Card Gear: Thirdway Industries

Card Gear is our monthly feature dedicated to discovering new inventory, setup and accessories used every day by card designers, cardists, magicians and collectors. The concept originated from the popular social media site, Instagram: #passthepockets. Whenever one of these hashtags come up on the social news feed, there's always something new to discover, no matter who that person is.

This month, we have the EDC of Giovanni Meroni, founder of Thirdway Industries. Giovanni is based in a small city- Lentate sul Seveso, north of Milan, Italy and also the designer of the stunning OMNIA decks. When not designing decks, Giovanni works for an e-commerce company as art director and work nights/weekend to cards.

Giovanni is currently funding SINS Playing Cards on Kickstarter. The project is seeking €17,000 and is already 303% funded with less than 5 days to go.

Giovanni's gear (Italics are Giovanni's comments):

+ Thirdway Industries business card (with a custom, gaff illustration on one side)
+ Dedalo Oracle Card
+ Omnia Oscura
+ Dedalo Alpha
+ Leather fat wallet full of silly stuff, almost destroyed
+ Keys of home
+ Ray-Ban sunglasses to look cool
+ Nexus 6P (not included it the image, but it's here since Giovanni used it for shoot)


What’s yours? If you would like your card gears to be featured on Kardify, contact us.

5 Things You Need To Know About Thirdway Industries' SINS Playing Cards

On Friday, February 17, Giovanni Meroni of Thirdway Industries launched SINS Playing Cards on Kickstarter. The project hit its funding goal of €17,000, and as of the time of writing, 504 backers have pledged €36,498 toward the project. These are the five most surprising and illuminating details Giovanni shared about the project to generate interest from potential backers.
 
1. Printers are still being evaluated. 
For SINS Giovanni decided to evaluate two options, United States Playing Cards Company and Expert Playing Card Company. Thirdway Industries decks were all previously printed by EPCC. For SINS Giovanni thinks that USPCC may be an awesome option. The decision will be made at the end of the campaign, based on several factors.

2. The decks have a subtle chronological order.
In SINS Mentis, Adam and Eve thought about eating the Apple of Knowledge, but they actually didn't do that. In SINS Corpus, they ate the Apple and they became mortals. In SINS Anima, they accepted what they did, and they became the first two true Sinners. So the chronological order is Mentis > Corpus > Anima

3. Card backs are inspired by Eden.
The backs are inspired by the Eden, in three different moments: In SINS Mentis no one ate the Apple of Knowledge, so Eden was bright. After the Original Sin happened in SINS Corpus, Eden has fallen in an endless night. After Adam and Eve accepted mortality, Eden became "red" - the color of many things.

4. Anima is red because of life. 
Giovanni decided to use red for SINS Anima for many reasons. Red can be both a "bad" color than a "good" one. It is the color of blood and the flames of hell, but it is also the color of blood, passion and life.

5. Giovanni wanted to change his brand name to Snakeway Industries 
With SINS, there will be a total of 12 Thirdway Industries decks with a Snake - 6 Omnia decks are based on the Uroboros, the God Snake who eats its own tail. Also Dedalo Alpha, Apeiron and Pantheon include snakes, on Hermes caduceus, on Hera's and Pasifae's scepter. This is somewhat unintentional, but Giovanni had a thought to chage the TW logo with a little snake. However, it's not happening. For now.


SINS Playing Cards are now available on Kickstarter! To find out more about SINS and anything Thirdway Industries, visit them at thirdway.it or follow them on Facebook.

First Look: 5 Things You Should Know About Betrayers by Thirdway Industries

Betrayers is a brand new deck of playing cards from the mind of Giovanni Meroni. The deck was teased at the end of August on Thirdway Industries newsletter. The link in the newsletter provided just enough information to pique our curiosity. So, we've reached out to Giovanni to find out more. Here are 5 things you should know about Betrayers, the new deck from Thirdway Industries:

1. The Betrayers Theme
Giovanni think the theme of betrayal is strong in the traditional French playing cards. Where there are crowns, queens, and spades, usually there is also poison, blades and broken hearts. Giovanni said, "I’ve always imagined that Queens of a suit could love a King of another. And that Jacks wanted to take King’s places. I also think that all my previous decks themes are based on Betrayal..."

2. Betrayers are linked with all your previous decks
Almost - Betrayers are, of course, Evil - like the characters of the Evil Deck. "Delirium story is based on betrayal too since the suits are four families fighting for the throne. A lot of Greek Heroes and Gods I've designed in my decks are Betrayers: Theseus, Ulysses, Zeus, Hera, Pasiphae... the list is long. Betray is, for many, the worst of the SINS that can be done. Eva and Pandora are probably the most famous Betrayers of the history - they betrayed the entire humanity for knowledge and curiosity."

