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News & ArtsMonday, April 19, 2010
Design / Nerd LOST Tarot
Posted by Mary Traverse on Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 5:42 PM
I'll admit it: The little goth girl inside me has a thing for Tarot decks. Not just Tarot decks, but religious and mythological symbolism of all types. (oh god, pull up mary, don't spiral into a geek sermon on symbolism...) OK, anyway, that combined with my obvious love of design and my obsession with LOST makes these Tarot cards by Alex Griendling irrisistable.
via Geekologie
1
At some point you have to just go ahead and obsess over minutiae or obscurities -- or "geek out" as they say -- without pointing out two or three times to the reader that you are geeking out.
It's sort of like those rappers or country singers who write songs about how they are rapping or singing country? As if it were not instantly obvious which genre their music originates from. They seem so unsure of themselves having to go into the extended self-justification.
It's sort of like those rappers or country singers who write songs about how they are rapping or singing country? As if it were not instantly obvious which genre their music originates from. They seem so unsure of themselves having to go into the extended self-justification.
4
They misspelled Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalt's name.
8
I love trying to guess who goes with which card. Great job gravitybomb. I've also marked the entire set image a favorite on flickr.
9
I absolutely love the graphics on these cards, however I think they'd make for a more iconic set if the names of the characters the archetype is referring to wasn't on the cards. They're so strong graphically on their own that all it does is detract. This is a case where less is more.
10
These have little to do with the symbolism and meaning of more standard tarot cards, but the art is still quite cool.
12
These are awesome, but @9 makes a good point. Still, I'd love to see a complete set with a card for every significant character the show has had.
13
@veo_ The text is there to maintain the tarot card theme. All tarot cards have the character's archetype printed along the bottom. Also, many of the images do not specifically represent the character's archetype, rather other aspects of that character. A guitar says nothing of Charlie's addiction and a lone pawn would not communicate Michael's unique role as a father.
The problem with making cards for the characters after the first season is that they become less archetypal as the show progresses. I may re-visit this series with a few more cards, namely Ben and Mr. Eko, but I feel that the characters the show started with are the most iconic, which is why I made them the subjects of this deck.
Thanks everyone!
The problem with making cards for the characters after the first season is that they become less archetypal as the show progresses. I may re-visit this series with a few more cards, namely Ben and Mr. Eko, but I feel that the characters the show started with are the most iconic, which is why I made them the subjects of this deck.
Thanks everyone!
14
Gravitybomb, I fully endorse the large text such as The Doctor, The Millionaire, The Believer...etc. those single world titles totally match up to Major Arcana of a classic tarot deck as an archetype. And while you're right that the graphics and the major title don't specifically spell out who they're talking about, if you've followed the show it's entirely clear who the cards are inferring to. For example, the guitar and the title 'the addict', while someone who didn't watch the show wouldn't know who this is, someone who did CLEARLY knows that it's talking about Charlie. The same goes with all the current cards. My feedback is that the actual character name at the bottom with their birthrate is redundant. As a lost fan it cheapens (and clutters) the experience for me because I already know who you're talking about so putting their actual character name on their explicitly just seems to not make sense to me. Ultimately it's a testament and compliment to your design skill that you can communicate such complex characters with a simple graphic and a word. Also, keep in mind that this is just feedback, not criticism! I personally love the design!
I see what you mean about the difficulty of using characters from later seasons. It seems to me that a few of them would work though. Ben and Eko being some of them. I can see Ben being "The Manipulator" and Mr Eko being either "The Warrior" or "The Brother"... I also think that Desmond and Penny could be cards as "The Variable" and "The Constant" respectively.
Anyway, love the work and I'm glad they've gotten so much recognition!
I see what you mean about the difficulty of using characters from later seasons. It seems to me that a few of them would work though. Ben and Eko being some of them. I can see Ben being "The Manipulator" and Mr Eko being either "The Warrior" or "The Brother"... I also think that Desmond and Penny could be cards as "The Variable" and "The Constant" respectively.
Anyway, love the work and I'm glad they've gotten so much recognition!
15
@veo_ I was somewhat concerned about the cards being spoiler-y, until I decided that the only people that would really pay close attention were fans of the show. That same train of thought could also lead to leaving the names off entirely, as everyone knows which character is which (as you said). So, I definitely see where you're coming from regarding the small text. Aesthetically, I like that the small text helps to balance out the large text. Thanks for the feedback!
I definitely think that some of the later characters fit into certain archetypes. All the ones you mentioned are great examples. I'm interested in doing a Mr. Eko (favorite character) and Ben Linus card. Maybe I'll do a season 2 deck with some of those characters. We'll see, as these things took a while.
I definitely think that some of the later characters fit into certain archetypes. All the ones you mentioned are great examples. I'm interested in doing a Mr. Eko (favorite character) and Ben Linus card. Maybe I'll do a season 2 deck with some of those characters. We'll see, as these things took a while.
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