Lawrence Group commissioned a custom playing card deck as a gift to clients in 2024, with each of the 52 unique face cards primarily featuring original artwork from designers at the firm. Inspired by the firm’s guiding LIGHT Values, designers were encouraged to work in any medium of their choosing. Original art submissions are supplemented with selected photos of Lawrence Group projects, celebrating the firm’s 40+ year history with its closest clients and partners.
When proposing the playing card concept, Graphic Designer Chris Unterreiner had one key idea in mind; encouraging his peers to let their imaginations run wild.
“A long time ago I bought a bag of photography gear and a set of custom playing cards was included as a bonus,” Unterreiner said. “The deck became a favorite for how cool the idea was and made me interested in making custom cards of my own at some point. When I started at Lawrence Group and saw the creativity in our organization, it immediately reminded me of those cards and made me want to make a deck utilizing all the creativity of our team.”
Chris received enthusiastic buy-in from the marketing team and firm leadership, quickly refining the parameters around the firm’s LIGHT Values before sending the request for submissions out to the firm. These five values (Legendary, Innovation, Heart, Growth, Trust) provided a framework for designers, reinforced by the company’s existing branding and the deck’s unique template. “I wanted it to be as simple as possible” said Unterreiner, “with the front of the cards being individual and unique, the back of the card needed to sing LG… with the LG Green all over the card and then the brand spark in the middle made it simple but very much defined as an LG product.”
Working with Shuffled Ink, the team was able to quickly develop the concept and review samples, working on an aggressive schedule to meet the holiday deadline. The responsive collaboration between the two parties was essential to the success of the project, which made its mailing deadline in time for the holiday season.
Further enhancing the strength of the package is the packaging itself; the cards are stored in a refined cardboard package, and a custom mailer box designed for clients receiving the cards as a holiday gift. “The unifying element between the cards themselves, the box they come in [the shipping box], and the explainer card is the colors and the simplicity of design,” Unterreiner explained. This modular packaging approach allows for the cards to remain an evergreen item throughout the year, encouraging new future revisions thanks to the streamlined design language. “I think that’s the tying element and you know, harkening back to our LIGHT Values,” said Unterreiner. “We strive to do everything legendary and realize it as well as we possibly can.”
Thank you to Shuffled Ink for making our cards come to life!
