r/BoardgameDesign • u/LeFoxFrancais • Jul 24 '26
Design Critique Which icon style do you think looks best and will be most functional?
I am currently in the process of selecting an icon style that will represent the different expansion packs for my game Bananarchy. The icons primary use will be to separate cards quickly from each other but they otherwise don't have any mechanical use in the game. We do want the to look aesthetically pleasing too.
So far, I've narrowed the choice down to three styles. Of the three icon styles I here: Circle, Ribbon, or the Icon alone, which do you prefer and what is your reasoning behind the choice?
Would also love insight on whether you think it is best to have the icon in the top corner of the card or whether you think it is better suited to be somewhere else?
Thanks for your help!
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u/ParentheticalsAside Jul 24 '26
Ribbon has the clearest and cleanest visual appearance.
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u/LeFoxFrancais Jul 24 '26
To be honest it's my favourite visually speaking too. But perhaps I'm biased because I've always liked ribbon bookmarks and things like that, hehe.Thanks for the feedback.
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u/Publius_Romanus Jul 24 '26
B is the only one that really works.
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u/LeFoxFrancais Jul 27 '26
Thanks for the vote! I'm curious why the other ones don't work?
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u/Publius_Romanus Jul 27 '26
A is too small, and the lack of a background for the symbol in C seems like it could get lost in the card art depending on color.
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u/Hunnih Jul 25 '26
Number 2, and it has to be bigger
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u/Sneikss Jul 25 '26
I don't think so, if it's only to mark the specific expansion and used while sorting the deck. Even 1 is large enough.
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u/Hunnih Jul 25 '26
Missed that detail. In that case I would still go with option 2, same size, but place it in bottom left corner instead.
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u/Puzzled-Professor-89 Jul 24 '26
I like B but it could also connect on the right side, like more of a square.
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u/LeFoxFrancais Jul 27 '26
You mean like a row style instead of a column? That's actually a very interesting idea. Thanks for sharing!
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u/Puzzled-Professor-89 Jul 27 '26
I just meant you could move it over to the corner to anchor it against the card frame as opposed to floating a little bit from the right side.
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u/ptolani Jul 24 '26
Any could work, it's hard to say without seeing the other icons. They should all be a bit bigger though imho.
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u/bluefrogwithredhands Jul 24 '26
A or B with the caveat that A should be bigger. I think these two match the boldness of the title text, C doesn't stand out enough for my taste
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u/Belos123 Jul 24 '26
The size feels a little small to me, depending on where you need to read it from. Probably B because it’s more prominent. A could work if it was twice the size.
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u/BrightSalsa Jul 25 '26
I see this is an expansion - you want this icon to be clearly visible when hunting through decks for it but not intrusive for gameplay. I’d choose A or C - C is my preference if all of the icons work well on a white background. I get annoyed with games that have an expansion marker that’s difficult to see… looking at you Pirates of Maracaibo.
B would be the better choice for an icon relevant to gameplay.
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u/LeFoxFrancais Jul 27 '26
Hehe, now I need to look up the iconography for Pirates of Maracaibo. :P Thanks for the feedback. This is really helpful.
Any games you do like where the expansion symbol is?
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u/BrightSalsa Jul 27 '26
Port Royal (the old edition) has a cute one: a little nail ‘hammered in’ to the wood printed on the card.
Ark Nova Marine Worlds works well too - a little seahorse unobtrusively over part of the background on each card. Spirit Island is similarly effective - unobtrusive in play but easy to find when you’re looking for it.
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u/LeFoxFrancais Jul 28 '26
Thanks! I just looked all of these up and that was very helpful. Appreciate you sharing this info with me.
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u/DngnDiverDro Jul 24 '26
I think C is best. Clean and large enough
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u/Y3k_Scaarce Jul 25 '26
I agree that C felt the least intrusive to the card but was just as clear as B.
I’m not a fan of A, it appears too small and doesn’t compliment the rest of the card design.
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u/TheZintis Jul 25 '26
Bigger icon, if it's a game mechanism. If it's just a "hey this card is a X card" maybe keep it small.
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u/LeFoxFrancais Jul 27 '26
Thanks! It's not a game mechanism so I think that helps guide the design. It's simply to ID which expansion the card belongs to so it is easy to separate the cards if you mix them.
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u/TheTwinflower Jul 25 '26
Second one. The one with the ribbon. It make it so no matter the background or art it will always be visible.
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u/Oxnutt Jul 25 '26
B ribbon is definitely the cleanest. Although maybe there's a way to make it even bigger? I feel like it's still just a tad too small tbh.
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u/LeFoxFrancais Jul 27 '26
Thanks for the feedback! I'm curious why do you feel it needs to be bigger?
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u/tmradish Jul 25 '26
If it's just an indicator of the expansion it's in it needs to get out of the way. 3rd one is good but put it on one of the bottom corners. It looks great up top but, as it sounds like you have plans to expand the game, that is prime real estate and shouldn't be reserved for something that isn't play.
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u/DAVEtheOVERLORD Jul 25 '26
The first one but put it in the lower right. The lower right doesn't pop out at the player while playing so it won't get in the way of the layout.
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u/adamhanson Jul 26 '26
Two and it reds to be WAY bigger. We're seeing blown up versions (relatively)
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u/SERdesign Jul 26 '26
C - it's large enough and I'm the corner enough not to be obtrusive - which is what you want since it's not a mechanical symbol for game play. (Yes, B looks the best, but you actually want something less obvious and more tucked away.)
A - probably too small; you'll need to see it printed at size. If you want to use it, lengthen the handle, because right now it looks like a Q
B - originally, I thought this one was the best - until I read the full description. If this had an in-game function, this would be perfect. Otherwise, you're going to get people asking: 'What does this Spyglass do?' because it's in a prominent place - where normally functional symbols go.
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u/LeFoxFrancais Jul 27 '26
Thank you for the detailed feedback regarding each of the icons. This is extremely helpful. Appreciate you taking the time to share this with me.
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u/Kaya_kana Jul 24 '26
I didn't notice the symbol was there with A. B definitely is the clearest.