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Opinions on 3 different card layouts

5 replies [Last post]
Tue, 04/26/2016 - 18:26
harmon89
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EstherBecomesQueen.png
EstherBecomesQueen_design2.png
EstherBecomesQueen_design3.png

I'd appreciate some feedback on the card layout for a game I'm working on.

Each card in the deck is an event in biblical history with the century and location that the event took place. Everything on the card is essential except for the flavor text.

- The pro of the first card is that it is a little less busy.

- The pro of the second card is that it might be a little more pleasing to the eye than the third card

- The pro of the third image is that it is more functional during the game. It is important to know the century and location of each card at a glance so when holding the cards in your hand this option allows you to see both those pieces of information more easily since they are on the border of the card.

How do you feel about having redundant information on the 3rd card. (I repeated the location of the card since the text on the side of the card might be harder to read at a glance.)

Thoughts?

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Tue, 04/26/2016 - 19:39
#1
andymakespasta
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To be honest, compared to

To be honest, compared to professional quality cards, none of these are aesthetically pleasing.

Maybe add some simple placeholder art, and consider the layouts used by the game of thrones board game cards, as that has about the same amount of icons.

I agree with moving important information to the left and top of the card, but having vertical text, different color text, and different sizes is not typographically pleasing.

I suggest placing the heart crown etc. symbols in a vertical row starting from the top left corner, and the time and location in two rows on the top of the card. Place the name of the card slightly below the middle line, artwork above that, and flavor text below that.

You really have to think hard about what is the most important information the card is trying to give. Here, the time, location, heart, crown are all emphasized, but in different ways, which is what, in my opinion, makes it confusing.

Also, you could utilize the card background color to convey information.

Finally, a piece of unsolicited advice: If you design a game starting from a theme, the game will probably be terrible. It's always better to have a game, then integrate the theme.

Good luck.

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Tue, 04/26/2016 - 19:44
#2
stevebarkeruk
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I like the first image, I

I like the first image, I actually find that the most pleasing to the eye. I find the layout of the second image actually quite hard to "read" due to all the competing design elements in different sizes and shapes, and the third feels far too busy. The first is clean and functional, so that's my favourite.

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Tue, 04/26/2016 - 19:54
#3
Corsaire
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I think theme or mechanic

I think theme or mechanic first is fine, but the issue is when people try too hard to make a simulation rather than a game. theme often brings a person's passion to the project which will help them see it through.

The first card with the lighter box and text is a better presentation, but I'd go even lighter and change to black text. I'd look for a different way to convey the circle with arrow concept.

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Wed, 04/27/2016 - 08:12
#4
harmon89
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This is why I love this

This is why I love this place. Everyone is so helpful. :)

I would like to eventually add graphics to the cards similar to the way you described andy. And yeah, the Game Of Thrones game would be a great model I believe. I just know since there are a lot of event cards it will be quite a while before I finish the artwork for all the images, so I wanted to come up with something different in the meantime.

My current prototype looks like the first simpler version. My only concern was that it was hard to see while holding the card in your hand the time and place of the card.

The image of the arrow in the second and third image is a small cutout of that section on the board. My hope was that it would help aid the player in finding the location on the board. It may not be necessary and once I have images on the cards it will have to go anyway.

And the background color is important because it corresponds to the region on the board where the event took place. There is a set collection aspect to the game where players are rewarded for each set of one card from each reason.

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Wed, 04/27/2016 - 10:10
#5
radioactivemouse
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The rule of thumb...

What I usually tell my (college level) students in terms of design is that we (as Americans) read from left to right, top to bottom. You might want to think of priority of information in regards to that. The highest priority of information should (at least in my opinion) be near the top, so in that case, the middle works out the best. It's a little on the traditional side, but it's effective. Personally, I'd never prioritize the symbols over the title of the card; it's better for people to remember the title of a card over its effects...it makes the game more thematic.

The third card is way too confusing for the eye. The repeating of the card's information (in addition to its confusing design), makes it to much for me to handle. As my mentor always told me: Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S.). The card's title (or cost) should be first, then its ability, then any other information (which should be in italics or smaller font size).

One thing I do have to say is that the cards need art. The layout is very...plain and not very exciting, especially when it's Bible-themed (which can already turn people away). You need to be able to pull in the audience with some snazzy artwork.

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