ok, I don't see the problem, but lets keep the original file.

I've adjusted some more.




For Flax, I switched to the seed instead of the leaves, as both were traded.



I tried to make a difference between resin and Amber, cause amber is nothing but hard (stone)resin.

Gold now looks like gold instead of some blurry image, and the same for Ivory where you can see the difference between ivory and bones.


The pearls-card is a hard one. See what pearl actually should look, and how that does not work.


I'd go for the nacre in pearl and shells. or maybe those two combined.


And what about this one:

About the EAST-WEST-thing.

I've made a proposal how this could be indicated.
PLEASE don't look at the trade good to be right. I just picked some random examples.


I really don't like just a letter in a picture. If we'd go for that option, I'd rather put a box inside the picture with a white field with a letter. This symbol is NO decoration, it should be clear to read. that's why I want it to be distinct to the decoration symbol sin the image.

Besides, I'd like to put the east symbol east and the west symbol west, if we'd go for that option.



But this option still keeps a problem when wanting the same for the calamities.




I tried to look for something with a coloured border.

What do you think:

Bone:
Nothing wrong with it, it's just that imho the current one is better...

Flax:
I'd prefer the leafs, but the seeds are OK to.

Ochre:
Good.

Resin:
Nice!

Spice:
Much better!

Amber:
The first one is a bit too dark and gloomy, while the second one has a bit to sharp contrast, as most is very light, and some is almost black. I think the first one is the "least bad" of these two, but I'm thinking that keeping the current one is an option.

Gold:
Great!

Ivory:
Good.

Pearls:
The first two (same background) is WAY to photorealistic. Even 4 and 5 is a bit too photorealistic. Nr3 (the pure gradient) is good enough, but then I think the current one is better.


East-West:
There is lots of details on the commodities that is not just decoration, but is still without being put in a box. However, it might be possible to add an extra bracket, similar to the one for the value of nine cards on Fruit and Salt, and put the E/W marker in it.

I'm also sceptical to placing the symbols in different locations on E/W cards, as that means that you can't just learn where too look, but have to look at two places.

Additionally I don't think that placement on commodities and on calamities can be handled as a single issue, as they have so fundamentally different layouts.

And finally I don't think that we should make game information colour coded only. Colour as help and flavour is great, but as the source of the information it's not. So even with a coloured frame I think we need some E/W symbols.

I've just printed the current suggestions on my brand new printer (an HP Officejet Pro K5400dn), and played around with the cards IRL, and not just on the screen. Doing so I've found the following issues:

While not necessarily anything wrong with these pictures, these cards simply just don't look as good as the current cards:
Bones
Pearls
Amber

While nothing is wrong with these cards per see, they simply don't fit with the rest:
Wool (to photographic)
Glass (to sharp contrasts)

These cards is simply not as good as the rest of the cards:
Jade (too dark in the corners)
Sugar (suggar shouldnt be gray, it's brown or white)
Salt (to much gradient)
Dye (big white spot, and is pink of all colours...)

And these cards is a bit too similar to each other, consider changing some of these:
Flax - Papyri - Wax - Ochre
Ceramics - Spice - Incense
Hides - Resin

So a lot of work to do. I'm trying to redo all.

I thought of that, but I found that very confusing!



You have a point.


I agree.




Ok regarding these option, i still think my box with a E/W is best option. sepearted from the digits but at one side of the card on all cards. For the calamities we look for the best option there.

You see, Amber IS dark and gloomy. There are clearer pieces of amber and pieces with insects inside, but these are teh rare ones. Not the pieces of amber traded. I really don;t like the current one, because it does not indicate amber, It's just a gradient.





I totally agree about the rejection of the first few options. those were to indicate how it does not work. I do like the last one. I do not agree on your opinion that the current one is better. Just as Amberm this is nothing but a gradient. The name of the cards should change to "nacre". If you prefer "pearls" I really want to try and go for an image with pearl on em. Because of the shininess of pearls you gotta deal with all black to all white within one picture. therefore I think my last option is the direction to go.



What I do not like about the current bone image (this goes for many of the current ones) is the computer-generated texture in it. I was aiming to keep that away from all cards to start with. Not to say my bone is the best option possible, allthough I think it's better than the current.

Jade , salt and dye can be changed. I'm doing that when we like all new cards in the first place, then I'm going to look which cards look too much alike. Sugar wasn't ready yet.



see above. sometime the colours can change easily without the card looking too strage.

I was looking for a new image for sugar. It's hard to distinct it easily from salt. To create a vast distance between Sugar and Salt, a went for 'halite' (rocksalt) instead of salt gravel. Not all nations traded sea-salt.



This way it's better to distinct the new sugar image. I'm going to look for that. Sugar was also traded as sugar-cane, but to me that's not the best option. I'd rather go for gravel or powder.

edit:
I create this image. I think showing sugar cannot be clearer than this, only abstracter. It's kinda gray, but you cannot show the reflecting light when you start with white, cause these highlights shouwl be whiter.

First, I see no problems with gradients, if the material represented is coloured solid or gradient (such as the grey metals). For amber, a gradient isn't optimal, but it is an option. As for not indicating amber, the current card is actually amber (amber is also the name of a colour)...

Secondly, I put more weight on the cards looking nice and fitting with the rest, rather than being historically accurate, though accuracy is very nice if possible. As such "dark and gloomy" isn't OK.

Doing some googling (which was hard, considering that amber is also a colour and a name) I found this image.
Based on it, I'm making this proposal:



As stated before, I'm strongly opposed to "photorealistic" images (images looking like photos of items). Thus, I'd like a close zoom-in on the surface of nacre or a single pearl. As I've not found any images with high enough resolution, something computer generated will have to do. So far there is two options, of which I prefer the first.


Regarding bone, I've nothing against a computer generated gradient/texture, if it does look like the commodity in question. And even though your image is of a bone, the current image does look more like my mental image of "bone" than your image, not to mention it is a smother, cleaner image without any "impurities".

I like your latest salt, but I'm still not to fond of the salt. Don't know what to do about it though, so I guess it'll have to do.

At this point I guess there are going to be two versions. One version for the civproject. and one version that's purely mine. I really can't agree on this.

For pearls, as long as the card is called "pearls", not "nacre" I'd prefer mine where you can see pearls. I don't prefer just a gradient.



We are not trading colours here, nor do we trade girls called amber. We're talking amber stone here.
I do like this one though:

What about one of these bones:






And what about these grains?

The subject about the alikeness of some cards.

like these:






I changes two of them. Spices can be any colour are there are hundreds of different spices. The same for Ceramics. There are many tints of ceramics.

About resin - hides


These were the latesst options:




I've been looking for another resin-image and found this one.
I like it even beter than the previous.





Comapring this new resin to Amber whcich is the same origin, they are easily distincted by the cracks.