Open academic journal · Classroom submission lab · Design in play

Open Design & Card Studies

A bilingual journal for games, cards, graphic design, fashion design, fashion marketing, and playable visual culture.

Studio Research Design work can become research material
Open Review Teachers, peers, and practitioners can review openly
Student Friendly Course projects, cases, and reflections are welcome
Card Worlds TCGs, board-game cards, collectible cards, brand cards, and visual decks

Bilingual Policy

Chinese and English Publishing

We accept Chinese, English, and bilingual manuscripts or design case submissions. Students, designers, researchers, and independent creators may write in the language that best supports their project, evidence, and audience.

本刊接受中文、英文和中英双语稿件,也欢迎课堂项目、设计案例、视觉研究、服装项目和市场分析。

Submit in either language

Scope

Submission Scope

01

Games and Card Systems

TCGs, CCGs, board-game cards, educational cards, brand interaction cards, mechanics, balance, rules, and player experience.

02

Graphic Design

Card-face visuals, typography, information hierarchy, packaging, brand identity, posters, social media assets, and visual storytelling.

03

Fashion and Styling

Fashion collections, character design, material boards, silhouettes, subcultural style, cosplay, collaborations, and wearable fan culture.

04

Fashion Market Management

IP licensing, consumer insight, community marketing, retail display, resale markets, collecting economies, and brand strategy.

05

Design Education

Course projects, process documentation, user testing, peer review, student reflection, and learning outcomes.

06

Culture and Industry

Player communities, tournaments, store cultures, platform circulation, local markets, cross-cultural reception, and design ethics.

Vol. 0 · Classroom-Friendly Founding Issue

From Cards to Design Industries: How Do Play, Graphics, Fashion, and Markets Shape Each Other?

The founding issue welcomes design students, teachers, players, designers, market observers, and independent writers. Research articles are welcome, as are visual projects, fashion projects, market cases, and reflective design process records.

View submission options

Manifesto v0.1

Founding Manifesto

We believe cards are more than game components. They can be visual systems, character worlds, fashion signals, market media, and classroom research materials.

The journal publishes work across games, cards, graphic design, fashion design, fashion market management, and related cultural industries. Contributors do not need academic titles, and design projects do not need to disguise themselves as conventional papers. A submission matters when its question is clear, its material is grounded, and its process can be discussed.

Review is not a gatekeeping ritual. It is visible intellectual labor: critique, response, revision, design change, and publication record. For courses, the submission process itself becomes something students can learn from.

01

Course Projects Can Publish

Assignments, design experiments, visual research, market analysis, and reflective notes can enter the editorial process.

02

Design Process Can Be Reviewed

Review can address research, sketches, prototypes, user feedback, iterations, visual logic, and market judgment.

03

No Pay-to-Publish

Publishing power should not become purchasing power. Early issues are free for authors and readers.

04

Academic Rigor Remains

Openness does not mean anything goes. Evidence, method, design rationale, market insight, and revision matter.

Open Review

A Transparent Alternative to Blind Review

1

Editorial Screening

Editors check whether the submission belongs to games, cards, graphics, fashion, markets, culture, or design education.

2

Public Review

Teachers, peers, researchers, players, or practitioners submit signed comments on each article page. Editors verify submissions before publication.

3

Author Response

Authors respond and revise research, visuals, prototypes, data, or design statements when needed.

4

Editorial Publication

The article or project, reviews, response, and revision log become part of the publication record.

5

Post-Publication Updates

Work may be versioned when design, markets, rules, or data change.

Open does not mean automatic publication. Advertising, impersonation, flooding, harassment, personal attacks, and exposed private information are rejected; relevant and responsible criticism is not removed for disagreement.

Articles

Submission Tracks

Call Open · Games and Cards

Card Mechanics, Play Rhythm, and Player Experience

Research on TCGs, board-game cards, educational cards, brand interaction cards, rules, feedback, and prototypes.

Game DesignPrototype Welcome

Call Open · Graphic Design

Card Visuals, Typography, and Information Hierarchy

Work on visual identity, layout, illustration style, packaging, posters, and social media communication.

Visual SystemImages Welcome

Call Open · Fashion and Styling

Character Fashion, Subcultural Style, and Collaboration Goods

Fashion collections, styling research, material boards, cosplay, licensed goods, and wearable fan culture.

Fashion DesignLookbook Welcome

Call Open · Market and Management

Card IP, Collecting Economies, and Fashion Consumption

Brand collaborations, community marketing, retail display, resale markets, consumer profiles, and cross-cultural circulation.

Fashion MarketCase Studies

Call Open · Classroom Submission Lab

From Assignment to Publication

Students may submit project statements, research process records, sketches, user feedback, iterations, and learning reflections.

Course LabStudent Friendly

Founding Editor

Editorial Identity Without Personal Gatekeeping

A founding editor profile helps readers understand who is building the journal. It should clarify responsibility and contact, while keeping editorial decisions tied to evidence, review, and transparent process.

Shen Qinjie, MBI, PhD

Digital technology, education, design learning, and playful cultures

BBA Lecturer at Raffles International Bangkok and Siam University. The journal also functions as a teaching publication lab where students can experience submission, review, revision, and publication.