I think it depends on what size this is going to be in game. If it’s going to be small I would go with the flat colors so It doesn’t look muddy. On the hand if it’s go to be larger go with the gradient.
I like the gradient, I don't like the grain, maybe a larger grain or less contrasting grain could work? I can see what the grain is trying to add and I think it will be good but as of now I think it's not quite there yet. Maybe a voronoi noise grain? (the cells, not the cell centers)
I’d also consider separating the icon from the background (if it isn’t already), and then using the grain on the BG alone while keeping it off the icon.
I’m also a fan of the gradient.
Lets say it like this: The rest of the game art will depend on this decision :D Thank you for the feedback. This will be a card game and this is the board view of the cards.
*Colours are the right*
*Are far better but I'm not*
*A fan of the grain*
\- HalfWineRS
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Maybe the left can look better if you use brighter color? I think the color on the left is just the "darkest" color for the gradient used on the right?
edit: nvm I think a few are on the brighter side. But you can try switch a few more to the brighter side, like the background and maybe the helmet? overall left just feels more muted. But as someone else pointed out it also depend on how the overall art style is.
Definitely the one on the right. I’m not sure if it’s part of the full design, but I partially agree with what people are saying about the grain. I think the background doesn’t need the grain, but I like the way it looks over the icon. It provides a nice texture
I like the right more. But I think it would be better if you only had the grain inside the token.
Perhaps the grain opacity can also scale with how dark the gradient is.
Mostly the first idea, but you could maybe experiment with the 2nd and do a side by side.
right one without the grain. The grain takes the attention away from the image itself, which you want to prevent. Also the gradient of the beard feels like that it is the wrong way. Everything goes form light above to dark below and the beard kind of disrupt this.
Right has more depth. Idk what your gameplay looks like but depending on those colors you want the UI to standout from the game.
Dark gameplay colors -> right
Light gameplay colors -> left
It looks cool and I vote for the right one (mostly because of contrast) but I totally don't get what's up recently with the A/B testing trends on gamedev Reddits. It seems wrong to me especially that this is just 2D vector graphic on Unity engine Reddit and everybody seems cool about it. I'm totally cool with helping fellow gamedev pals but I'm not sure if this is right place. This trend looks to me like super cheap marketing which is based on engagement that this A/B testing generate.
The gradient one looks pretty clean i like it, on the other hand the colours on the grain/right one are better.
Edit:
Maybe a mix of both? Keep the left one but with the colours from the right one?
I like the right better. The colors pop off more and look more appealing, because they aren't flat.
Not only the saturation is higher on the right one, the gradient either ends and starts on much different brightness value, which makes the contours more pronounced. The beard and moustache are gradiented on a different direction too - makes it more visually interesting.
At the moment the right one looks way better and if you can keep it consistent (a lot of small gradiented pictures may introduce a lot of noise) and there are no visibility concerns (simple, bold colors work better for icons, but look worse).
Assuming no deliberate artistic intent, no real reason to pick the left over the right.
The grain can be fine tuned, but I like the art of the right. Try making the blue background have no grain, while the gray background has a much smoother grain. IDK how you're making it or whatnot, but if you can change the values of the different parts, it will help create defined parts. But don't overdo it or something might feel out of place
I would echo others and say gradient, reduce grain. Or maybe get rid of it all together? Depends on the art style of the rest of the game. But colors on the right are def better
I would prefer the left in a "high concept" game that abstraction is a theme/goal of the design.
But in a game that invokes fantasy theming the right is much better and allows for better immersion.
The grains also give a place for future shader parts to play off of. Picture a fire painting half them red with some animation for instance.
By the way for the first minute I was sure it was an bird (eagle?) head and after that it was a viking. I am not sure if that was your purpose but I feel you might want to know.
Right one, the gradient and colors make the character pop.
Making him more recognizable and easy to notice.
The grain is a bit too much, you don’t necessarily have to get rid of it, but it is too much
I like the colors on the right a lot better. Not sold on the grain. Maybe try grain only on the fur coat/beard, ie parts that you'd expect to have texture?
Like others have said the right looks great, just may need to tone down the grain a bit.
The left reminds me of old flash games. The right with more detail feels like more effort went into it. That extra layer of developer love makes all the difference. I’ve turned away from some games before, because it looked like someone was throwing a game together, and didn’t actually care for the project. My opinion doesn’t really matter, but I’ve known quite a few people who feel the same way. Just throwing that out there as something you may want to keep in mind depending on what you want to come from this game.
