing cards. What’s the deal with you? (pardon the pun :D)

Soleil Zumbrunn

Soleil Zumbrunn

Soleil – Well I am huge card player, from oldie worldie games like Canasta or playing a hand of Texas Hold’em with my brother. I always have a deck in my bag when traveling, it is a great way to get to know people :) And technology does run dry once in a while – and I can always play solitaire! But coming back to your question, after finishing grad school where I had been working fully digital for many years, I itched to do a physical project. One thing led to another and now here we are one year later and I love what I do!

iCPC – Ok, so this deck is GLITCH 2.0 – the first deck was successfully funded on Kickstarter in June 2014, and it was also your first playing card campaign. What came first – the idea to produce a deck of playing cards, or the idea of designing something using the glitch theme?

Soleil – I have been working with distortion and glitch art for quite some time. It being a recurring visual tool in my work to portray emotions. For the holidays I made a one-off deck (very rudimentary/basically chopped up cards) for my brother. He told me I ought a do it for real.

Novel writing software without the learning curve.
The art of producing Glitch

The art of producing Glitch

iCPC – A lot of work obviously went into the creation of the decks. With each individual card being spliced up and mish-mashed about before being almost ‘Frankensteined’ back together, then drawn up as the final card. Was it as time consuming and painstaking as it sounds?

Soleil – (Chuckle) – yes and no. Yes, as in I did a lot of experimenting. But that is my favorite part of the process – don’t get me wrong – I like finishing work as well, but the experimenting is where the magic happens, where I get to push my own boundaries, and while it is time consuming it is where I experience my flow.

GLITCH 2.0 - 5 of Diamonds & King of Spades

GLITCH 2.0 – 5 of Diamonds & King of Spades

Leonardo - Jack of Spades

Leonardo – Jack of Spades

iCPC – You have recently set up your own business (Art Playing Cards) with your father Dent-de-Lion du Midi, who many Kickstarter backers will know from the amazing Leonardo deck. Given that you both quite clearly have 2 completely different design styles, how well do you work together? Do you have an understanding and a respect for each other that enables you to each get on with whatever projects you are working on? Or are you critical of each others work?

Soleil – Good question! Well we are family first, but we do have a radically different set of aesthetics. But when we are talking about projects we try to stay somewhat objective and just help each other where we can. It is fun – mostly!

iCPC – The first GLITCH deck was printed by United States Playing Card Co. (USPCC). This second deck will be printed by Legends Playing Card Co. (LPCC). This seems to be a trend that more and more campaign creators are following. What was your reasoning behind this change?

Soleil – After seeing the great communication Lawrence (Legends) kept with my father (on Leonardo) I wanted the same engagement for my decks. It is really great having the printer on board with projects and delivering the great quality Legends does.

GLITCH 2.0 - 9 of Clubs

GLITCH 2.0 – 9 of Clubs

iCPC – With the Leonardo campaign at the shipping stage, I’m sure your father is hard at work on his next project…. what does the future hold for Art Playing Cards? Will we be seeing any new decks on Kickstarter in the near future?

Soleil – Oh yes! We are in this for the long run. We both have caught the playing card fever… We are mostly in the idea generating phase with other decks, but they are exciting and I can’t wait!

iCPC – Thank you for speaking with us Soleil – sounds like we’ve got some great playing card decks to look forward to – I can’t wait myself :)


If you’re interested in getting in on the funding of the GLITCH 2.0 deck, click here to be taken to the Kickstarter project page. 

{Remember, if you’re not too sure how Kickstarter works, I’ve written a bit of a ‘beginners guide’ – just click here to get more info.}


So, what do you think of GLITCH 2.0 playing cards? Any comments or questions as always are more than welcome so please use the box below. And if you’ve enjoyed reading this post, please share using any of the social media buttons below. Thanks for reading! :)

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30 thoughts on “GLITCH 2.0 Playing Cards – a chat with Soleil Zumbrunn

  1. kyle

    I can honestly say I have never really looked into playing cards, the glitch playing cards look awesome! What a cool idea, i will definitely try to master that soon!

    Reply
  2. Tony.B

    Coolio deck Jyl,
    I can see my daughter with those funky colours anything that stands out in ‘bright’ colours she loves.

    Great site.

    Tony

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      They are great cards Tony aren’t they? I reckon now you’ve mentioned that your daughter would like these, you’ll have to get them for her ;)

      Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Aw Keye… that’s not fair!!!! :D I’ve so many that I love – all different styles. And I’m seeing more and more that take my fancy everytime I click into the internet. Sometimes I really like the very VERY detailed cards – like decks by Stockholm17. For example his Requiem deck. He puts a lot of work into his pieces and each time I look at his art I see something different. Then I also really like more minimalist decks, like the Glassbacks deck.
      What I really love about this GLITCH 2.0 deck is that is has the minimalist style, but it’s been given a makeover and there is a lot of design work involved to almost make it too detailed to be minimalist, if you see what I mean.
      A long-winded answer to your question, but honestly… I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite… :)

      Reply
  3. Pete

    Wow…what a great set of playing cards..im a texas holdem fan and i would really love to play using these cards. I love the design and your interview was great. I checked out the rest of your site after reading this artiucle and i have to say there is some great stuff on it. keep up the good work!

