N°17 Cardlauncher Edition (2014)

After completing the Heretic project, I came to realize the need for a distinctive name to encompass all my playing card endeavors. Designkiller, my previous choice, felt somewhat inappropriate and didn’t resonate with me. In fact, for Heretic, I had used my actual first and last name. The problem with my last name is its pronunciation in languages other than English—it’s hard to remember, spell, and write correctly.

I took some time to contemplate my decision abou the new name, and during this period, Mike Ratledge (owner of United Cardists, UC) approached me with a request to create a commemorative deck for UC members. He urgently needed a deck to promote the Card Launcher project, a crowdfunding platform for playing card decks. I agreed and faced a challenging 10-day deadline, which I typically dislike.
During the first week, I dedicated my time to working on the card faces and back design from 7am to 8pm. The remaining elements and tweaks were completed in the last 3 days.

The number “17” drew inspiration from older decks of cards, which were often assigned numbers alongside their proper names, possibly for cataloging or variant tracking purposes. Bill Kalush from Conjuring Arts in New York City may hold the definitive answer to this practice, but I didn’t have the luxury to delve into it due to my tight schedule. So, I settled on the simple and memorable “No.17.”

Seventeen is an easy number to recall, popular, and it also aligns with my own birthdate on the 17th. Furthermore, it holds various symbolic and numerological references, making it an intriguing choice.

I began work on the No.17 Cardlauncher Edition, aware that 10 days were insufficient for a truly refined design. I planned to refine it after the initial release, dubbing it No.17 Playing Cards V.01 Cardlauncher edition.
Although the Card Launcher project ultimately met an unfortunate fate, the deck was produced in 550 units and distributed to UC members as a community-driven project on my part.

As compensation, I received 25 decks, which I personally numbered, signed, and sold to collectors interested in this unique offering. These decks were designated as “Private Reserve” since they were the only ones I possessed in Stockholm at the time.