The Wild Unknown Tarot

Chiriku

Sword King, I take your point about the artist being multi-talented and working across media and art form. I myself have varying talents that few people view as being congruent with one another.

Now that I think about it, it's the marketing of this deck that gives it an air of tarot-dilettantism that raises the brows a bit. In my experience, the decks that are most engulfing and meaningful are those created by people with a deep immersion in and love of tarot. Some of those have excellent art (decks by Julie Cuccia-Watts, Nigel Jackson, Robert Place, Paul Huson) and others have less-appealing art by my tastes, but they are all decks of intellectual or emotional substance behind the art on the card. By contrast, I often learn (after the fact of purchase and use) that decks that I felt unimpressed by from a substantive sense were created by people who had only a passing interest in tarot for tarot's sake and whose chief interest in tarot was as a vehicle for art or theme.

This collective, the Wild Unknown, seems to be aiming for a unified branding across very different products and media. They describe themselves as creators of music (the band); visual art (the tarot, calendars, art prints); jewelry and curios (glass or crystal prisms, etc); books (presumably some are authors); as well as purveyors of a certain lifestyle/aesthetic (bohemian urban transplanted to woodsy but-not-too-rural environments) via a cabin owned by one of the people, possibly the artist herself. They hold parties and musical events at the cabin.

In other words, what they seem to be after is cross-marketing and selling a brand as opposed to a specific product or category of product. They want to sell "The Wild Unknown," the concept of it, and they do that in variety of cross-category ways, listed above.

This marketing strategy, while probably effective, is what gives me the impression that the deck was not produced entirely for its own sake. (This may not be a problem in using the deck, given that people can connect with almost anything for reading purposes; people have successfully resonated with decks with extremely tenuous pedigrees, for instance, the Miss Cleo deck used to market the telephone psychic reader who appeared on late night TV infomercials).

According to the websites and blog affiliated with the group (all of which are deliberately coy about The Wild Unknown, its members, origin and mission), there was a promotional party at which the deck was introduced, but the postings seem almost to indicate that it's not so much that a deck had a launch party than that a brand had an event at which its new product (the deck) and the 'psychic readings' done with it was a selling point.

Here's more support for the idea that the brand is what's being advanced, with less emphasis on the deck as tarot:

http://www.bonadrag.com/

This is one of the several small shops or online businesses carrying the deck. If you click on the front page promotion for the deck, you will see several photographs of the deck in use by young, fashion-conscious women. The photos almost seem to be promoting the jewelry, clothes, and general aesthetic of the models as much as they are the deck that is the ostensible subject of the listing.

In all, the promotional campaign across different platforms (their site, their blog, their partner shops' sites) conveys the tacit message: "Buy this tarot deck and you will be part of The Wild Unknown lifestyle--the music, the clothing and jewelry choices, the cabin in the woods where artisan beers are consumed during impromptu summer evening performances by fashionably folksy-alternative musical ensembles."

Granted, I'm not part of the demographic targeted by this brand, and perhaps that's why I am more attuned to the marketing issues at play here.
 

GrailSidhe

I think the Bona Drag website did the model shoot with the cards exclusively for themselves as a means of presenting the deck to their customer base whom might not have been previously introduced to the tarot. Very clever marketing.

As for the others, like the artist and what she does, or why she did it. I couldn't honestly guess other than that she felt moved to do so. Apparently all the originals were sold to pay for printing, and since the reception has been so well, looks like it paid off.

Personally, I just saw the cards and loved the cards, ordered them before I even saw the artist's site or anything else (but then a retrograde venus trine pluto and square saturn doesn't much care for anything else when something "clicks").

Whatever they are linked to or however they are promoted is simply complimentary to me.

I was especially excited about these because I rarely find a deck I actually like enough to buy, so it was quite a gem.
 

Bhavana

I could live with and use this deck without ever thinking of the band or the jewelry or whatever other agenda it has to push. I just love the looks of it. Has anyone actually gotten one yet? I'm curious about the quality and cardstock.
 

GrailSidhe

I could live with and use this deck without ever thinking of the band or the jewelry or whatever other agenda it has to push. I just love the looks of it. Has anyone actually gotten one yet? I'm curious about the quality and cardstock.

I should be getting mine on wednesday, will let you know :)
 

jcwirish

I should be getting mine on wednesday, will let you know :)

I ordered mine yesterday, but I'm not sure if the deck was in stock to ship right away. I'm looking forward to getting your feedback when you see the deck in person. I had the same reaction as you. I knew I wanted it as soon as I saw the cards. I rarely get excited about decks, so when I react immediately, I buy.

It's apparent to me that the artist worked hard on the deck and put a lot of care into it. I'm not bothered by the whole band /website issue. Creativity is expressed in many ways. I don't get the feeling that the deck is nothing but a promotional tool.
 

Chiriku

It's good to know people are enjoying the prospect of the deck irrespective of the creators' intent or marketing of it.

GrailSidhe, did you get a tracking number? I don't think I did. Besides which, I believe they are located in the northeast and thus there may be delays due to the impending hurricane. I have a relative in the region who called Fed Ex and learned they are not shipping today or tomorrow.
 

Chiriku

Yes, jcwirish, I too noted the message saying a new batch of decks was slated to be available Nov 15th.
 

GrailSidhe

It's good to know people are enjoying the prospect of the deck irrespective of the creators' intent or marketing of it.

GrailSidhe, did you get a tracking number? I don't think I did. Besides which, I believe they are located in the northeast and thus there may be delays due to the impending hurricane. I have a relative in the region who called Fed Ex and learned they are not shipping today or tomorrow.

I did get one (Bona Drag shop) and it departed Oak Creek, WI 3 days ago, but I'd not considered the hurricane! It will most likely be delayed :/
 

baylys

You folks have to stop doing this to me!!
I have a very limited budget right now and I cannot be buying ALL of these amazing decks you keep showing me!

I need to win lotto so I can just say 'I want' and then 'I got!'

I want this. Will have to try to save.