MORGAN RAHME
Graphic Designer
THE CONCEPTS
Card Kami was recently started up by two trading card enthusiasts. There were a few concepts that these clients wanted this logo to take inspiration from: Magic the Gathering, The Fool tarot card, and a kami.
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Magic the Gathering is a strategic trading card game filled with friends, fun, and fantasy. In this game, players battle with spells and creatures from their deck of cards until one player wins.
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The Fool tarot card symbolizes new beginnings, exploration, and a willingness to take risks. For my clients, this is part of what Card Kami embodies for them since it is their first experience with starting and owning a business.
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A kami is a supernatural deity or force of nature often associated with a thing, concept, or natural element. Magic the Gathering has several cards featuring kami, and some of them are the clients' favorite cards. They chose for their business to be called Card Kami in hopes of the logo featuring an abstract kami specially designed for this concept.
MAGIC THE GATHERING
The placement of these shapes represents the two owners as well as mimics the mana placement of the trading cards.
The abstract shapes floating around the background and in the figure are similar to dice which are commonly used in the game.
The dimensions and shape of the card base / smaller cards are based off of Magic the Gathering cards.
The symbols used on the cards and mask are inspired by symbols from the game. Using these symbols on the cards and mask is intended to imply that they are part of the same being.
The Card Kami itself is also inspired by Magic the Gathering cards that feature kami, often having a mask and an abstract body with objects whirling around it. The mask's design drew inspiration from a variety of traditional Japanese kami masks.
THE FOOL TAROT CARD
This logo incorporates several parallels with The Fool tarot card.
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The "mana" circles at the top are similar to the 0 on the tarot card.
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The pose of the kami is similar to The Fool, facing the same direction and having its mask angled upwards with its arms reaching out.
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The pawprints are in place of the dog, representing the clients pets as well.
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The font mimics the handwritten style of the tarot cards in this collection.
PRACTICALITY
The color palette is inspired by colors commonly associated with arcana and sorcery. Additionally, they are all CMYK-friendly for print purposes since this logo will mostly be used on physical items.
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A few logo variations were created for use as-needed, such as a smaller simplified version for use on small spaces and an icon-only version as well.
If you're interested in checking them out, view their facebook profile!