card clutter -- or not?

pasara said:

I am just curious how you all feel about key words on cards. (i'm not talking titles here, but the extra stuff.)

Click to expand...

I don't even see them. Even the titles. A complete non-issue, for me.

I don't mind titles or even keywords at all. My eyes tend to skim over them. In some cases they can even trigger me in a reading. If I don't like them I just don't think about them, just as I don't dwell on each little tiny detail on a card, I just pick out what feels important for right now.

Some decks would be really hard to read with no titles or keywords, like the Herbal, I am good with my herbs but don't know the name of all of them. Or if I do it might be either the swedish or latin name. Also if the deck features mythology I find it quite useful to have the name of that god/goddess/place etc on the card.

I don't want key words jumping out at people when I read for them. I find key words impede subtle interpretation.

Debra said:

I don't want key words jumping out at people when I read for them. I find key words impede subtle interpretation.

Click to expand...

Best is keywords you understand but they don't. I sometimes use my German Thoths when I know I'm reading for someone who doesn't know German...

Actually, best is no keywords at all.

The more words on a card, the more annoying I find it. I once got the Deck of Shadows in trade. Lovely deck. But the words all around the image finally bugged me so much I traded it away. I never even considered trimming it becase the image was very small, the card being dominated by various keywords. It would have been smaller than a mini. Sort of a miniature mini! lol

pasara said:

I am just curious how you all feel about key words on cards. (i'm not talking titles here, but the extra stuff.) i often find it distracting and limiting. there are several decks out there that i would like much much better if they hadn't littered them with letters. the only deck where i actually appreciate the words is the osho zen. i don't know why, just do. How 'bout you folks? How do you feel about key words or phrases on your cards? Do you feel it adds to your read, detracts, or you couldn't care less?

Click to expand...

I actually prefer the keywords. I don't need them to read but I prefer them. They figure into my reaidng and they are helpful to me in pointing things in the best direciton.

SO my vote is that I find them helpful and I enjoy them.

That being said, I really do not like when the company who prints the deck puts their name on the front of the cards (like US Games), to me I just do not like that. To me the cards are meant to be spiritual tools and advertisements have no place in spiritual things. I guess the company thinks it will make people want to buy more copies,but when I see that I want to buy from that company less and less. It puts me off.

For me, key words: good, company logos: bad.

Babs

Hi, Babs--it's not an advertisement! It's a copyright notice, and it's on the front because they want to indicate that it's the front image that's copyright.

Debra said:

Hi, Babs--it's not an advertisement! It's a copyright notice, and it's on the front because they want to indicate that it's the front image that's copyright.

Click to expand...

I always wonder, though: US Games seems (as far as I can recall at the moment) the only company that feels that that is necessary.

Llwellyn, Baba Studios, Lo Scarabeo: they all get along fine without actual copyright notices on the cards themselves.

I am, unfortunately (at least in this context) one of those people for whom words scream about a thousand times louder than pictures; which makes any kind of keywords (or copyright notices) terribly distracting!
Card titles bother me less, as long as they're 'neutral': I guess I've gotten used to them over the years.
But even then, any kind of renaming etc sort of pokes out at me.

Which is why I prefer cards with as little names or titles as possible: I love the more abstract indications of suit etc that Lo Scarabeo has been using lately.
The Silicon Dawn is terrific, for instance.

But, really, for most decks I wouldn't need anything.
If the artwork is good, I think I should be able from looking at the image to tell which card is which (as long as it's a deck with the 'correct' number of suit symbols, not the more 'freehand' ones like the Bohemian Gothic etc).

Debra said:

Hi, Babs--it's not an advertisement! It's a copyright notice, and it's on the front because they want to indicate that it's the front image that's copyright.

Click to expand...

Oh. Thought it was an "ad" so you would not forget who made your beautiful deck, as not all companies do it.

It still has the effect of making me want to buy their decks less than the ones from other companies. I''d presume that they are not aware of that. I mean that could out it on the box maybe somewhere or include it on an extra card that all card images are copyrighted.

Babs

Hedera said:

I'm, unfortunately (at least in this context) one of those people for whom words scream about a thousand times louder than pictures; which makes any kind of keywords (or copyright notices) terribly distracting!
Card titles bother me less, as long as they're 'neutral': I guess I've gotten used to them over the years.

Click to expand...

You would LOVE the A King's Journey Tarot. I love mine too. It has nothing on it but the images. No numbers or words of any kind. Or borders for that matter. AND it has a 5th suit, the suit of Spirit, plus 3 extra cards. And yes, it does not even tell you the suits outright, you can just tell from the images.

I just love that deck too, but it is self-published and not currently in print. Although it has been published twice now, so you never know if and when the third one may come.

Babs