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Earlier I wrote about Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala planning to offer a greater and more diverse set of wallpapers. Now that a little more time has passed, here are some of the most promising wallpapers for Ubuntu 9.10:
Category: Default Wallpapers
Title: Silhouette
Author: michote
This is a very attractive wallpaper, largely due to the contrast between the foreground and the background. Hopefully, this would be distributed in two versions, one without some of the distracting background options.
Category: Default Wallpapers
Title: Tranquil Aspiration
Author: See-ming Lee
Though this might be more appropriate n the abstract section, it looks very cool. It provides a refreshing change from some of the previous abstract wallpaper Ubuntu has used, while still not being overly distracting.
Category: Abstract Wallpapers
Title: Unspecified
Author: ogalbraith
This is obviously not an entirely finished wallpaper; it is an interesting concept. It looks more default-ish than most of the wallpapers on the abstract page, but those are just the details. The art itself is quite promising.
Karmic Koala To Offer More Diverse Wallpaper Selection
The tradition in Ubuntu seems to be to include one or two versions of the default wallpaper and call it done. Unlike Windows and OS X, Ubuntu has never had any significant selection of wallpapers. You either used the default or got your own. Meanwhile, Windows 7 has a vast array of wallpapers of every type: abstract, landscape, animals, flowers, green hills with a blue sky, etc. In fact I did a comparison a while ago that pointed out exactly this difference.
In Karmic Koala (9.10), though, Ubuntu seems to be shifting more towards the Windows 7 style. A page has been setup on the Wiki for people to contribute artwork in three categories: default wallpaper, abstract extras, and photographic extras. The plan is apparently to offer, in addition to the default wallpaper, a selection of more diverse alternative wallpapers, including photographs, which is a first for Ubuntu. I should note that these wallpapers may be offered in a separate package.
This change is quite exciting, since it makes it really simple for Ubuntu users to find a wallpaper they like. It’s almost impossible to find one wallpaper everyone likes, but finding a wallpaper for everyone in a selection of 20 might be possible.
Comparison of Windows 7 and Ubuntu 8.04 Artwork Style
Interestingly, Microsoft and most of the popular Linux distributions have taken a very different approach to Artwork. I don’t intend to state an opinion. Instead, this is simply to point out and compare the two styles. I am using Ubuntu 8.04 and Windows 7, since they each stand out as excellent in their own style. If you don’t like either one’s artwork, refrain from voicing your opinion and focus on the difference, not the art.
Ubuntu 8.04
Ubuntu 8.04, while not the current Ubuntu release, featured a wallpaper that was very artistic and impressive to most people. The yellow and red heron was complemented by the simple brown background. This color scheme was supported by Ubuntu’s “Human” theme. Whatever you think of the art, this created a very consistent theme that fits across the entire desktop.
What this theme does not do, however, is allow for any wallpaper to be substituted in. The brown theme is unique to Ubuntu and rarely fits with wallpapers or other elements that were not designed for it. This means that, unless you decide to replace everything, you are pretty much stuck with one look.
(Screenshot by Florian. Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike 2.0.)
Windows 7
Windows 7, and most Windows versions, takes a very different approach. All of the theming is almost completely neutral. Clear with a slight tinge of black is just about as neutral as you can get. Plus, you can change the tint color to match any color scheme. Instead of having two wallpaper options like Ubuntu, Windows 7 has many, many choices, almost all of which are just nice photos.
This set up allows the user to pick almost any background and simply supports it with neutral theming around the windows. This means that, for the options the user is allowed to change (without special software), there are almost no restrictions.
(Screenshot by oO XP3ctr0 PhotosOo. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.)
I admit that the Ubuntu Artwork Team has a very hard job, since themes and looks are so subjective, yet I can’t help but feel Ubuntu’s art is going downhill fast.
Brown debate aside, there are some serious inconsistencies across the entire theme.
The login screen in Ubuntu 9.04 takes a dramatic leap from anything we have seen before. It’s dark, sharp, high contrast, and brand-centric. Apart from the lack of any design in 90% of the available space, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Ubuntu does need a change and the login screen looks like a promising start, even if I don’t particularly like it’s style.
Next, we move on to the background. It looks like Ubuntu a year and a half ago. In other words it’s light, soft, blended, and brand-free. Slight inconsistency? Yeah, and did I mention that it lacks a design beyond a few abstract lines. After seeing what is possible in Ubuntu 8.04, that drives me crazy.
