[ubuntu-art] Mark's Comments on Branding

[Joao Inacio]

On 6/30/06, Mark Shuttleworth <mark at canonical.com> wrote:
>
>  Michiel Sikma wrote:
> They don't necessarily have to be distinctly Ubuntu, I believe. That's up
> for debate. I think that nice photos that are included by default can be
> abstract enough as well simply to be good filler material. Besides, how
> would you make them classify as Ubuntu-ish, anyway? Do they all need to be
> brown, too? They'll do just fine being diverse.
>
>  They do need to be "distinctive" and in keeping with the rest of the
> default theme.
>
>  By distinctive, I mean that you should know when looking at a low-res
> screenshot that it is an Ubuntu machine. We have achieved this extremely
> well with Hoary -> Dapper. Kubuntu is less distinctive, but I'm sure Ken
> will come up with something that can be as well-known yet still true to the
> KDE spirit.
>
>  A good default wallpaper is an art. Truly.
>
>   - distinctive (passes the "low-res screenshot" test)
>   - not distracting (hence the preference for abstract art with low
> contrast)
>   - not too bright (it becomes tiring on the eyes)
>   - respects typical placement (people tend to want to put icons in the
> corners so don't put a lot of detail there)
>   - low memory (balance resolution with RAM)
>   - stretchable (4:3, 5:4, 16:9, 16:10)
>
>  Yes, when people go get their OWN wallpaper they may well go outside of
> these constraints. But the default wallpaper has to live within them.
>
>  It would be really, really nice if someone would write this up as a wiki
> page as "guidelines for an Ubuntu wallpaper"!
>
>  Mark
>


Hi, i'm mostly a lurker on this list but anyway:

- How much of this "ubuntu distinctiveness" is really needed on the
other included wallpapers (not default)?

Even though this i completely agree on the default wallpaper, from my
humble POV a few extra wallpapers that didnt quite follow the rules to
the point, but did a very good job at pleasing a user (like myself)
would only be welcome.

Don't get me wrong, i still think all wallpapers should match those
criteria, just not as strictly for the non-default ones.


Thanks

-- 
João Inácio
http://www.jcinacio.com