Small Steps and Giant Leaps
A deck of playing cards that celebrate the rich and exciting history of humanities adventures into space.
From Sputnik to SpaceX, these premium playing cards explore some of the most notable moments in the history of space exploration — a collection of amazing spacecraft and inspiring people that have ventured beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and into the vast unknowns of outer space.
The deck is fully illustrated, featuring over 50 unique pieces of artwork that depict this fascinating topic in a clean, dynamic and colorful style. Together the illustrations run through everything from the ambitious early days of space travel, as new technology took us closer to the stars than we’d ever been, all the way through to modern day marvels like the ISS and James Webb Space Telescope, which continue to bring the inhabitants of Earth even closer to the mystery and majesty of outer space.
The face cards in the deck each feature a notable astronaut, from the first pioneers Yuri Gagarin and Alan Sheperd, to those who continue to break boundaries like Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space. The deck also contains other fun details to discover, including a series of thought provoking quotes on the Aces, and a couple of fun UFO’s that can be found on the Jokers.
In many ways, space exploration represents the very best of us – it’s a powerful statement about curiosity, an inspiring testament to what science can achieve, and a timely success story about global collaboration. These cards celebrate all these traits, while also providing an accessible and engaging journey through one of the greatest adventures our species has ever embarked on.
This project is also a real labor of love, taking over a year from conception to completion. It’s been a wonderful passion project, and I hope it allows people to engage with one of my favorite subjects in a memorable and unique way.