3. Sinners, Betrayers, Evil Decks - all bad guys? 
Giovanni is fascinated by anti-heroes since he was a child. "Sometimes, when watching cartoons or movies, I've realized I was sympathizing with the antagonist, hoping he could win against the good (but boring) hero. Anyways... no - I am not a bad guy. In real life, I don't endorse nor justify any kind of evil behavior. There is something good about Betrayers? I think that all of us will commit and endure soft forms of betrayal in the course of our lives. This is bad, but also... normal. This made us stronger and more aware of others. Also, Betrayers are definitely evil, but there is also a positive point of view to see them: in the end, they're hungry dreamers that sacrifice everything and everyone in their way to get what they want."

4. Betrayers use a different style compared to Giovanni's other decks! 
"When I started my illustration career, my favorite style was only shapes, without lines. I've used this style only on the Evil Deck, but I started to change it almost immediately, with Delirium. I thought my "old style" wasn't fitting playing cards perfectly: I needed to use few colors, so - to avoid colors overlaps, it's better to have areas defined by a clear line. Anyways, after 5 years of experience in Playing Cards designer, I wanted the challenge to do a very complex deck with the style I've used in the past. In Betrayers I've introduced soft gradients - I usually hate gradients without reason, but in this deck, I've used them to scuplt the volumes of the figures. I really like the result so far! 

5. How many decks will be included in the Betrayers series? 
Giovani told Kardify, "Only two, I promise! But... can you trust the word of a Betrayer?" ;-)

To find out more about Betrayers and anything Thirdway Industries, visit them at thirdway.it or follow them on Facebook.

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Thirdway Industries Reveals the Mythica Limited Edition Deck!

[Update] Odissea Playing Cards is now on Kickstarter! 

Odissea is the second release of the year for Thirdway Industries. Inspired by Homer's Odyssey, the deck features the artwork of Giovanni Meroni. On the inspiration, Giovanni explained,

Odyssey was my first fairy tale. When I was a little kid, instead of Red Hood and Cinderella, my father used to tell me how Ulysses fooled a man-eating cyclops, blinding him with a sharp stick, or how he challenged the Siren’s Call, tied up to his ship’s mast.

The art style is an evolution of SINS and Dedalo - Giovanni tried to mix them to have the malice of SINS and the mythology of Dedalo. Like the majority of his previous releases on Kickstarter, Oddissea will come in a total of 3 decks- 2 unlimited decks (Minerva and Neptune) and 1 limited deck (Mythica).

Giovanni revealed a few details of the Mythica Limited Edition deck that will be available during the crowdfunding campaign. There will be metallic inks used on the face cards AND card backs. In addition to that, the face cards will have an experimental pearlescent effect (to be revealed in the campaign).

The deck will be packaged inside a premium black stock tuck box with 3 foil! If you are familiar with Giovanni's work, you can be assured that the tuck will be STUNNING!

[Update] Odissea Playing Cards is now on Kickstarter! 

At the time of writing, Giovanni is still deciding on the printing company. It will be between EPCC Taiwan, USPCC, and Cartamundi. Odissea will launch on Kickstarter 16th May 18:00 EDT  and pledge starts at €15 (~USD$18).

Collections: Omnia by Thirdway Industries

Omnia by Giovanni Meroni and Thirdway Industries offers an eye catching package with a modern vision of traditional playing cards.

Omnia was the second project by Giovanni, and was offered in 3 versions. The Illumina (White), Oscura (Black) and the limited Suprema, which features a print run of just over 500 decks. All 3 decks feature matte tucks on a heavier card stock, each feature a unique and beautifully ornate front design, while the backs represent the design used on the card backs. The Illumina and Oscura decks are foiled in gold with a nice subtle embossing. The Suprema also features the embossing, but has a bright bold red foil that just pops off the dark tuck.

The thing I like most about these decks is the detail, I know it seems to be a running theme, but presenting details in a well thought out fashion is no small task and, for the most part, takes time and effort to accomplish........in other words, the decks aren't just slapped together. Those details continue to show on the tucks by the foiled interior design as well as the nice design elements on the tuck flap, no area of the tuck was left untouched.

The deck itself continues to show great detail in it's design, Givanni's style is evident and there is a great transition in offering a "Classic" look with the courts, but with a modern lines and design elements. It's really well balanced and keeps the familiarity of a traditional deck intact. The deck itself also featured metallic inks that just adds that nice depth to the design.

