The Braille Tarot deck

[mparkes]

Hi everyone!
I wanted to share a deck design that is simple and fun to make, using only some cereal box cardboard, pencil, scissors, and a 1/4" hole punch! And you will have a tarot deck that you can read blindfolded!

I have had this idea swimming around in my head for a while, as I love making my own tarot deck designs. I wanted to see if I could just use a hole punch in some sort of design so that I could read the cards with my eyes closed. So I worked on a design using a perimeter of dots that are easy to feel and tell what the card is.

Here is just a few of the cards:



Reading these six cards left to right, top to bottom is Knight of Pentacles, 7 of Pentacles, Ace of Wands. (Bottom row:) 8 of Cups, 5 of cups, Judgement.

Here is the template used to punch out the holes:



The cards measure about 3.25" x 4.75".

If there is any interest I can try to explain how the pattern works. It was a fun project and is an open source design so anyone can use it. This is probably about the 4th or 5th tarot deck design I have come up with over the years, I have enjoyed developing decks that anyone can recreate at home using upcycled materials and simple tools.

I have been using this deck in my own personal readings for a while now and it seems to work well. I also have a history of eye disease so I figured if I ever go totally blind at least I can still have a deck I can read by touch! :)

That's a brilliant concept.
Seriously though get the idea patented or take it to some publishers. If you don't, someone with little ethics will and pass it off as their creation and profit from it.
I like that it could open up the world of tarot to people with visual impairment.

[FairyCrystal]

Agree with Pisces. And if you are thinking of doing that, take the photos down!!

[Gem]

Great idea. Why not use real braille?

[mparkes]

Thank you for your comments, Pisces_Moon, FairyCrystal and Gem.
As for copyrighting and all that I just don't know, I am pretty lost when it comes to those business sorts of efforts.
As for "real Braille" I am guessing the patterns have to be close together, not alone a perimeter. I had to keep the holes along the edge of the card as my hand held hole-puncher can only go about an inch into the card. I just called it "braille" because you could easily discern the card by touch. Thanks for your thoughts all.