Challenge

The challenge was to reinterpret the classic French deck of cards through a circus theme without making it feel loud, cluttered, or overly illustrative. I needed to balance storytelling with restraint, ensuring each card felt distinct while maintaining a cohesive, modern visual language.

Insight

The circus is often remembered through fragments — acts, characters, and fleeting moments rather than a single narrative. I realised that treating each card as a “relic” allowed the deck to feel nostalgic yet timeless, focusing on essence rather than spectacle.

Idea

I developed Relics of Ring as a minimalist, line-art deck where every card captures a quiet moment from under the big top. By removing numbers from the illustrations and using clean, modern forms, the deck transforms circus performances into elegant visual artefacts — subtle, character-driven, and rooted in storytelling.