The spot cards have a smaller pip design which carries to the indices and also feature a subtle watermark on each card. The courts keep with the classic look but with modern lines and faces. Each deck features its own unique court design, they are subtle variations, but different non the less. The custom Ace of Spades features a smaller Spade surrounded by a spherical design element that carries through the deck and it's universe. Part of the element featured on the Ace of Spade is what's carried over as the watermark throughout the deck. The two custom Jokers have a great design that pulls it's look from the classics, but again, presents itself in modern line work. Both the Illumina and Oscura deck include a Bonus "Regina", which means Queen. Unlike the ladies we know and love, these two are Suicide Queens, each with it's own color pallet as well as unique wardrobe design. The Suprema deck received a Bonus Joker featuring a King and Queen and I have to say, it's a very striking image.

Omnia works in so many ways, in the most basic sense its a traditional deck that's familiar and functional. Giovanni's vision and skill gives the decks strong modern design and in a sharp presentation. While each deck isn't completely different from the other, the subtle differences are there and make each one stand out on it's own. There are plenty of "Custom" decks that come to the community, Omnia delivers a nice set full of the bells and whistles we love and while they are abundant in this project, they come off really well balanced in it's look and feel. The Suprema may put a strain on your wallet, if you can find one, but I would recommend adding Omnia to your collection, it really is a beautiful offering. 

If you like the Omnia decks, you'll be happy to know that that next chapter in the series is currently Live on Kickstarter. The Golden Age brings 3 new decks to the series, Antica, Perduta and the Limited Magnifica. The project launched yesterday and has already reached its funding goal. So if you don't want to miss out on the next chapter, head on over and toss in your pledge for what's sure to be another beautiful offering from Giovanni Meroni and Thirdway Industries. 

You can follow Giovanni and Thirdway Industries on Facebook as well as visit the Thirdway Industries Shop for any of there past and future products. 

The Collection segment is produced by Anthony Ingrassia of Kardify. No part of this article, images or video can be reproduced without written permission from the author and Kardify.com. 

The Art of Thirdway Industries' Giovanni Meroni

Wow...! Thirdway Industries is turning 5 this year. We've been following founder Giovanni Meroni since the Discourse Deck Design Competition (DDDC) back in 2014, when he first started designing playing cards. Since then, Giovanni has progressively improved his style with every deck he designed. Have an exclusive look at the evolution of Giovanni's work, from Evil Deck to Betrayers. Commentary by Giovanni.

The ones who know me as a playing cards designer probably don’t know that my “old” signature style was only vector shapes without lines (above). I’ve learned this style when I studied graphic design in the academy, and used it for a few years for illustration freelance jobs.

My first deck, The Evil Deck, was made with a minimal flat style - without lines. With all the cards illustrated, it was a tremendous effort.

During the production of The Evil Deck, I’ve learned a lot about playing cards world - I’ve met other designers, great people and awesome customers. I started collecting and I’ve seen some beautiful decks that inspired me a lot.



I’ve studied an old Modiano classic deck and, for the first time in my career, I’ve introduced lines in my illustrations. Welcome, Delirium Prism!



I absolutely loved the look of Delirium, and I wanted to try it on more human and realistic characters. I wanted a “classic” deck of cards, a sort of a standard of my newborn brand Thirdway Industries: Omnia.

During the design process, I’ve made it a little less classic than I was planning to do, especially because of the gorgeous Queens.



My “lines” style evolved a lot since Omnia: In Dedalo I wanted huge courts, more realistic and complex.



In SINS and Eva, I’ve reduced the figures a little, so I had more space for bodies. I’ve also improved the expressions of the courts.



After doing so many realistic and dark decks, I felt it was time to return doing something fun and colorful. Something with the same vibe of Delirium, designed after several years of experience in playing cards design. I’ve decided to call this deck Lunatica, and it’s probably one of the craziest ones I’ve designed.



Odissea is probably my most mature work with my signature style so far. I’ve merged the best part of SINS with Dedalo, adding details, expressions, and variety.



After Odissea, I wanted to take a break from my usual style, so I’ve checked my first works and decided to try to use a flat style again… after 5 years of experience. The result... Betrayers, a deck that uses flat shapes and gradient on realistic and complex figures.



Now I am designing a new deck, Monolith, with my usual style, but a completely different theme. I am a chaotic person, and I absolutely don’t have any idea about how my style will evolve in the next years - I always tried steadily to improve what I do, so hopefully, it will get better!