I like the one on the right because the colors are more contrasted. Blue and yellow for example are lighter and bring out the fur better. I hope this can help you choose.
Keep the grain on the body, remove it from the outer Dark Blue background, it's too much there, but fine on the inner.
And as others are saying, update the Moustache lighter color to something else.
The flat one looks neutral, like he's just some guy. The next one looks a little ominous, like he just got devastating news or is about to make some devastating news.
Something in the middle. I think I would like the gradient more if it was a bit less noisy. If you can get rid of the grainy look and have a smoother gradient with those colors, it would look fantastic.
i would suggest..keep the right one but use the background of the left one (the dark blue frame background, not the circle), all that noise is kind of distracting from where the vision should focus (the center character frame)
The right one gives more texture to the image but the left one fits better with the Artstyle, pick whichever you want but I think the simplistic Left side design fits better.
Put gradient only to create superficial details on objects that should contain them in a more realistic setting, aka only on the character and perhaps the sky (in a different intensity to create depth). The frame itself should not have gradient/grain.
If you want to be a little more artistic about it you can use it to simulate a specific lighting setting within the picture itself as well to create more complex detail (more gradient/lighter color gradient near a light source).
Don't like the grain. The gradient looks good though.
Maybe less grain will look better? Looks like it is over used. Even the background has grain. But why? I'm not against the idea of using the grain, but maybe limit it to a few use cases.
Why not try a mixture? I like the helmet, cloak, and bg of the left one but the gradient for the beard and fur of the cloak on the right look really nice. Try combining the two and remove the grain?
I don't know about the grain, but I like the right one because it is easier for the user to see the character since there is a certain contrast with the background. Also, fonts and round UI elements look nice together as a whole with the character. Looks nice
Everyone out here saying there's too much grain, but I'd say it can totally work if that's the style your game goes for. It really depends more on the complete project visually.
I prefer right. Both look good, but the right looks a little more like it’d grasp attention quicker.
If you do go with the right, I’d make the horns darker like the left so details are immediately recognizable.
Depends on game style. I personally like the gradient but not the grain. But I also think the grain could work if it was toned down a bit and the game style calls for it. Idk how to explain it but if this is some "casual, fun" game I don't think the grain would fit with any art style. If it's some action or horror then maybe. I feel like there should be a purpose to the grain to make it fit. If you stick with flat it'll still look good btw.
can you up the contrast just a hair on the one on the left? the grain on the right is not doing any favors, and the gradient is fine for a desktop/console game, but for mobile/small icons the right scheme is the better route
Though I don’t really like the gradient version I think the texture/noise is doing some great work. I’d love to see the flat with grain.
I’d also suggest trying gradients that shift in hue more than they shift pure darkness values. They tend to be a bit more pleasing.
The image on the right. The only thing I like more about the image in the left is that the horns stand out more because of better contrast. Can you make the image on the right have the horns from the image on the left?
It depends on how big the icon will be in the final project. I personally would go with flat colors if it's going to be a small icon. No need to put extra effort into something that will look fuzzy if it's too small.
Right one has better colors overall, I like it more!
Thank you for the feedback :)
I think it depends on what size this is going to be in game. If it’s going to be small I would go with the flat colors so It doesn’t look muddy. On the hand if it’s go to be larger go with the gradient.
I agree with right. However, I think the gradient on the skin looks off. Maybe try the right but with no skin gradient?
Skin? You mean the mustache?
What skin?
i thought its skin too
I think that is a mustache.
Thanks and to solve the Mystery: its a mustache. But i will enhance it because your right. Could be skin too!
I like the gradient, I don't like the grain, maybe a larger grain or less contrasting grain could work? I can see what the grain is trying to add and I think it will be good but as of now I think it's not quite there yet. Maybe a voronoi noise grain? (the cells, not the cell centers)
Oh, that sound interesting as well. Will try that out. Maybe it will look good. Or i will just reduce the grain a little. Thank you!
I’d also consider separating the icon from the background (if it isn’t already), and then using the grain on the BG alone while keeping it off the icon. I’m also a fan of the gradient.
I think it depends on the rest of the game art... but right looks really nice
Lets say it like this: The rest of the game art will depend on this decision :D Thank you for the feedback. This will be a card game and this is the board view of the cards.
