Major Arcana Icons

The tarot, known far and wide for its divination purposes, is an object of great mystery that has inspired artists for centuries. In this project, I share my own interpretation of three Major Arcana cards from the tarot – The Hermit, The Hanged Man and The Devil – as icons that follow principles from the Golden Ratio.

The Golden Ratio is derived from the Fibonacci sequence, a sequence of increasing numbers in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. The applications of the Fibonacci sequence extend far beyond the world of mathematics, as the Golden Ratio appears at an unexpectedly high incidence throughout the physical world.

Skills

Graphic design, golden ratios, illustration

Software

Adobe Illustrator

Moodboard

The tarot’s origins can be traced back all the way to medieval times, with its first recorded use dating to the latter half of the 15th century. While the tarot was originally used for games and gambling, it gained an occult connotation over the course of the 18th century, at which point it began being used for divination and fortune telling.

Sketches Process

A typical tarot deck contains 56 Minor Arcana cards split between four suits – wands, pentacles, cups and swords – as well as 22 Major Arcana cards, which are thought to hold secrets of greater magnitude when used in divination. The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, illustrated in 1909, is the most well-known tarot deck to date and has set the standard for modern tarot.

The Hermit

The Hermit is the ninth card of the Major Arcana. The Hermit is typically depicted as an old wise man wearing a snow-cape, a staff and lantern containing a six-point star in hand.

The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man is the twelfth card of the Major Arcana. The Hanged Man is typically depicted hung upside down, a serene look on his face, with his arms held behind his back in the shape of a triangle.

The Devil

The Devil is the fifteenth card of the Major Arcana. The Devil is typically depicted as a winged goat-god, forming the Vulcan salute with its left and holding a torch in its right.

Colour Palette

From initial sketches, to refined mock-ups, to their final versions, these Major Arcana icons grew in geometric precision with each step of the process, all thanks to the application of the Golden Ratio.

Final Icons