Behind the deck

Articles

How a familiar deck of cards became Tau. Follow the design from its first ideas through words, pictures, interlocking systems, and the discoveries along the way.

Start at the beginning or pick a topic that catches your eye. Drafts are available to read and may include open questions and notes for future illustrations. Titles marked Pending will open as articles are released.

1. Vision: A Universal Deck Draft
2. From Idea to Action Draft
3. The Start of Content Draft
4. Ranks & Suits Pending
5. Icons Pending
6. Icon Pairing Pending
7. Visual Budget Pending
8. Visual Hierarchy Pending
9. Icon Design Pending
10. Suit Identity Pending
11. Rank Identity Pending
12. Letter and Letter Score Pending
13. Spheres: Another Way to Slice the Deck Pending
14. Modes: Trying to Make the Tarots Matter More Pending
15. Sequence Numbers Pending
16. Word Links Pending
17. Borders Pending
18. Rank Rail Pending
19. Partition Rail Pending
20. Zodiac & Planets Pending
21. What Falls Out of the System Pending
22. Why This Doesn’t Fall Apart Pending
23. Narrative as a Derived Use Pending
24. Final Components Pending
25. Production Pipeline Pending
26. The Future? Parameterized Decks Pending