Artwork proposals for xubuntu 8.10

[Jonathan Carter]

Hi jmak

jmak wrote:
> 1) Create a brand new gtk theme. For the time being, I am suggesting
> the use of Unity. The theme has been created by Cimi, a gnome
> developer; it is fast and bug free. The theme has a nice gray tone to
> it. Easy on the eye and contemporary in appearance. It harmonizes
> with any color schemes. As a bonus, it is already included in the
> universe repository as a part of the gnome extras package. Cimi will
> release a brand new murrina engine and a range of new themes in
> August. We can take a look at these themes when they will be available
> and we can decide  about their use.

Unity looks ok, but it does have one usability bug though, you can't
easily differentiate between active and inactive windows. The only way
you can really tell currently is by looking at the control buttons,
which are filled in on the active window but not on the inactive
windows. I think it's important to keep usability good, even when making
things look really good.

> 2) Replace the Tango icons to a more modern and visually appealing
> theme. I have created a new wiki page for visual ideas. If you have
> any suggestion for icons or any other idea please indicate it on the
> wiki; this way all ideas will be in one place for easier review. The
> address is: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Xubuntu/Artwork/Incoming/Intrepid

I like those echo icons a lot!

> 3) Make sure that the fine details of the desktop is taken care of.
> This is something, I have been advocating for many years but always
> ignored. The details may include theming the panel, improving the
> icons' appearances on the panel or getting rid of the visual noises
> (for instance, the label backgrounds).

Anything I can do to help? Would it help if I played around with some
mock-ups of what you have mentioned here?

> 4) New Usplash and throbber. The current one (the throbber) is nothing
> less than atrocious (borrowed from Ubuntu), it made the Usplash look
> like an ugly patchwork; this needs to be tackled. Lets keep in mind
> that the Usplash is not there only to inform or entertain, but also to
> function as a branding image; this is what the user sees at each boot
> up-- it supposed to burn the brand image in the mind of the user.

*nod*

> 5) New gdm theme. We had problems finding the correct size of the
> login box for hardy. Maybe someone can help me figuring out why the
> size of the box appears inconsistent at different installations.

I'll be happy to look into this, I've done some GDM theme work before,
and I really want to get involved with Xubuntu.

> 6) Wallpaper. I am thinking about some darker wallpaper this time
> (dark blue or even black?) to create a more dynamic look and feel and
> prevent the desktop from turning into an all too monochromatic
> experience.

It seems that the first thing a user usually judges a release by is the
default wallpaper! What do you mean by 'dynamic'?

-Jonathan