To keep up-to-date on anything Thirdway Industries, visit them at thirdway.it or follow them on Facebook.

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Final Week! Modern Idols Playing Cards on Kickstarter

Modern Idols is a brand new series of playing cards by Thirdway Industries, based on the beliefs of the modern age. Designed by the Italian designer Giovanni Meroni. The deck is currently funding on Kickstarter and is already 207% with a week to go. According to Giovanni,\

Idols are freely inspired by a TV Series about American Gods - The story is about the new Idols that replaced the Old Gods. 

Modern Idols series was initially planned as a simple project for Giovanni's Patreon, but the project grew on and in the end, he decided to make more decks and fund it with Kickstarter. Modern Idols decks incorporate Giovanni's recognizable artwork, vibrant color palettes with a new mythology.

There are 4 editions in the Modern Idols Series. Two unlimited editions, Hope and Fear; and two limited editions, Extreme Fear and Endless Hope.

Inside, the artwork is fully custom. The courts of Hope and Fear Edition are completely different. The card backs feature the same design with different color schemes. The Hope Edition uses a lot of Pure Silver Metallic ink combined with Neon inks; while Fear is focused on Neon colors only. Giovanni continued,

In terms of technology, Modern Idols will be one of my craziest decks. The faces uses 5 different colors: 3 neon inks that go fluorescent under blacklight, the awesome "pure silver" I have already used on Monolith and 1 solid dark color for contrast. Also, Idols is my first deck that uses a different color for each suit.

For the limited editions, Extreme Fear and Endless Hope contain the same cards as their unlimited counterparts but also include a limited, experimental tuck box made with NEW high-end paper combined with silver, gold, and copper holographic foil.

These editions are made primarily for Kickstarter backers and will be difficult to obtain after the campaign. Less than 1500 of each will be made, and both editions will be sealed and numbered.

Printed by the USPCC and pledge starts at €14 on Kickstarter.

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Discourse Deck Design Contest : 7 Questions with Giovanni Meroni

Stage 2 of the Discourse Deck Design Contest (DDDC) has just begun and you can officially start submitting your designs here. Final entries have to be submitted before 1st July 2014. Sponsored by the Expert Playing Card Co. (EPCC),  the winner will get their deck design printed by EPCC for sale and you will get three gross (432) of you decks... FREE!

So far, there has been one official entry... the Evil Deck by Italian graphic artist, Giovanni Meroni. We reached out to Giovanni and had a chat about his background, the inspiration & idea behind the Evil Deck and DDDC.

Can you tell us about yourself and what is your design background?
My name is Giovanni Meroni. I am 31 years old and I am a web art director, vector illustrator and graphic designer. I've been working in the graphic design industry since 19 years old. During the day, I design ecommerce websites in a big italian company as a senior art director. I love illustration and I usually work on my illustration project by night. I love to draw crazy characters in vector style. You can check out some of my works here.

This will be your first Playing Card deck. Why Playing Cards?
I love my web art director work. I used to design websites for big italian companies and now I'm working in the best ecommerce company in Italy. However, I missed doing something tangible, like a book, a poster... or even a deck of playing cards. To be honest, I've been searching for some printed medium with a lot of space for my crazy illustration. A deck of cards offer 54 cool canvas to fill, all related with a common context. Perfect!

We noticed the Evil deck on the DDDC. When did you first start thinking about entering the contest? What made you decide to take the plunge?
The DDDC is a great opportunity because it is a way to have a lot of decks without risking a penny, and my artwork alot of exposure. You probably noticed that I'm leaning towards EPCC to produce the deck, beacuse a lot of people suggested me to go down that path. The funny thing is, I discovered that DDDC was sponsored by EPCC after I asked them a quote for a 1,000 print run. As I would have produced my decks with them anyways, I thought that will be the best for my project to partecipate at the contest.

What is your inspiration behind the Evil Playing Cards and how did you come up with the idea?
The first reason: Evil is cool. As a child I was captivated by the villains even if some of them scare me to death. I think some good people are curious about "evil" things. The second reason: "Evil" mean a ton of monsters for me. I have fun drawing creatures, and because I had to draw 54 of them, I needed a theme that would be fun for me, otherwise I may get bored and leave the project because I don't have much patience and I often don't finish what I start.

How much time did you spend working on the deck?
I started this project in June last year. When I started, I just gathered all my unused characters, but I realized I can't use them to produce an original and organic deck. So, I started to draw. The first card was the queen of hearts. After the queen, I started with some numbers- the 7 of clubs, one of my favourites.

