The assignment was to design anything I wanted based on an important design history figure that was assigned to me: El Lissitzky.

El Lissitzky was a Russian painter, designer, typographer, and architect born in 1890. He was a prominent figure in the Russian avant-garde movement, where he helped develop the ideas behind the suprematist movement. He is also widely known for his war propaganda posters, and his contributions to the constructivist movement. To honor his work, I created a deck of playing cards inspired by his work. I chose to make playing cards because many card games represent war, which was something Lissitzky's work was based upon. The ace cards in each suit are inspired by popular El Lissitzky pieces.

The final result is a deck of playing cards that are heavily inspired by El Lissitzky's suprematist movement, yet have a unique feel of their own. Each card was printed on two sheets of linen paper which were cut by hand and glued together, which gives the user a sense of what a vintage desk of playing cards would feel like. The deck also includes a booklet containing the research paper I wrote on the design figure, El Lissitzky.