Each card displays four distinct attributes, color, shade, pattern, and shape in a compact and easy-to-read fashion. Every possible combination is represented by one card in the deck. There are exactly three colors, three shades, three patterns, and three shapes, so the number of possible combinations equals 3X3X3X3 or eighty-one cards.  

You can see the symbols of all the cards in the illustration on the left. Each symbol represents one color, one shade, one pattern and one shape. The shapes contain alternating bands of color and shade, and the bands themselves form the patterns.

A special feature of 4D Playing Cards is the use of differing outlines of the card symbols that correspond to the three colors. This is intended to make the games enjoyable by everyone, including people who may sometimes have difficulty distinguishing colors. So-called colorblindness actually refers to a number of different conditions with different symptoms. It’s more common than most people think.