Whoever was in charge of the window themes actually did a decent job. Including several themes was quite smart, but I’ve been watching the Ubuntu art process for a while and this stuff is not new. If even one of these themes was designed for Ubuntu 9.04, I’m surprised. I was using Dust (one of the window themes) for quite a while before Ubuntu 9.04 arrived. Reusing a good theme is hardly a crime, though. This is the open-source world, right? The real problem is that many of the themes, not having been designed specifically for this release, do not look natural against the background. (The exception to this being DarkRoom, which first appeared in 8.10.)
The real problem with all this is that there is so much talent out there, but it never gets put together right. I’ve noticed a patten: Right around the early alphas I usually post something praising the artwork that’s already been posted. Within only a few weeks, contributors already have impressive concepts, yet, in the end, these ideas get thrown out the window in favor of whatever can be cobbled together quickly.
As I said, the Art Team certainly has a difficult job and I don’t mean to criticise them, but I can’t help but think that some real leadership is needed to pull together the talent into something consistent and impressive. Until then, I guess I’ll just have to keep drooling at Fedora’s art.
Ubuntu keeps promising a completely new theme in every release, but it has been delayed time and time again. The wait is over, though, since the artwork in Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope daily builds is rapidly being refreshed.
Softpedia has already posted screenshots of the new login screen, themes, and USplash theme. Though no new background has been selected yet, there are already some great ones.
I am really glad to see this change. No matter if you like the current theme or not, it is getting old and is ready to be replaced. I look forward to the final product, but, in the meantime, what do you think of the current proposed artwork?
Why the Artwork Refresh in Karmic Koala is Important
One of the major goals of Ubuntu Karmic Koala outlined in Mark Shuttleworth’s recent announcement is a new look for Ubuntu, something that has been requested a lot. Not everyone, though, thinks this should be a priority. A WorksWithU article voices the concern that there are more pressing issues for Ubuntu than giving it a new look.
It’s a fair point. There are and will always be pressing issues to deal with, but I would argue that artwork and a fresh look are actually a very important issue for two reasons:
At Some Point, You Have to Just Give In
For a long time I have defended Ubuntu’s choice of color scheme, pointing out that it gives a unique look, yet the barrage of complaints keep coming. Though this would not be true of all things, when it comes to something as subjective as artwork, eventually you have to just give in and change it.
A Fresh Look Makes Your Software Feel New
Of course there is an additional benefit to fixing something users like to complain about: they will talk about it and check it out in swarms once you fix it. Add this to people’s natural tendency to check out anything new and shiny, and just changing the theme will get you tons of great PR.
Though it seems a little silly from a purely logical standpoint, introducing a new theme could actually be quite helpful to Ubuntu’s image and appeal to new users and long-time Ubuntu fans alike.
Just before Intrepid Ibex came out, I had a few things to say about the new artwork. In a last-minute switch, things improved a little, but I was still never impressed with Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex in the way that Fedora 10 or Ubuntu Hardy Heron impressed me. It seems we are barely even started into the new release cycle, yet I can already say there are some very promising choices. Below are a selection of my favorites: (A number are proposed specifically for the betas, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be used.)
Jackalope Sketch
by Thorsten Wilms
Though currently quite simple, this soft sketch of a friendly-looking Jackalope definitely shows promise. At this point, it seems a little too simple (though perhaps this version could be included as a secondary option), but with a slightly textured background or, perhaps, a lightly sketched setting for the Jackalope, I can easily see this concept becoming an excellent background for Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope. The current sketch seems to have slightly too obvious brush marks when viewed in full size, but that is a small detail that can easily be fixed. Overall, it looks like a promising concept for a background.
Oblivian’s Jaunty Wallpaper V.2
by oblivian516 (Dave Z)
This desktop background introduces some new colors to the typical brown and orange. It emphasizes the grey more than previous background, but, more importantly, it introduces green in to the mix. This is an interesting choice, since, on one hand, it is a completely new color, but, on the other hand, it maintains the basic feel and might help provide a fresh look. Like the previous one, I feel that this one needs a few more details across the page. The abstract feel is great, particularly the grass, but this should be expanded to in some way fill most of the screen. Additionally, I don’t think the glossy background goes well with the flat Jackalope in the foreground. Despite these minor criticisms, this would be an excellent background that would introduce a new color to Ubuntu.
