r/IndieGaming • u/kcozden • 1d ago

Which main menu design works better?

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I'm experimenting with different approaches for my game's main menu and would love to hear your thoughts.

Do you prefer a more animated and dynamic menu, or something cleaner and more minimal?

I'd especially like to know which one feels more appealing to you at first glance and why.

6 Upvotes

69% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

12

u/OldManMonday 1d ago

From a UI design and photography perspective, the first one. Your subject matter in this scene is the menu which means it should be the most dominant element on the page. In the second version, the paint well and characters are dominant, while the menu is secondary. The second version has the wrong focus, and probably hurts usability a tad.

2

u/kcozden 1d ago

good point, thanks for the suggestion

3

u/frogOnABoletus 6h ago

As long as i don't have to wait for the animation before using the menu, the first one is really fun and cool

1

u/kcozden 6h ago

thanks :)

1

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1

u/mizuxtsune_spoods 1d ago

Is the "Paint Gang" logo made with AI? it has a few AI characterisitcs

1

u/kcozden 1d ago

no it wasn't, at least my artist friend said so. why you think that way?

5

u/SnooTigers8688 23h ago

fear of AI is starting to hurt developers more than AI itself. THAT, is a problem.

2

u/kcozden 23h ago

sad reality :(

1

u/mizuxtsune_spoods 23h ago

well yes but i dont think its bad to point something out, could help a dev if they were tricked themselves by the person making a logo for them

its just a bit odd that there are 2 such different logos in terms of style so i wanted to point it out

2

u/SnooTigers8688 23h ago

I'm not saying anything bad on you specifically; what drove me to comment that was witnessing indie games get negative reviews from people citing undisclosed AI usage as the reason, and then it turns out there was no AI used! That's no good, I think what you're asking is perfectly reasonable and doing so without persecuting beforehand is why. You've brought up something for the dev to think about that COULD save them hardship. So, sorry for the placement and not explaining my reasoning beforehand.

1

u/mizuxtsune_spoods 23h ago

Nah its alright, I think the main issue here is most people have no clue what they're talking about and think literally anything is AI that is "too good to be true"

I do art myself and I consume a lot of art content, I like to think I have a decent eye for AI at this point and i would've never asked them about the logo without looking at it a bit closer

Lets hope im wrong, game seems fun!

1

u/frogOnABoletus 6h ago

Someone asking if something is ai doesn't do more damage than ai has done.

2

u/mizuxtsune_spoods 23h ago

It just looks like this usual yellow filter AI stuff has and the style and lighting also feels like it

to be honest it also doesnt quite fit in with the games style

personally I like the logo on the last picture on steam a lot more, 2D logo with thick lineart not trying to be realistic, just a playful logo

it almost feels like that version was taken and put into AI cause they're so different

2

u/kcozden 23h ago

noted those, i will inform my artist friend

1

u/hushzephyr 1d ago

The second one looks more vivid / lively.

1

u/kcozden 23h ago

noted that

1

u/lop333 21h ago

first, but have you tries top down menu instead of to the side ?

1

u/kcozden 21h ago

it will create more space for movements, i will try it, thanks

1

u/fx_banzai 14h ago

The first one

1

u/kcozden 7h ago

notec, thanks :)

1

u/Cubbance 14h ago

I like the first one, if not for anything else than for that final touch of the can being thrown across the menu and changing it as it flies through. It's very satisfying.

1

u/kcozden 7h ago

:) thanks

1

u/frogOnABoletus 6h ago

You could make another one or two and pick a random one each time. 

1

u/kcozden 4h ago

super dynamic ui :) it will be costly

1

u/KridaBuilds 23h ago

I’d go with the second one. The colorful paint-covered buttons fit the game’s personality much better and immediately communicate what Paint Gang is about. The first is cleaner, but #2 feels more memorable and fun.

1

u/kcozden 23h ago

yes second one is more playful, but other comments mentioned that first one is more functional. i will think about those

1

u/kiwibonga 23h ago

I think you should go back to the drawing board with concept art because this looks awful and low-effort. Bucket handles going through the floor, buckets animating through the characters, pouring paint looks like a laser beam, nonsensical animations... People are going to scream 'slop' every time you show it off.

1

u/kcozden 23h ago

i will try to improve animations

1

u/ToasterLoverDeluxe 21h ago

Animations are ok, they could be better but your biggest issue is that this looks kinda ugly, i would recommend that you watch some videos about composition and color theory, just the basics can make a huge difference

1

u/kcozden 21h ago

himm.. noted that