I drew one card a day throughout summer, mostly after work. By September, I wasn't too happy with the result and I stopped drawing them. During the Christmas holidays, I felt sad for my cards being buried without any use, and I decided to finish them. 2 months later, I managed to complete the deck, redrawing the ones I didn't like before.

I opened the site/socials/etc in February and I started getting feedbacks. People wasn't so passionate about the result: they said "cool", but the deck lack of uniformity and the court cards are less "powerful" than the numbers.

At first I was discouraged, but I decided to hang in there and re-draw almost every card, changing the themes: Hearts are evil passions, Diamonds is violence and only clubs and spades stayed "nature" and "magic". I finished the last one (King of Spades) some days ago. Now I'm happy of the result.

What are some of the 'Hidden Meaning' behind the playing cards?
When I posted the old Evil Deck on a forum, people tell me "Why the Jack of spades and hearts aren't one-eyed?" So, when I redesigned them, I put a patch on their eyes. The deck is inspired by a lot of fantasy monsters and myths, some of the Ancient Greece. I'm a big fan of the minotaur, hydra and harpies. The 7 of clubs have 7 cats and it's named "7 lives". In Italy we think cats have 7 lives instead 9. Probably Italy is more dangerous for them.

Finally, what are your favourite playing card decks?
The Federal 52,  Requiem and the Borderline deck are really cool decks!

Thanks Giovanni and all the best! This looks like a fun deck.

Check out the Evil Deck's home page to find out more. If you have a deck design or an aspiring designer or artist, check out the DDDC. This is the kind of contest where you can win without actually being the winner, just from the exposure that your design receives. Also, you might get an indication of the responses for that Kickstarter project you've been thinking of, or perhaps you'll catch the attention of a design house that's interested in your work! Head on over to the Discouse and start your journey!

Card Flash: LUNATICA Playing Cards by Thirdway Industries

Currently being fulfilled by Gamblers Warehouse, LUNATICA by Thirdway Industries is a fully custom deck series with bright colors and illustrated in the playful style of Giovanni Meroni. LUNATICA consists of 4 decks: Equinox, Solstice, Chimera, and Phoenix.

The standard editions, LUNATICA Equinox and LUNATICA Solstice have been designed with cardistry in mind. Both tuck boxes come in solid eye-catching neon colors- bright orange for Equinox and striking yellow for Solstice. Relatively simple compared to Giovanni’s previous releases.

Right out of the box, the face cards are visibly bright AND loud! Both decks feature different face cards and backs.. each with its own distinct color palette. Giovanni did an incredible job with the Pantone® Neon Inks! The color combinations compliment each other really well and are consistent throughout the decks.

The limited versions, LUNATICA Chimera and LUNATICA Phoenix are geared towards collectors. Disappointingly, the cards are identical to those of the unlimited versions. However, the gorgeous tuck boxes with 2 layers of stunning foil (yellow + holographic for Chimera and orange + holographic for Phoenix) and custom seal makes up for that.

If you have backed this project, you will love this deck! The neon colors turned out better than the renders from the Kickstarter project and I absolutely love the uniqueness of the neon colors and Giovanni’s vibrant playful artwork. If you are looking for something bright and unique for your collection or cardistry, LUNATICA is definitely for you.

Available now from thirdway.it To find out more about anything Thirdway Industries, subscribe to their newsletter or follow them on Facebook.

Kickstarter: Odissea Playing Cards Has Already Doubled Its Target

Thirdway Industries' Odissea Playing Cards on Kickstarter has doubled its target after just two weeks of launching on the crowdfunding platform. Giovanni Meroni set a goal of €20,000 (USD$23,000), but as of today, it has over €43,963 in pledges with 15 days to go. According to Giovanni,

So far, Odissea is my fastest campaign ever. The day one gathered €32,087, breaking the record of SINS (€30,644).

Clearly, there's huge demand for Giovanni's highly collectible decks! On our first look article prior to the launch of Odissea, we noted that the deck was inspired by Homer's Odyssey with the art style of SINS and Dedalo - Giovanni tried to mix them to have the malice of SINS and the mythology of Dedalo.

All three decks are fully custom with stunning tuck boxes, eye-catching backs, and gorgeous face cards. Also, several stretched goals have been unlocked: embossing and extra cards - the extra cards are alternative courts: two different versions of Ulysses in Minerva/Neptune and an alternative KoS of Minerva fighting Neptune

Mythica tiers are almost sold out only 25 tridents remains. Check it out on Kickstarter here! Odissea's expected release date is October of this year.