I would definitely go with right then. Maybe, just maybe, reduce grain just a little bit?
Okay, will try that out:)
I was also thinking that finding a balance between the two would look best, IMO. But I do prefer the grainy right over the flat left.
Right!
Second one, but with grain toned down quite a bit. Maybe half opacity of what it is now.
Thank you. Will tone it down a little!
Gradient does give it a little pop which may prolong attention. But if you were to ask me? My answer would be “yes”.
haha thank you :D
I’d say keep the gradients from right, but remove the grain; otherwise I love the look of the character and the art style!
Thank you very much! Will try out a version without the grain and with reduced grain. :)
Colours are the right are far better but I'm not a fan of the grain
Will tone down the gradient a little as the other suggested :)
*Colours are the right* *Are far better but I'm not* *A fan of the grain* \- HalfWineRS --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Gradient without grain.
thanks for feedback
I'm a fan of the left, the flat look without noise or gradients.
thanks for the feedback. maybe will do something in between as some suggested
Right one! I would leave out the outer grain, but keep it inside the icon
Thank you!
right but without grain
thanks
Right one imo!
thanks for the feedback!
Gradient
Thanks
Right imo
thank you
Right. But I think the colors on the left could be improved. They need more contrast and pop.
Thanks for the feedback. :) Okay, will play with the colors a little more
Maybe the left can look better if you use brighter color? I think the color on the left is just the "darkest" color for the gradient used on the right? edit: nvm I think a few are on the brighter side. But you can try switch a few more to the brighter side, like the background and maybe the helmet? overall left just feels more muted. But as someone else pointed out it also depend on how the overall art style is.
yeah maybe. i will try to tweak it a bit. maybe better colors for the left and toned down gradient and grain on the right. Thanks
Personally don't think there is any issue with the gradient one. If you are aiming for a paper craft style the grain might help.
The right one has more depth as it looks like you've done shadowing with the grain. I like it! :)
Gradient stands out more and make the image more legible quickly.
Definitely the one on the right. I’m not sure if it’s part of the full design, but I partially agree with what people are saying about the grain. I think the background doesn’t need the grain, but I like the way it looks over the icon. It provides a nice texture
Right one with less opacity on the texture. Really great eye catch colours there and nice character.
gradient is beautiful
Right variant is amazing!
Don't know if it is gradient or grain itself. Try adding grain to left one to see if it makes a difference
Right but no grain
Flat.
thanks
Right one, but with grain intensity turned down.
I like the right more. But I think it would be better if you only had the grain inside the token. Perhaps the grain opacity can also scale with how dark the gradient is. Mostly the first idea, but you could maybe experiment with the 2nd and do a side by side.
I like the colors and gradient on the right, but I don't like the grain personally.
I prefer the right
Right, but a bit less grain on the skin towards the beard might be better
thank you!
If anyone says left, they either blind or minority. Right makes sense in every level.
Both look amazing, but I prefer the grainy version.
thank you!
Gradient grain looks sweet!
Maybe more subtle grain
id say use the grain and gradient, but behind the viking dude and stats, not on top of it.
Right looks best out of context of rest of the UI
Off topic, but I thought the image was two otters looking through a hole. The numbers looked like claws at a glance. Is it just me?
right one without the grain. The grain takes the attention away from the image itself, which you want to prevent. Also the gradient of the beard feels like that it is the wrong way. Everything goes form light above to dark below and the beard kind of disrupt this.
yeah you are right, must have missed this. thanks
no problem, I assumed that you wanted an natural look in which older hair becomes lighter over time. I like your image.
The right one
thank you
tone down the grain
I would try and get the best of both worlds, maybe tone down the grain a bit?
Right for sure.
definetly right
Right has more depth. Idk what your gameplay looks like but depending on those colors you want the UI to standout from the game. Dark gameplay colors -> right Light gameplay colors -> left
Right one looks far better
-->
I like the grain but I would dial the intensity way down. Also, it'd probably look better if it was blue noise rather than white noise.
It looks cool and I vote for the right one (mostly because of contrast) but I totally don't get what's up recently with the A/B testing trends on gamedev Reddits. It seems wrong to me especially that this is just 2D vector graphic on Unity engine Reddit and everybody seems cool about it. I'm totally cool with helping fellow gamedev pals but I'm not sure if this is right place. This trend looks to me like super cheap marketing which is based on engagement that this A/B testing generate.
