Written in the Cards
Written in the Cards is a hand-crafted typeface where every letter of the alphabet is reimagined as a playing card. Each character was designed, carved into a linoleum block, and printed by hand — merging the traditions of printmaking and typographic illustration.
Category
Design
Year
2025
Tags
Design Process
Concept & Typographic Design
Illustration, Transfer & Carving
Printing
Concept & Typographic Design
Developed the visual language for the typeface — drawing on the anatomy of playing cards with mirrored corners.
- Defined a consistent design system — border treatment, corner letter indices, and heart motifs — to unify all 26 characters
- Sketched letterform concepts that balanced legibility with illustration
Illustration, Transfer & Carving
Refined each letter into a final drawing, transferred it onto the linoleum block surface (reversed to account for flipping), then hand-carved the design using a set of gouges
- Produced finalized ink drawings for all 26 letters at block scale
- Adjusted compositions for each letter to work within the card format while maintaining visual variety
- Used V-gouges for fine lines and detail work, U-gouges for clearing larger negative areas
Printing
Inked each carved block by hand and printed onto paper, pulling a series of impressions for each letter. The tactile variation between prints — ink weight, texture, slight misregistration — became part of the work's character.
- Applied ink evenly using a brayer
- Printed multiple impressions per block, selecting the strongest pulls
- The final prints preserve the physical evidence of the hand — tool marks, ink texture, and the grain of the linoleum surface
Outcomes
Completed a full 26-letter alphabet, each letter designed and printed as an individual playing card
Developed a cohesive visual system across all letters
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