Daniel’s Jaunty Wallpaper
by Daniel
Despite looking slightly less finished than the other possibilities here, I think this desktop background might be one of the most promising. It seems like the abstract animal theme has worked well before and it appears that it might work well again. The interesting texture of the horns really makes them stand out as they should. I also like the background a lot in this one. The swirls pull it together in a single spot without distracting too much from the main focus – the Jackalope. My only real complain about this are the legs. They appear to skew out in different directions, definitely not a natural position. Other than that, though, the entire piece looks great, particularly the abstract horns. Though it may not be apparent, they appear to be made of little pieces of another image, forming something like a Christmas tree, complete with sparkles in various places. This should definitely be a candidate for the final artwork, almost no matter what else is submitted. Then again, if the art submissions keep improving as much as they have, who knows what we will be seeing when Jaunty’s release nears.
Impression
by Unknown
This is not, unlike the others a desktop background, but rather, as you can see, a completely new theme. Why is it interesting? It does one of the best jobs of blending the traditional brown with a completely new look of anything I have seen. The only exceptions are some dark themes, but those don’t really count, as they are a completely different class. If Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope is going to have a completely new look, this would be a good candidate for something that will make those who can’t stand brown happy, without completely destroying the traditional Ubuntu look. Obviously this would still have to be fleshed out a lot, but it is already looking great.
What the Next Theme for Ubuntu Should (and Should Not) Be
Anytime the theme or artwork of Ubuntu is discussed, the discussion seems to turn automatically to brown vs. other colors. I don’t see brown as being the problem, though, so let me explain what I would like to see in future Ubuntu themes.
- A new theme does not need to be green or blue. There is nothing wrong with brown. In fact, I think it is a great idea to use a unique color for branding purposes. If you saw or green or blue billboard on the side of the road, but you couldn’t read what it said, what would think of? What if that billboard was brown? The point is, Ubuntu’s brown color is very distinctive.
- A new theme does need to have some new color introduced. Even if brown is a good idea, it would be great to see either a new shade of brown or a secondary color to complement the brown. This would be a nice change and also possibly make some people like the theme color better.
- A new theme does need to be unique and distinctive. I think this is obvious, but a cool abstract heron is way better than a swirl.
- A new theme should be chosen in a clear, simple way and generally liked by most people.
To many of you this may seem like an obvious list, but I think it is important to clarify what I mean when I refer to Ubuntu’s themes.
Ahh… Much Better: Ubuntu Updates The Intrepid Ibex Wallpaper!
A while ago I complained that the wallpaper for Intrepid Ibex looked like a “pile of crap.” Luckily for all of us Ubuntu users, the latest build of Intrepid Ibex has a new wallpaper.
While I cannot claim to like this new wallpaper quite as much as the one included with Hardy Heron, I like it a lot, lot better than the original wallpaper for Intrepid. Whatever you may think about it, I certainly think that it is at least in the realm of the Hardy Heron wallpaper, which was great.
To whoever created this wallpaper and to whoever got it included in Intrepid, thank you and congratulations!
A while back I wrote about some of the best early pieces of artwork for Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex. Any Ubuntu fans will surely be interested to know what has happened since then, so here is an updated top 5 favorite pieces of artwork proposed for Intrepid.
This theme takes out many of the browns that people complain about while keeping the basic orange-y color that distinguishes Ubuntu. Additionally, it adds black highlights, in the form of panels, and has an attractive placement of the Ubuntu logo.
Wiki Page
While this theme does not appear to fit the Ubuntu color scheme very well as is, with a good orange background, it could fit in quite well. While bits of it (mostly the browser part) look at little bit Mac-ish, those parts are subtle and the overall theme looks great.
Wiki Page
While it changes the standard colors slightly, this background provides a simple gradient across most of it, with an Ibex decoration in the corner. After Hardy Heron, I am a big fan of including the animal the release is named after into the design, which this wall paper does very well.
Wiki Page
While Ubuntu’s startup process is fine right now, adding an artistic touch would really make it stand out. Several ideas have been proposed (see Wiki link), but this is the most creative of them.
Wiki Page
This sort of modern and clean login screen might work well with theme #2 (see above). Although I am not sure that I like the background or that exact color of yellow, this concept shows promise, particularly if it were integrated somehow with some of the developments in the login screen world.
Wiki Page