Studio Agamdeep Logo

Home

Work

About

Contact

Studio Agamdeep Logo

Home

Work

About

Contact

Photographed spread of the Essence of India playing-card deck with illustrated face cards, suit symbols, and the colorful card back.

Essence of India

Print

Packaging

Graphic Design

The goal of this project was to design a complete deck of playing cards around a self-selected theme, allowing for creative exploration while maintaining a cohesive visual system across the entire deck.

Requirements & Constraints:- The deck included all standard playing cards, from numbered cards to face cards and Aces. Card faces were limited to black, white, and red, with only two additional colors allowed, while maintaining ample whitespace for clarity. All artwork was created in vector format, with full color reserved exclusively for the card backs. Typography could be customized to support the theme while remaining legible.

Collage of Indian folk-art references including Phadchitra, Pattachitra, Madhubani, lotus motifs, figures, borders, and fish patterns.

Inspiration

This deck of playing cards is inspired by the rich traditional art styles of India. The primary influence comes from Phadchitra, a storytelling art form from Rajasthan that features mythological figures, gods, and royalty. I also drew inspiration from Pattachitra and Madhubani, known for their intricate patterns and folk narratives. My goal was to celebrate these art forms while reinterpreting them in a modern, minimal way that still feels authentic.

Colour & Typography

The Common Back

Custom Alphabets
Custom Alphabets
Custom Numerals
Essence of India suit symbols and ace card designs featuring ornate spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds.

Inspiration

This deck of playing cards is inspired by the rich traditional art styles of India. The primary influence comes from Phadchitra, a storytelling art form from Rajasthan that features mythological figures, gods, and royalty. I also drew inspiration from Pattachitra and Madhubani, known for their intricate patterns and folk narratives. My goal was to celebrate these art forms while reinterpreting them in a modern, minimal way that still feels authentic.

Colour & Typography

To reflect the richness of Indian heritage, I chose burnt orange and gold as accent colors. These shades are often associated with royalty, rituals, and festivity in Indian culture and pair well with the mandatory black and red palette. For typography, I created custom numerals and letters that blend Latin characters with elements of Sanskrit script.

The Common Back

The card back was the only area where I could use full color, so I took the opportunity to reflect the vibrant and artistic nature of my theme. The design features a floral border, a lotus trim evoking a serene garden, and a Sun God motif inspired by Madhubani art. It’s slightly abstract but carries a clear sense of storytelling and warmth.

Custom Alphabets
Custom Alphabets
Custom Alphabets
Custom Alphabets
Essence of India suit symbols and ace card designs featuring ornate spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds.
Essence of India suit symbols and ace card designs featuring ornate spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds.
Pencil sketches exploring Indian folk-art character designs for the deck’s face cards.
Finished card grid showing the card back, king, queen, jack, numbered cards, and custom suit symbols from the Essence of India deck.
Grid of finished Essence of India playing cards showing the card back, face cards, aces, numbered cards, and custom suit symbols.
Close-up layout of finished ace cards and suit-number cards from the Essence of India deck.
Compact finished card layout showing the card back and face cards from the Essence of India deck.