Accelerated Intimacy: An Intro

This project is a card game consisting of 4” x 6” cards, a card stock box, and possibly a booth that unfolds from a carrying case, both made of cardboard. This game is loosely related to the concept of middle-school slumber party games like Truth or Dare. Meant to be played by two people, in a private setting, the game is played by each person in turn drawing a card and answering the question on the card­­­.


The point of this game is to provide a vehicle for two people to quickly become intimate with one another. In my interactions with people, I stumbled across a fascinating phenomenon. I am a candid, open person who readily divulges all kinds of gory details about myself and my life. I find often that in revealing intimate details about myself, other people sometimes feel compelled to also share intimate details about themselves. Journalists use this technique with interview subjects in order to quickly get the information they need, and refer to it as accelerated intimacy.


This project uses digital technology in both design and fabrication: the illustrations are created by hand and then developed digitally, and the cards will be cut with the laser cutter to save time and ensure preciseness. If a booth and additional components are included, those will also be made using the laser cutter.  Aesthetically, the card game and its components are influenced by the work of Aubrey Beardsley. The back of the cards will feature a playful take on the basket weave pattern generally found on playing cards, but in a graphic Beardsley style. The front of the cards and the other materials will feature illustrations similarly designed:  especially with the addition of the booth, there is a bit of an art deco movie theater aesthetic which is very evident in Beardsley’s work, and I think would lend a classic sophistication to the look of the whole set.

Updates about the project will be here!