Eames "Starburst" Black Edition

Eames "Starburst" Black Edition

The Eames "Starburst" playing cards are designed by Art of Play in collaboration with The Eames Office. The Eameses are among the most important American designers of the 20th century, paving the way since 1940!

This deck is a black colorway of similar Red and Blue variants offered by Art of Play. It features a "Starburst" design on the card backs, the logo of the Eames Office.

Each number card, 2 through 10, has a corresponding number of stacked rectangles in its center, leading to an almost optical-illusion effect. Court cards feature other geometric patterns such as circles and triangles.

What's really neat about this deck is the side pattern. Each card's value, starting from the Ace all the way to the King has a line on each of the long sides of the deck; the Ace's is the shortest line length and it increases on each card value until the King. While not terribly noticeable when looking at the faces of the cards, showing the side of the deck brings out the pattern.

The side-pattern on the Eames "Starburst" Playing Cards.
I've found that I really like decks that have patterns on their sides!

The deck consists of 56 cards:

  • 52 playing cards
  • Two identical jokers
  • One ad card
  • One "wild card" that can be used to replace a missing card from the deck

Where to buy?

Looking to get your hands on Eames "Starburst" Black Edition? You can pick it up at Art of Play. When I last checked, the price for this deck was $18.00.

Buy at Art of Play


This deck is created by Art of Play and designed by The Eames Office. It's beautifully printed by USPCC on D&D thin crush stock with an air-cushion finish. The deck features custom court cards, custom pips on all cards, and two identical jokers. The tuck case has an embossed, letter-pressed design, and is secured with a sticker seal.