My project for the upcycling project is a storage box for Pokémon TCG cards inspired by a few different card designs with an opulent aesthetic. I have a slight addiction to the dopamine experienced from opening a Pokémon TCG booster pack. This has led me to have a lot of cards. Because of the ever growing collection of Pokémon cards, I think it is time I build a storage box.
When I searched on the internet, the available storage boxes were very disappointing. That is when I remembered of a premium playing card maker.
Amazon Cardboard Storage Box. Searching on Amazon yielded these types of TCG storage boxes that are very simple and basic.
Amazon TCG Storage Box. Another search from Amazon, with a better but still simple storage box.
Theory11 is a luxury producer of playing cards. Most of their designs include very ornate patterns, mixed with rich colors. In particular, I was really inspired to follow a similar design aesthetic from their Black Panther playing cards. These cards (pictured below) give off a sophisticated and luxurious feel. The sharp geometric shapes along with the gold and metallic purple accents really capture the opulent aesthetic I want to achieve. Additionally, the subtle changed between the texture of the matte and gloss blacks elevate the sophistication of these cards.
Black Panther Playing Cards (Theory11)
Being more in line with the Pokémon aesthetic, another piece of inspiration (and main reason I want to have an aesthetic like this) is the Special Set 01 card sleeves (pictured below) from the mobile game Pokémon TCG Pocket. The design on these sleeves give off a modern opulent aesthetic, but more in line with the Pokémon Aesthetic. This design focuses on geometric shapes with a hint of Pokémon itself. The coloring matches that of the holographic Pokémon cards. This specific design cannot be bought from Pokémon physically, as it only exists virtually. Even if Pokémon did sell this design on a storage box for the cards, it would be made from cardstock, which I am not a fan of due to its longevity.
Pokémon Special Set 01 Card Sleeve (Pokémon TCGP)
Taking the main elements from these two card designs led me to the following initial pattern. The sharp geometric shapes are still there, but I modified them to be more in line with being sharper. The shading indicates a potential contrasting or accent color. Currently, the colors I am looking at are a metallic white, gold, and possibly different shades/textures of black to match the cards in the deck box shown in the last picture. I’m thinking of other possible geometric shapes to add into the bottom blank space.
Initial sketch of possible design.
The final product will be about the size of a normal deck box due to the fact that I am using limited scrapped material to make the box out acrylic from a previous project. The acrylic is 1/8″ thick, colored black, and I have about 80 square inches (~8″ by 10″) of material across a few spare sheets that have been collecting dust for a few years. To add in the coloring and design, I have a few ideas. Either laser engrave the acrylic and fill in the pattern with paint or I will look for vinyl and get them cut in a pattern.
Pokémon TCG Deck Box and Card from my collection.
Citations:
[Featured Image] Pokémon, Pokémon TCG Pocket Special Set 01 Card Sleeve [1] Amazon, Cardboard Storage Box. Amazon [2] Amazon, TCG Storage Box. Amazon [3] Theory11, Black Panther Playing Cards, https://store.theory11.com/collections/playingcards/products/black-panther-playing-cards
2 Comments. Leave new
I think that this is an excellent idea for a project that I might try to do something similar to in the future. I am wondering how the box will be opened and closed, however. Will it be similar to the examples shown?
Thanks for the reply. I’m still debating on how to open and close the box. I have thought of either making a hinged lid (like the black amazon box) or a cover that slides out from the top (could be held in place with magnets). Building the box in CAD may give me better insight as to how I will be doing this.