Views is Ellusionist’s first collaboration with an outside designer: the deck comes from Got Magic? and its designer, Nicholas Earl. Its hallmark is a back built on the “VIEWS” optical illusion, a pattern of dots that seems to vibrate and become more psychedelic the longer you look at it.

• PublisherEllusionist
• DesignNicholas Earl (Got Magic?)
• PrinterUnited States Playing Card Company (USPCC)
• FinishAir Cushion on crushed stock, traditional cut
• Print run5,000 decks
• Contents52 cards + jokers

Design

The dot motif on the back is repeated on the faces, which are custom. The court cards were printed in metallic inks, and the tuck box is embossed (raised) and decorated with foil (metallic stamping) in gold, white and mint green. According to Ellusionist, the decks were packed by hand.

Manufacturing

It was printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC) on crushed stock (crushed, a treatment that compresses the paper so the cards are more flexible and fan better) with an Air Cushion finish (a very fine embossing that helps them glide). It has a traditional cut (the direction in which the cards are die-cut, which affects how they behave when shuffled), the one usually preferred for the faro (a shuffle in which the two halves interweave card by card) and for gambling routines. A single run of 5,000 decks was produced, with no reprint planned.