Ubuntu's new look - Bye bye brown

Ubuntu have revealed a new brand and a new look, replacing the distribution's signature brown with a new "Light" theme, along with an updated Ubuntu logo. The new look will come into service with the release of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, an event which is shaping up to be not only a software update, but also a refresh of how Ubuntu and Canonical promote their Linux distribution. The new look was revealed by Ubuntu Community Manager Jono Bacon in his blog on Wednesday . The updated graphics for the next release include a new boot splash screen for Ubuntu but the designers add "Not that you'll see it for very long thanks to the amazing work by the engineering teams".

Ubuntu's new "Light" look A major refresh of Ubuntu's look has been planned since the development of Ubuntu 8.04 LTS. At the time a darker theme for the distribution was proposed, but not adopted. A small team led by Mark Shuttleworth started a broad review of brand values and identity in 2009 and it is the results of this work that will now be applied both to the operating system and to the Ubuntu branding. The changes are based on a set of "Brand Values", Precision, Reliability, Collaboration and Freedom, described in detail on the Ubuntu Brand wiki along with a gallery of examples of the new branding in use for CD covers, notebooks, web themes, pin badges and other promotional items. Canonical have also announced a new marketing programme for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) that includes a series of webinars.

The most recent release of Ubuntu 10.04, Alpha 3, was in February and the final release of 10.04 will be in April.

(djwm)