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Thank you very much Pete, I appreciate you taking the time to have a wee surf :) Playing cards are a funny thing – you have the decks you play with and the decks you just look at. Then of course you have the decks that you don’t dare open because they’re ‘too good’ :D But there really is nothing like cracking open a beautifully designed deck at a poker night – especially if they’re made by good printers using great quality card stock. Let me know if you decide to get these, I’d love to hear what your poker buddies think of them :)

      Reply
  4. Neil

    Amazing looking deck of cards, really eye catching. I like the digital malfunction look and the use of very bright colours, it makes you look twice at every card and I can imagine it did take a lot of effort to achieve that look. Nice write up of your interview and I love your site with so many different card designs on show.
    Thanks
    Neil

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Thanks Neil – it is definitely one of the most striking decks I’ve seen. I really enjoyed the interview and it’s great when a designer agrees to do one, means I’m doing something right :)

      Reply
  5. Steve

    I have two decks of cards so far… One has different tanks from WW1 to the Korean War on each card… The other deck was my Grandmother’s… I’d quite like the Glitch 2.0. How much for a deck?

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Hi Steve – you can grab a deck from the Kickstarter link on my post for $15. I know that may ‘seem’ like a lot for a deck of cards, but these are limited editions, and will only go up in value. But also, if you were wanting a deck to play with, how cool would these look to deal out at a poker night…?
      I like the sounds of your other decks. I’ve never seen a deck of tanks before, and I’m sure your Grandmother’s deck is proper old-school. Is it in good condition, or is it used for playing with?

      Reply
  6. Robert

    Personally I am not much into card games anymore, mainly because when I was in the video game industry I worked on the design of several different card video games including about a dozen different Texas Hold’Em games and I just became burnt out with card games.

    But this Glitch 2.0 looks pretty cool. The cards remind me of what the old 3D items looked like without wearing the 3D glasses. lol Hmm, I wonder how these Glitch cards would look wearing 3D glasses? Great post! I like the fact that you were able to score an interview with the creator of Glitch. Really first class!

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Thank you Robert, and you’re absolutely right!! The whole 3D element here is cool – wouldn’t it be great if you stuck on a pair of glasses and saw secret messages…?? :) Now there’s an idea for a deck of cards!!
      I’m sorry that you’ve been jaded against card games though…. but hey.. did you design those poker games that stand in amusement arcades and the corners of pubs?? Because that’s really cool. Many’s an hour lost in my younger days to those machines… and many’s a penny or two…. :D Thanks for your comment :)

      Reply
  7. Hagop Margossian

    Playing cards have been a hobby of mine since I was a child. The information on this page is well thought out and well worth the read. Keep up the Great work! Thank you :)
    Hagop

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Thanks for your comment Hagop. I think that everyone has played cards at one time or another, or still do, but there is a general assumption that playing card decks are all the same and haven’t evolved. It’s my mission to get as many fantastic decks showcased here as I can. Hopefully to remind people that card games are a great source of fun for all the family, as well as great works of art and even investment pieces :)

      Reply
  8. Papa Dave

    I am always astounded at all the things this old guy (me) has not been exposed to in his many, many years. Oh, I’ve played cards in my time but never new there was much difference from one deck to another. This read was fascinating and I was impressed with your interviewing skills. Very good work…it almost makes me think I should get a new deck and play a few hands with my grandkids. Good job!
    PapaDave

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Thanks Mr.Dave, or can I call you Papa? :) To be honest this upsurge in varying designs of playing cards has only really happened in recent years. My playing card collection up until then was all pretty much ‘run of the mill’ deck designs with just the backs being in any way different. But now – BOOM!! There are so many amazing decks out there, and with each new designer that comes along there’s more and more competition to design the best deck. And I have to say I’m loving it – long may it continue!! These cards – GLITCH 2.0 – are a fascinating use of design technique. They’re really eye catching – something special. I hope this does encourage you to teach your grandkids. Card games are such great family fun :) Thank you for your comment :)

      Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      It is a great deck Nathan, isn’t it? I love the design work on this deck – and it’ll definitely be a collectors’ item in the future :) Go grab yourself a deck! It can be the first of your new collection :)

      Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Hi Nathan – I’m a playing card collector. The decks that I review on my site are either decks that I already have or that are being funded on Kickstarter. In that case, I feel that I want to help the funding along a bit by promoting them in a review. Maybe some day I’ll design my own deck….. but that’s a dream for now :)

      Reply
  9. Ira

    Thanks Rory for sharing. These are really awesome cards, and I think I may buy some of the Giltch cards.

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Thanks Ira – I think you’ll find that these cards are well worth adding to your collection… Enjoy!! :)

      Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Thank you for your comment Gregory. These cards definitely grab your attention, worth getting a deck or two :)

      Reply
  10. Rory

    This is a very cool world that I previously knew nothing about! My nephew (who is also my Godson) is big into collecting these and I came across your site and it’s proven to be invaluable with educating me more! I shall be buying some Glitch 2.0 cards methinks. Sounds like they’re the most appealing ones that he’ll really dig. Any other recommendations in similar styles are very welcome.

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Thanks Rory. If you want to get a deck for your Godson then you should head on over to the Kickstarter page – you can get a deck for $15. I know that may seem like a lot for a deck of cards, but if he’s into collecting this is one deck that is sure to only increase in value :)

      Reply
  11. Chris Evans

    What a wonderful selection of playing cards – I had no idea this subject had got so diverse and stylish! I especially like the second example of the ‘glitch’ line you covered. Tell me, are there collectors of these sort of things out there – I can imagine it attracts quite a cult following?
    Chris

    Reply
    1. Jyl Post author

      Hi Chris. Yes, people (like me) do collect playing cards. And as they designs have been becoming more and more diverse in recent years it’s getting more and more exciting with every new deck. And it’s also something that a lot of people who never would have thought about collecting playing cards are starting to get in to :)

      Reply

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