Deck of playing cards | disney

The Disney Star Deck of Pride is a reimagined set of playing cards designed to celebrate queerness, diversity, and inclusivity through art. Created for Disney India during Diwali, the project brought together six queer artists from across the country to design a deck that merged tradition, pop culture, and individuality. Each card tells a story of identity and expression, blending modern illustration with cultural roots to create a product that is both playable and powerfully representative. The deck serves not only as a game but also as a statement of visibility, joy, and pride within Indian design and storytelling.

The Making Of

CLIENT - Disney India

This project reimagines traditional design of a deck of playing cards through a queer and inclusive lens, merging cultural storytelling with modern aesthetics. Created as an exclusive pack of playing cards for Disney, it celebrates individuality, pride, and the evolving language of identity in visual culture.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The process began with brainstorming sessions and research into queer motifs deeply rooted in one’s culture and upbringing. These elements were then blended with modern pop culture references to create a design aesthetic that felt both fresh and relatable, while remaining visually striking and colorful. I explored existing products, analyzed user engagement, and developed early sketches to define the visual tone. We carefully selected a diverse group of queer artists from across the country, each representing a unique gender identity, sexuality, and cultural background, to ensure that the project reflected a truly inclusive spirit. Collaborating closely with the creative team, I refined the color palette, iconography, and overall layout to capture the energy of the campaign without compromising the functionality and playability of the cards.

ROLE - Art Direction, Product Design and Illustration

I was responsible for the conceptual sketches, moodboards, initial direction, and keyword development for the deck. Once the foundation was set, we onboarded additional artists (Jishnu, Nandini, Teesta, Harsh and Sameira) and collaborated closely to establish a cohesive visual direction, ensuring the artworks felt connected despite having six different contributors. Each artist was assigned a specific color palette and suit, such as the House of Hearts or the House of Spades, while another artist and I designed the Joker cards and one focused on the packaging design. This collaborative structure allowed every artist’s individuality to shine while maintaining harmony across the entire deck.

Design Guidelines

Color Strategy:
Each house draws inspiration from one color of the rainbow flag. Hues from that color are applied consistently across its three picture cards to create visual cohesion while celebrating the Pride spectrum.
Symbolic Detailing:
Every card subtly includes an element of the rainbow flag. The motif should remain small and understated to maintain balance without overpowering the design.
Dimensions and Consistency:
Maintain uniform dimensions based on the reference deck to ensure consistency across illustrations. Shared open files were used to preserve alignment and proportional harmony.
Visual Language:
The overall aesthetic follows an opulent and grand visual style inspired by Diwali festivities, merging festivity with pride. Traditional fonts and intricate patterns complement the deep reds and blacks of the card base.
Representation:
Each design embodies the diversity of the queer community through inclusive depictions of body types, gender identities, and cultural expressions.
Cultural Integration:
The artwork incorporates distinctly Indian queer sensibilities, from accessories, clothing, and body art to hairstyles, creating authenticity while maintaining elegance.
Playability and Purpose:
While the deck celebrates art and identity, functionality remains central. Every visual choice, color, and texture serves both aesthetic and practical design goals to ensure the cards remain enjoyable to use.

Moodboard

The moodboard for this project drew deeply from my personal archives as an artist, where contextual queerness has always been at the heart of my work. I wanted to build upon that legacy, blending cultural roots with contemporary self-expression.

Alongside my previous works, we explored visuals of iconic drag performers like Aquaria, Sasha Velour, and Is She Hungry, whose theatricality and bold personas embodied the confidence and playfulness we wanted to capture.

We also drew inspiration from the timeless glamour of burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, works of Mugler and the opulent aesthetics of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings, particularly his depiction of apsaras, jewelry, and divine femininity. Each artist then created their own moodboard, reflecting their interpretation of queerness and color.

Together, these inspirations merged seamlessly, creating a visual universe that was rich, inclusive, and unapologetically celebratory.

Concept and Inspiration: House of Hearts

House of Hearts is a collection that weaves together contextual queerness with India as its backdrop, reclaiming effeminacy, exploring gender as a spectrum, and celebrating queer identities and bodies in all their glory. My life as a queer person of color has often been shaped by bullying, rejection of my androgynous expression, and prejudice against my skin tone. For years, I accepted this as the norm until I realized it didn’t have to be.

Through color, opulence, and drama, I began transforming my pain into beauty, embracing every shape, shade, and form as a step away from trauma and closer to self-love. Drawing from my Odia heritage, I infused elements of alpana and chandan designs, Odissi jewelry, floral motifs, and temple architecture to create a visual language of pride and belonging.

This body of work is deeply personal yet universal, a reflection of my story as an Odia boy growing up queer, and an offering to those who have felt unseen. I hope it serves as a reference point to look at oneself and feel beautiful, desired, wanted, and above all, dignified.

Official campaign video for 'Deck of Pride' shot by Disney