Flight Cards

Designer: Fonzie Cuaycong
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Flight Cards
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Packaging Contents: A Deck of Cards
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Air-Linen Finished Cards, Satin Finished Box
Printing Process: 4C Printing

It was always hard to separate “His Airness from his shoes. From the very first pair of Black and Red 1’s, these sneakers have represented the evolution of elevation, and told the story of a player who never kept his feet on the ground.

This deck of cards is a tribute to the greatest basketball player–and the greatest sneaker legacy–of all time.

Each suit has a curated selection of Jordans featuring, arguably, the most important sneakers of Jordans legacy–the first thirteen. These thirteen silhouettes were the sneakers that propelled him to fame, and were designed and worn during the beginning and final games with the Chicago Bulls. The Jordan model relates to the rank of the card: ace is the Jordan 1, 2 is the Jordan 2, 3 is the Jordan 3, etc.

The design features my own personal illustrative style, while still giving tribute to the shoes and the traditional complexity of playing card design. Each suit icon resonate the details of specific Jordan soles. The card designs use details from Mike’s decorated past on the court, on television, and in Chicago.

In the deck, the ace and number cards have a consistent design with interchanging sneakers, while the jack, queen, and king each have a separate design. This is similar to how hierarchy is created in traditional playing cards, by using a visually-specific design for face cards and number cards.

What’s Unique?
With the design of the deck, there is this curious marriage between function and culture. Since the rank of the cards relates to the Jordan model, you almost need to be somewhat of a sneakerhead or a Jordan fan to really enjoy the design and the illustrations at its highest potential.