Tarot cards have been in use since the mid-15th century. A way of reading spiritual pathways, they usually feature intricate illustrations that depict their meaning.
Inspired by his love of type, Russian designer Anton Shlyonkin (opens in new tab)recently set himself the challenge of redesigning a number of tarot cards using typography alone.
Symbolic compositions
"Classic tarot decks are very symbolic, so it was kind of a challenge to translate these symbols into type compositions," Shlyonkin explains. "Most cards still have some core meanings, though. For example, the Lovers is a Gemini ruling card, so to express its dual nature, I made an ambigram.
"The Moon is a card ruled by Pisces, and you still can see its symbol in 'O' letters. But some cards just represent my impression of their meaning. For example, the Force - this word gives me some '80s sci-fi movies feeling, which is reflected in the type."
This is a really cool concept, although we think some of Shlyonkin's designs work better than others - the Sun and Fool typography being our particular favourites.
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What do you think of these new-look tarot cards? Let us know in the comments below...