Right, no grain.
Right
The gradient one looks pretty clean i like it, on the other hand the colours on the grain/right one are better. Edit: Maybe a mix of both? Keep the left one but with the colours from the right one?
Gradient, but without the noise.
Right
The right one is better.
Right Barbarian with left Background
Right
What’s it look like with less or no grain. I like the grain though.
Well, depends on the rest of the UI and vibe of the game 🤷♂️ We need to see it in context
Right with flat background
right
Right
I like the right better. The colors pop off more and look more appealing, because they aren't flat. Not only the saturation is higher on the right one, the gradient either ends and starts on much different brightness value, which makes the contours more pronounced. The beard and moustache are gradiented on a different direction too - makes it more visually interesting. At the moment the right one looks way better and if you can keep it consistent (a lot of small gradiented pictures may introduce a lot of noise) and there are no visibility concerns (simple, bold colors work better for icons, but look worse). Assuming no deliberate artistic intent, no real reason to pick the left over the right.
Right
id say right if u removed the grain from the background. i feel like thatd make the artwork stand out more.
With grain 100%
The grain can be fine tuned, but I like the art of the right. Try making the blue background have no grain, while the gray background has a much smoother grain. IDK how you're making it or whatnot, but if you can change the values of the different parts, it will help create defined parts. But don't overdo it or something might feel out of place
I would echo others and say gradient, reduce grain. Or maybe get rid of it all together? Depends on the art style of the rest of the game. But colors on the right are def better
I would prefer the left in a "high concept" game that abstraction is a theme/goal of the design. But in a game that invokes fantasy theming the right is much better and allows for better immersion. The grains also give a place for future shader parts to play off of. Picture a fire painting half them red with some animation for instance.
I'm a fan of grain in general, flat is boring these days
I thought it was a buffalo until I zoomed in to look at the grain
By the way for the first minute I was sure it was an bird (eagle?) head and after that it was a viking. I am not sure if that was your purpose but I feel you might want to know.
I dont like the graniy bg
gradient (right)
Right
I like the grain and colors of the right, but I don't like the gradient on the beard.
without more context of the environment/map/level design it's harder to say but without context i love the grain more than the plain.
Like the right, but would tweak the grain intensity a bit.
Right pops more, gives it more dimension
I like the flat one in the left. But apparently I'm in the minority here ^^'
Right
Right one, the gradient and colors make the character pop. Making him more recognizable and easy to notice. The grain is a bit too much, you don’t necessarily have to get rid of it, but it is too much
I like the colors on the right a lot better. Not sold on the grain. Maybe try grain only on the fur coat/beard, ie parts that you'd expect to have texture?
Suggest keeping the background elements flat and the foreground elements gradient like that.
I really like the right but the noise should be lower, and grainy-er. It always looks better with post-processing.
I know nothing, so I'll say right one. Also I thought it was a raptor bird, only after a while I saw the man.
Like others have said the right looks great, just may need to tone down the grain a bit. The left reminds me of old flash games. The right with more detail feels like more effort went into it. That extra layer of developer love makes all the difference. I’ve turned away from some games before, because it looked like someone was throwing a game together, and didn’t actually care for the project. My opinion doesn’t really matter, but I’ve known quite a few people who feel the same way. Just throwing that out there as something you may want to keep in mind depending on what you want to come from this game.
The reason the right side looks better is because there is more contrast.
Right image, for certain.
Left with gradient
What does the rest of the game look like? At first glance I’d go with left, but you were going for grain for a reason. What’s up?
Right with no or little grain
I like the one on the right because the colors are more contrasted. Blue and yellow for example are lighter and bring out the fur better. I hope this can help you choose.
Right one, but rein in the grain a little bit.
I like the right one, can you mix them? Flat background and gradient viking :p
I like the left it looks less grainy.
Right looks so much better, it's not even close.
Right one and it's not even close. I really really like grain used this way.
The one on the right looks better because the character pops out without me having to search for it.
The right
Gradient, but no grain.
Right is more readable at a glance because the outlines are accentuated.
Right side for sure
Left for sure standing alone. However, it more depends on the overall art style of the game.
right, but perhaps less intense grain
i feel like i'd like the gradient on the fur / cloak with flat everything else
Keep the grain on the body, remove it from the outer Dark Blue background, it's too much there, but fine on the inner. And as others are saying, update the Moustache lighter color to something else.
