I've started work on revamping this website. The current design is pretty, but not very functional. There's no way to announce important information or add new features (like online readings or the shopping cart). Even basic "about the deck" information is too difficult to find, if the number of messages I get asking if I have any plans to publish are any indication.
So anyway. It seems like a good time to redesign the site. All the moreso since I need an excuse to teach myself Flash. I've only just started, so there isn't much there, but if you want a sneak peek here it is:
Since this is a project in development, expect things to be broken. Currently only the "order" and "contact" buttons work. More will become available as I work on the site. (in other words, as I learn how!) However, if something seems really wrong -- like for example, you aren't able to enter the site at all -- please let me know.
Finally got prices back on my postcards and greeting cards. Ai yiyi. I knew it would cost some money to get these things printed, but still. I mentioned this to a friend in my office, and she told me about a printer in California who specializes in cards for artists. She's going to give me their web site. Maybe they'll be more cost-effective.
I picked up the Shining Tribe Tarot, a Llewellyn rerelease (with some revisions) of Rachel Pollack's famed Shining Woman Tarot. I didn't have Shining Woman, so it was nice to finally have my own copy and be able to review it at leisure. I agree with Diane Wilkes that the new colors are an improvement. Although I can see how people who know and love Shining Woman might get attached to the softer colors, and find these too bright.
Shining Tribe comes in a package that, I assume, must be the redesigned full kit that Barbara told me about. I have to say, I'm whelmed. On the one hand, they did get rid of the tray and that's good. However, the tray's replacement isn't that much of an improvement.
The outer box contains the book, the deck (shrinkwrapped), and a piece of white cardboard shaped sort of like a box with one end sticking out. (That's a really bad description but you can see a picture here.) The white cardboard keeps the deck from rattling around, although the Shining Tribe cards were still somewhat loose in the box.
The piece that sticks out has instructions to cut off that part, and then what you're left with is a box you can use for the cards. The box is promised to be big enough for any Llewellyn deck. Of course, this means that the box is too big for most decks. Way too big for the Shining Tribe; it felt like I could almost put two of them in there.
The other problem is that the box is plain white cardboard; not even the name of the deck is printed on it. I suppose you could write the name of the deck in magic marker. But that lacks a certain charm, unless your skills at penmanship are far greater than mine.
When I heard that Llewellyn's new full kit size would include a small box for the cards, I was imagining something more like the Halloween Tarot. In that deck, the inner box perfectly fits the cards and is printed to match the deck. The outer box is a sleeve, into which the small box and the book fit neatly (cardboard dividers, again printed to match the deck, fill the space so there's just enough room). Maybe Halloween Tarot has a nicer inner box because they also sell it individually, without the book?
Hah! I just had an idea. (Am I the only one who says "Hah!" out loud when an idea forms?) I'm going to put together a design for the plain white box, that goes with Llewellyn's outer box design. I'll convert it to a PDF and publish it on this site. People can download the PDF, print it on their inkjet, and glue it to their box. That won't solve the size problem, but at least the box won't be plain white anymore!
I could do a couple of variations so people can pick which images they want to see on their box. Hey! I could even include a template for a cardboard filler to stick in the bottom of the box, so the cards wouldn't rattle around.
Okay, I feel much better about this whole packaging thing now.
ps: Check out allpodsgotoroswell.net, an online documentary of a woman and her New Beetle traveling across country to meet the mothership. Very cool!
Post a comment