People are still talking about that playing card design 'secret'

It's hiding in plain sight.

There are some design 'secrets' that feel like they're never not doing the rounds online, with people discovering every day that the FedEx logo contains a hidden arrow, or the Amazon 'smile' points from A to Z. Here's one that's a little more timeless – but equally as ubiquitous on social media.

One again, a Twitter (sorry, X) user has asked how old users were when they realised the Eight of Diamonds contains a secret number '8' and the answer from many is: today years old. Like all the best optical illusions, the secret is hiding in plain sight.

How old were you when you first noticed the "8" in the middle of the 8 of diamonds card? pic.twitter.com/71M0PhqBViAugust 10, 2023

Indeed, in one of the best uses of negative space we've seen, the white space between the red diamond symbol resembles the number. It may take a while to spot it – but once you do, you'll never be able to unsee it. If you're struggling to make it out, here's a handy visualisation:

Twitter users were blown away by the revelation, sharing no shortage of GIFs to depict their mind-blown state.

Aged a decade AFTER seeing it today 😢April 20, 2023

Some may be still struggling...

I still don’t see it..? pic.twitter.com/MYUEaUtl96April 19, 2023

So one helpful user has marked it out for you.

For those that can't see it. pic.twitter.com/meus0GvTQ6April 19, 2023

We've seen some brilliantly creative card designs over time, from these 13 custom design playing cards to UNO's sleek, minimalistic new deck. But it seems we shouldn't be too quick to forget the iconic design of a standard deck of playing cards – it clearly still has a few tricks up its sleeve.

If you're looking for more design secrets, this brilliant infographic reveals the hidden messages in over 50 logos. But when it comes to the logo with the most hidden easter eggs, nothing comes close to this unbelievable video game logo.

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Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.

Daniel Piper is Creative Bloq’s Senior News Editor. As the brand’s Apple authority, he covers all things Mac, iPhone, iPad and the rest. He also reports on the worlds of design, branding and tech. Daniel joined Future in 2020 (an eventful year, to say the least) after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more. Outside of Future, Daniel is a global poetry slam champion and has performed at festivals including Latitude, Bestival and more. He is the author of Arbitrary and Unnecessary: The Selected Works of Daniel Piper (Selected by Daniel Piper).