[ubuntu-art] Matte for the next release?

[Andreas Nilsson]

Hi Sylvain!
Can you turn off the caps-button please?
Your e-mails are making me nervous. :)
- Andreas


sylvain marc skrev:
> SORRY IF MY FIRTS POST IS TOO BIG - I TRY TO CANCEL IT LIKE IT WAS 
> EXPLAIN HERE :  
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/confirm/ubuntu-art/937276445103c0ebf02ae929dedb62b826c82c69
> ......
> I LIKE http://mandarancio.deviantart.com/art/Minimal-perception-67892707
> AND http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Muku+GTK?content=59034
> AND I THINK IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO MAKE A MIX OF THE THEMES LIKE I 
> EXPLAIN IT IN MY DOCUMENT I POST YESTERDAY) : ORANGE-LINSTABLACKPLASIC 
> / CRUX / MINT / GLOSSY-GLASS /
>
> Sam7 (Sylvain)
>
> 2007/11/22, Who <mailforwho at googlemail.com 
> <mailto:mailforwho at googlemail.com>>:
>
>     Hi all,
>
>     Seeing as Kenneth says that this is the time to suggest ideas to be
>     taken in to account when the final artwork direction is decided I
>     would like to start some discussion of the merits of using a matte
>     theme (with small glossy elements/highlights) for the next release of
>     Ubuntu
>
>     I'd love anyone who has ideas on why this is a good or bad idea to
>     chime in. I'll list a few of my own to get discussion started
>
>     I'm suggesting it, so I'll list why I think it's a good idea to go
>     mainly matte.
>
>     Problems with Glossyness:
>     1. It's been DONE (by Ubuntu and by everyone else)
>     --- Shiny themes have been done and are everywhere now. Ubuntu's
>     design wants to STAND OUT, and we want to make a new chapter in
>     Ubuntu's design! OsX used to be king of gloss, but in Leopard we see
>     Apple shifting away from it  (but admittedly not quite being able to
>     let go).
>
>     2. It's DISTRACTING
>     --- Shinnyness is _distracting_ from the what you are working on.
>     GNOME is designed not to get in your way while you do your work, but
>     shinny things that cry out for your attention minimise it's
>     effectiveness in doing this
>
>     3. It's not (very) TANGO Compliant
>     --- Tango guidelines ask only for things that are glossy in real life
>     to be glossy. Given that more and more applications are adopting
>     Tango
>     icons we are giving ourselves a much larger job if we create a theme
>     that Tango doesn't fit in to, because for total consistency we have to
>     re-theme all the applications.
>
>     4. It feels LESS REALISTIC
>     --- As Tango guidelines point out, real surfaces are rarely glossy...
>     Using icons that represent real objects helps people intuitively use
>     applications and understand icons, adding gloss somewhat detracts from
>     this. It leads to 'cartoon' design in many cases.
>
>     Nice things about matte themes
>     1. They can be SOFTER
>     --- contrast in a matte theme can be lower, so the whole set of
>     widgets is easier to look at ('easier on the eyes'). It makes the
>     interface feel more human, to me...
>
>     2. BROWN and Matte > Brown and glossy
>     --- One of the contradictions in Ubuntu UI policy seems to be the
>     difficulty of brown vs orange. One of the reasons we have this is
>     becasue brown does not look good glossy, and orange does! If
>     Ubuntu is
>     going to stay brown using a matte theme allows the designers more
>     scope and allows for greater colour consistency. Brown isn't a very
>     glossy colour
>
>     3. Textures are often matte
>     -- Elephants, for example ;)
>
>
>     There are some really original ones around (yes, so I'm sure there are
>     orignal glossy ones around too, please post them if you find them :)
>
>     After some trawling, here we go
>     Just the _buttons_ on this theme are beautiful:
>     http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Aurora+Sand?content=69773
>     Someone called 'Lyrae' has a whole host of similar (awesome and
>     original) matte/square themes:
>     http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Reuben?content=55876
>     http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Nova?content=57310
>     http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Fawn?content=58426
>     http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Calla?content=52297
>
>     This 'wooden' is kind cool
>     http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Muku+GTK?content=59034
>     <http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Muku+GTK?content=59034>
>
>     So is the Clearlooks theme from Breezy
>     http://www.phoronix.net/image.php?id=218&image=ubuntu_breezyc2_14_lrg
>     <http://www.phoronix.net/image.php?id=218&image=ubuntu_breezyc2_14_lrg>
>
>     Nodoka, is a nice theme engine to use
>     http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Nodoka+GTK%2B+Engine?content=64604
>
>     So, let's have a discussion about it - what do people think?
>
>     --
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>
>