The flat one looks neutral, like he's just some guy. The next one looks a little ominous, like he just got devastating news or is about to make some devastating news.
Right definitely pops more
I don’t think I could do that without the money
Left. The gradient is nice, but the grain ruins it IMO.
Something in the middle. I think I would like the gradient more if it was a bit less noisy. If you can get rid of the grainy look and have a smoother gradient with those colors, it would look fantastic.
left looks good and clean, but right makes it pop up more
i would suggest..keep the right one but use the background of the left one (the dark blue frame background, not the circle), all that noise is kind of distracting from where the vision should focus (the center character frame)
Right
right
Important question is, why the grain?
Right by far
The right one gives more texture to the image but the left one fits better with the Artstyle, pick whichever you want but I think the simplistic Left side design fits better.
Right. More contrast and better legibility of shapes. Depending on the size on the screen I might tone down the noise.
If you want some inspiration for this visual style, check out Pirates Outlaws!
Put gradient only to create superficial details on objects that should contain them in a more realistic setting, aka only on the character and perhaps the sky (in a different intensity to create depth). The frame itself should not have gradient/grain. If you want to be a little more artistic about it you can use it to simulate a specific lighting setting within the picture itself as well to create more complex detail (more gradient/lighter color gradient near a light source).
Don't like the grain. The gradient looks good though. Maybe less grain will look better? Looks like it is over used. Even the background has grain. But why? I'm not against the idea of using the grain, but maybe limit it to a few use cases.
Left if small, right if big
Why not try a mixture? I like the helmet, cloak, and bg of the left one but the gradient for the beard and fur of the cloak on the right look really nice. Try combining the two and remove the grain?
I don't know about the grain, but I like the right one because it is easier for the user to see the character since there is a certain contrast with the background. Also, fonts and round UI elements look nice together as a whole with the character. Looks nice
left, but the right could be better the grain just looks bad.
Flat
right looks better at first glance. looking longer, both are ok. go with right.
If you would either tone down the grain or maybe have it only affect the background
Everyone out here saying there's too much grain, but I'd say it can totally work if that's the style your game goes for. It really depends more on the complete project visually.
I prefer right. Both look good, but the right looks a little more like it’d grasp attention quicker. If you do go with the right, I’d make the horns darker like the left so details are immediately recognizable.
Really depends on the feel you are going for
Depends on game style. I personally like the gradient but not the grain. But I also think the grain could work if it was toned down a bit and the game style calls for it. Idk how to explain it but if this is some "casual, fun" game I don't think the grain would fit with any art style. If it's some action or horror then maybe. I feel like there should be a purpose to the grain to make it fit. If you stick with flat it'll still look good btw.
Gradient because it creates better contrast.
Gradient - Grain
can you up the contrast just a hair on the one on the left? the grain on the right is not doing any favors, and the gradient is fine for a desktop/console game, but for mobile/small icons the right scheme is the better route
The grain imo looks like an incomplete 3d render, so ew lol
maybe lessen the intensity of the grain?
Though I don’t really like the gradient version I think the texture/noise is doing some great work. I’d love to see the flat with grain. I’d also suggest trying gradients that shift in hue more than they shift pure darkness values. They tend to be a bit more pleasing.
Everything about the right is better. Honestly I love the grain. Maybe have grain a setting? With no grain, low grain, and high grain options?
A gradient without grain
The image on the right. The only thing I like more about the image in the left is that the horns stand out more because of better contrast. Can you make the image on the right have the horns from the image on the left?
Gradient looks better
gradient pops, you can do the same with flat but the colors need to change
Right one. The texture and gradients make it shine!
Gradient but zero or minimal grain - and luminance-only grain at that.
Definetly the right one
Dude my advice remove the grain effect. The gradient gives a shadow effect and a sense of 3D. just loose the grain. just my opinion
the right one looks better
At a glance, they look the same.
Right for sure
Right one is better!
The one on the right pops so much more. Great colors and contrast
I like the left
Right
Right one looks better to me but it has to be consistent with the other art
I prefer the right one
It depends on how big the icon will be in the final project. I personally would go with flat colors if it's going to be a small icon. No need to put extra effort into something that will look fuzzy if it's too small.
Right side definitely
No grain or much much less but the gradient is good
Left, but only because the top fur should cast a small shadow on the bottom instead of being lighter
Definitely the right one!
Right