[ubuntu-art] Proposal discussion on xubuntu wallpaper/artwork.

[Thorsten Wilms]

On Wed, 2010-11-17 at 03:21 -0500, Saleel Velankar wrote:

> Xubuntu is lightweight, and focuses on a more traditional desktop
> experience. It uses blues as the color scheme (also a traditional
> color).
> (#FFF,#203b66,#2c5aa0)

There needs to be a definition of what is meant with "traditional",
here. (Given my personal context, I think of lederhosen, among other
things, when I hear "traditional" ;)

Blue really shouldn't be part of the definition what Xubuntu is about.
It's a possible measure, not an objective. You should see to get out of
the "visual identity defined by a single-color-choice" trap. It's so
limiting, drab, boring, one-dimensional.

The characteristic and dominant color for mainline Ubuntu is orange, but
don't you see how adding characteristic patterns to the mix and
selecting a much richer palette for the desktop has done wonders
compared to the state before the new visual identity?

Requiring blue for the Xubuntu logo should not lead to an always all
blue desktop.


> The traditional desktop experience is what will pick up more users for
> xubuntu as ubuntu moves into unity and gnome moves into shell. SO our
> wallpaper should reflect this by following some older traditions of
> ubuntu.

That's a hope. That may make being conservative advisable. But if you're
not willing to make it all brown/orange, you may as well forget the rest
of the past of Ubuntu here ;)


> Traditions like featuring the animal in the wallpaper.

That's hardly a tradition. Happened for 2 releases out of 13?


> The plus is that we tend to get a bunch of animal wallpapers anyways,
> and this would just be about getting the correct composition/color
> sheme for consideration. The negative is that people tend to focus a
> lot on the animal, and abandon any sense of taste.

What does any random version-animal have to do with the message and
values of Xubuntu? One release the animal might be somewhat appropriate
and even make it easy to do something pleasant, the next it might be a
total catastrophe both in a metaphorical and aesthetic sense.

Presenting other topics, values you want to see expressed, techniques to
be explored could do wonders to lead people away from focusing on the
animals.

But if there must be animal wallpapers, aim for solutions that are at
least as good as the Hardy heron. 


-- 
Thorsten Wilms

thorwil's design for free software:
http://thorwil.wordpress.com/