Minimalism in recent and upcoming Tarot decks

[Shade]

I recently had the good fortune to be able to record a a podcast convo with the fabulous Barbara Moore about two upcoming decks from Llewellyn and she mentioned that a trend she was thinking about in terms of tarot readers tastes' was a move towards more minimalist yet striking artwork (not trying to just give a plug, you can skip to 17 minutes into the podcast to hear her talk about this).

There does seem to be a growing move toward a less-is-more approach doesn't there? The major example she gives is the Wild Unknown Tarot (which seems to have done very well for itself). People have discussed the Lumina as being very similar to the Wild Unknown and many of us have been falling all over ourselves over the Uusi Pagan Otherworlds.

Now, there have always been more minimalist decks (hello Tarot Nova) but there seems to be more enthusiasm for them lately. Any reason that folks feel they are ready for a less cluttered card to read?

 

[Aeric]

I definitely think the Wild Unknown's popularity helped spawn a genre of minimalist decks. WU even became known to my non-Tarot friends because it's on Facebook and just about everywhere in Tarot ads these days.

Now we have ones like Lumina and Raven's Prophecy, a single image or a small, tight cluster of images in the exact center of the card, with an ambient background that may have minimal designs but more often soften as a backdrop for the fore object. There are fewer tableaux, landscapes, and fewer opportunities for the eyes to wander to something else.

Lo Scarabeo has done something of the opposite: sumptuous scenes with many details, and eliminating card titles completely in favour of simple numbers and suit symbols. Where Llewellyn is minimalist on the subject matter, Lo Scarabeo is minimalist of the Tarot structure.

I think both are highly effective methods that create great decks.

 

[witchofglass]

As someone who likes being able to GET which card it is from a glance, I'm really liking the minimalist thing that's been going on lately. I think it's easier for people who are still at the beginning of learning tarot; it's definitely one of the reasons I like the Transparent Tarot.

 

[JadePixie]

As a beginner, I'm happy to be able to identify what's going on in a card on first inspection.

But that being said, I love images that are multifaceted and rich with myth and symbology, so I expect as I go along I'll be more drawn to the busier cards such as Thoth and Shadowscapes.

 

[Le Fanu]

I'm not convinced. I mean, it's up to others to see if they're convinced - as we all have our different tastes - but I find minimalism is great in a deck for - say - 6 months. Then for me it shrivels up and becomes somehow unreadable and empty. It runs out of mileage.

I found this with the Wild Unknown. I loved it in the beginning, but it very much had a shelf life. Then the Raven's Prophecy I couldn't even get started on. If minimalism was really that easy to read, maybe reading the Marseilles minors /pip cards would be more mainstream but it's not.

I think there's a connection between the trend for eliminating lots of card details and the "oracle-isation" of tarot. It's like people are tired of the RWS and just want cards to mean anything whatsoever. Minimalism enables you to do this. I think the two phenomena are connected.

I'm not sure it's a general trend though. I wonder which has sold more - the Illuminati (byword for clutter) or the Wild Unknown. I actually have a minimalist deck on the way - The Fountain Tarot - but I held one in my hands over Christmas (a friend's copy) and I LOVED it. The way it felt streamlined but still definitely tarot. I'd need to read with it for a while before I get a sense of the mileage.

Interesting topic though. I must go and listen to the podcast!

 

[readings.by.mia]

I have dozens of Tarot decks but the ones I use the most are those with Marseille style minors. I don't use precisely the Marseille deck because it is difficult to distinguish swords from wands at a first glance, but one of my main decks is Victoria Frances Tarot which has plain minor arcana, and I usually get way more from this kind of decks.

Anyway, I love both kinds, even though I'm feeling "yay!" Lately because minimalist decks weren't easy to find.

 

[Melia]

It's not a question of being ready for a less cluttered deck. It's just that there are only now a few more 'modern' de-cluttered decks available on the market. That's it in a nutshell.

I think these type of decks (and the Marseille) are good, but clearly are not for everyone (no deck is). IMO, I think these decks are useful because they can teach a person how to see details in the smallest of things.

 

[serenatorrencefox]

Minimalism

It was good to read through this. Personally, I find that the minimal does not leave room for my own (or friends, clients...whomever) subconscious interpretation. I wrote to Benebell Wen about this. The Angel cards, for instance, are very nice, but deliver an answer based on that author or deck's interpretation. I think, in many ways, this defeats the power of the tarot. I want to stress that I have these minimal and angel decks for those who are attracted, but as an aspiring tarot professional, I find them limiting.

 

[cosmicon]

I don't own any minimalist decks; I've looked at a few in my search for a new deck and even though they're very pretty and aesthetically pleasing, I think they are a bit one dimensional and don't allow much room for multiple interpretations or story-telling. I'm still a beginner though. I feel like these cards will work better if you've memorized what every card means so you don't need as much detail to get a rich reading from them. Odd though because I think minimalist decks are less intimidating and more appealing to new readers.

 

[Citrin]

I've also noticed this trend and wondering if it's gonna get more readers into the Tarot de Marseille. But maybe it's just an art trend so to speak, maybe that's all there is to it?

It's funny because different readers really do respond differently to minimalist decks, as seen in the comments here lol. Some say it hinders intuition, some say it really sparks intuition... I can see how it's "easier" to understand a clear scene involving people, but I can also see how it hinders because the cards get a more clear "good" or "bad" vibe that is hard to ignore.

I'm personally into both cluttered decks and minimalist decks. What I really like about the WU is how it seems to have made tarot a little bit more mainstream, at least in the US? I like that, when tarot turns more mundane for "normal people" and isn't just some scary mysterious things "crazy witches" use.