With heart and mind - A card game about love symbols all over the world by University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Design, Augsburg

Did you know that the card game itself is a symbol of love? Mostly we just know the basic symbols of love. But what do we know about the stories behind them?

The differences between stories and cultures are huge but at the same time, the similarities of love symbols worldwide are much more prominent than one would assume. The variety of myths, literature, and art show, that love is one of the most important topics of humanity.“With heart and mind” is an information graphic card game about love symbols all over the world. Love is usually described as incredibly euphoric or as very painful. It brings joy or suffering. Ups and downs, uncontrollable feelings that are motley. Love is one of the most significant feelings that a person wants to experience. Perfection is reached only when the love or love affairs are successful. This has been true since ancient times and so the individual elements of the created card game complement each other.

Font, color, and illustration are based on the origins of art and history. Especially the art of heraldry plays an important role here. The typeface chosen is Bodoni, a timeless and tasteful classical Antiqua designed by Giambattista Bodoni. A second typeface used as an ornamental font is Scilla, its form is based on the shape of floral elements and organic structures. The fonts' representation has also been adapted in related icons. The formal language of the card design also visualizes the deep connection to nature, because this also plays a significant role within the theme. The concept gives the player the opportunity to feel closely connected with the thematic. The card game consists of two layers. The first layer is a picture layer. The second layer consists of information. When put together, the two layers make an infographic.

The game contains 64 cards. 32 picture cards and 32 transparent information cards. Each picture card and the matching info card make a small information graphic. Eight cards, meaning four picture cards and four transparent cards, pushed together, make a large infographic. The 32 symbols are divided into eight groups. Each four picture cards belong together. So they form a quartet. When the player has completed four picture cards, he gets the corresponding transparent cards. First, he places the info cards individually on the picture cards, then they can be pushed together to form a group. Even the deck of cards itself is a significant love symbol. The deck of cards assembles like a puzzle, the layers combine to form a complete graphic image. Not only the deck of cards but also the puzzle is a love symbol of our time. It stands for perfection in love. So the player of the game is commissioned to make love complete.