The deck is the final project of the Basics of Graphic Design, the design of 52 cards inspired by "đàn tứ" (4-string lute) - a type of national lute of Vietnam.
With the idea of expressing an old beauty in folk and modern aesthetic, the chosen color gamut is a complementary pair of blue - yellow, both traditional and modern, and at the same time increasing the efficiency of using negative space in design.
The logo is inspired by the imperial seal of the feudal period while the pattern on the back is inspired by ancient Vietnamese capital motifs.
"Cầm kỳ thi họa" refers to The four arts, which were the four main academic and artistic talents required of the aristocratic ancient Chinese scholar-gentleman. They were the mastery of the qin (cầm - refers to musical instruments), qi (kỳ - refers to surrounding game), shu (thi - Chinese calligraphy) and hua (họa - painting).
*Ancient Vietnamese culture was heavily influenced by China but still has its own unique features.
A word play of the term "đàn cá":
"đàn": musical instrument; a flock, herd of animal
"cá": fish
A shoal of fishes or a musical instrument in a shape of a fish.
Đàn tứ in the shape of Vietnamese cultural features: traditional costumes, farmers' daily items.
"Mai Lan Cúc Trúc" refers to plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, known as the "four gentlemen". They represent to qualities are: proud, quiet, strong, and light. Plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum have become the symbol of Chinese people's sense of things and metaphors. They are also the most common theme in chanting poetry and literati paintings.
Ngũ hành - Wuxing (Chinese Philosophy) usually translated as Five Phases or Five Agents, is a fivefold conceptual scheme that many traditional Chinese fields used to explain a wide array of phenomena, from cosmic cycles to the interaction between internal organs, and from the succession of political regimes to the properties of medicinal drugs.
