A Little Magic Behind the Key & Bee Design
The Key & Bee Playing Cards: A key, a bee and a sky full of stars — a small emblem that sparked the vision for this deck of cards. As a huge fan of Lev Grossman’s book series The Magicians, I wanted to bring a little of Brakebills’ mystery into my own deck design. To me, the 'key' hints at secret worlds waiting to be unlocked, while the 'bee' is a reminder that even magic takes practice, patience and a steady hand. Add a little wonder, ambition and the feeling that something could go spectacularly wrong, and you have everything I love about the books, all tucked into a deck you can shuffle.
Inspired by Lev Grossman’s The Magicians
Jack, Queen and King
The King of Spades modelled on yours truly ‘Stew’
Ace of Spades & Joker
Standard Number Cards & Key & Bee Back Design
- Each suit’s court cards (Jack, Queen and King) have their own distinctive colour alongside the shared yellow and black: red for Hearts, orange for Diamonds, blue for Spades and purple for Clubs.
- Each court card character holds a magical book featuring the Key & Bee emblem.
- The King of Spades is modelled on yours truly — Stew!
- The Jokers depict Ember and Umber, the two gods of Fillory, with Umber appearing as the shadow ram.
- The Ace of Spades features the Key & Bee emblem surrounded by stars.
- Printed by MPC, on a M29 linen card stock with BETA finish.
The Key & Bee Card Box
The back features a modified one-way version of the card back. There's also a hidden nod to Brakebills University on the box flap.
