The challenge

Marie Curie wanted to create an interactive tool that would act as a ‘way in’ to meaningful conversations about death.

Our solution

Working alongside a freelance designer, we came up with a deck of conversation starting playing cards. This format promotes interaction in a universally understood way, which provides an opportunity to ease the subject matter into conversation without it feeling forced. We were keen to keep a balanced variety of questions, ranging from the more light-hearted, ‘Describe your perfect day’, to the more sombre, ‘What would you like on your headstone?’

Results

Within the first week, more than 1,000 decks of cards had been sent out to supporters. In November 2019, actor Jim Carter promoted the cards on ITV’s This Morning and used them to talk about his own experiences of death and grief. The deck was also adapted into a stay-at-home lockdown edition in 2020. The cards have been used in schools, care homes and hospices to help people articulate their end of life wishes and start those important conversations about death and dying.