The Modern Rune Deck

The Modern Rune Deck is a contemporary reinterpretation of the Elder Futhark, translating ancient symbolic language into a bold, abstract visual system. Each rune is reduced to its essential form and paired with expressive photography, creating a balance between raw texture and precise geometry.

The deck combines high-contrast imagery, clean typographic marks, and minimal layouts to give each rune a strong, standalone identity while remaining part of a cohesive system. Traditional meanings are preserved, but expressed through modern visual language—using colour, motion, and form rather than illustration or ornament.

Designed as a physical print object, the project explores tactility, composition, and rhythm across the full set, positioning the runes not as nostalgic artefacts, but as a contemporary tool for reflection, interpretation, and aesthetic experience.