Adobe provide an amazing resource for creating and picking colour palettes at http://kuler.adobe.com/ Just typing 'brown' into the search box gets some quite nice pre-made selections for colourschemes. It's Flash 9 only though :(
I do agree with the thoughts on the brown usage being a bit full on. I think a very light potentially cream or white wallpaper with a nice light hint colour used throughout the theme would help temper the intensity somewhat and provide some welcome contrast. Kenneth Wimer wrote: > Hi Ken, > > I really dig the ideas shown in your mockup. Using a bit of color in the > windows seems like a great idea to me - I was actually working on some ideas > along these lines). The thing that strikes me most is that the brown seems to > be used too much. In the past we have stuck to brown with light brown and > then perhaps orange highlights on some things) which really doesn't work well > and seems to give people the impression that brown=poop. > > I think that using a complimentary color would help a lot. Have you thought > about using a gradient from brown to grey in the windows? It might lighten > things up a bit, and in addition to using a compliment in the wallpaper (and > perhaps some highlights or such) would make things much livelier I think. > > I would be really interested in seeing some variations of your theme idea, > perhaps with a dark grey and light grey to show something more along the > lines of what people are used to seeing. > > I'll be posting some color palette ideas *really* soon (like tomorrow or so), > along with some basic things that we are looking for. > > -- > Ken (kwwii) > > On Thursday 20 December 2007 00:05:31 Ken Vermette wrote: > >> I want to have at least 3 alternative colour variations in the end when all >> this is done and over with; Nobody said some of them couldn't have >> different buttons. Either way, it's easily doable, but first I want the >> main theme to get up-and-running before I make other flavors. >> >> Also: Linux works on tablet PC's? Well, I think I know what I'll be picking >> up when I have the chance. :) >> >> On Dec 19, 2007 1:54 PM, George Brooke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> I guess it's just a matter of personal preference. Also I mainly use a >>> tablet pc so its easier to click on enclosed buttons than when using a >>> mouse. Maybe someone could create an alternative controls (is that >>> correct ?) theme for people who prefer rounded buttons. >>> >>> >>> solar.george >>> >>> Ken Vermette wrote: >>> >>> One thing I need to say about Vista is they did good with the window >>> buttons. I'll give em credit where credit is due. >>> >>> A few weeks before I started this theme I read as many reviews and >>> interface guidelines as I could, and one was a review on GUI aspects of >>> Vista and OSX. While they come a dime a dozen, this one was >>> (surprisingly) neutral. >>> >>> Anyway, when it was on topic about window buttons, one thing it mentioned >>> constantly was "slamming", where users will slam the mouse onto one edge >>> of the screen. So, as long as an element touches an edge or a corner >>> (which is why I'm tempted to make the X cover the complete corner of the >>> window) the user doesn't need to bother with carefully positioning the >>> mouse over the button. >>> >>> While it doesn't sound like a big deal, it's just another thing to look >>> at. If I rounded the corner then the button would need to be 1 or 2 >>> pixels lower to accommodate the top-edge, breaking the users ability to >>> slam. >>> >>> --Ken Vermette >>> >>> On Dec 19, 2007 6:28 AM, George Brooke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> How about making the window close minimise ect. icons rounded off at >>>> the top rather like the main menu. >>>> >>>> solar.george >>>> >>>> Ken Vermette wrote: >>>> >>>> It's kind of like a mold... Like it or not, it kind grows on you. I >>>> hated my windows when I made them, and I have a gallery of hideous >>>> window ideas that I hope will never see the light of day. >>>> >>>> Orange is really just a highlight colour in this theme, so it'll >>>> proballbly look odd on the theme until some widgets are added. When >>>> they get added though, hopefully the additional orange in the theme >>>> will make it feel more balanced. I lightened up the brown and slightly >>>> altered the orange - so it should hopefully be a bit better. I can't >>>> really use any other colours (even if I think they'll look better) >>>> because I want to stick to the official Ubuntu colour pallet. >>>> >>>> I'm actively planning a small set of variations in popular colours; I >>>> don't think there will be a way to change the colours via the colour >>>> menu - unless there's a hue-shifting algorithm involved (similar to the >>>> one implemented in Vista or Windowblinds). >>>> >>>> Anyway, there's another update up on the wiki: >>>> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Incoming/Hardy/Alternate/BasicIdeals?ac >>>> tion=AttachFile&do=view&target=fulldesk%28svg%29_v3_2.jpg >>>> >>>> >>>> the XCF and SVG sources have been updated aswell; the XCF actually has >>>> everything in it now, I uploaded a half-finished XCF file on the first >>>> version, but the new one will be much better for people who want to use >>>> or edit content because it's complete. For anyone wanting to make a >>>> mockup using the files, the Mock-ups are first edited/rendered in >>>> InkScape, then are imported into the bottom layer of the XCF. You could >>>> delete the BG in inkscape and export a transparent PNG to create a >>>> render suitable for porting into other themes. >>>> >>>> Thanks as always, >>>> --Ken V >>>> >>>> On Dec 18, 2007 12:42 PM, Corey Woodworth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> At first I didn't like this theme, but it is really growing on me. Of >>>>> coarse there are things that still need work. The orange in the theme >>>>> feels out of place. It just doesn't fit it because of how heavy the >>>>> browns are. I think using white as the selected item color in the >>>>> menus would look a lot better. I also think that the notification >>>>> area needs to use different colors. It needs to stand out more. Now >>>>> it hardly stands out at all since it is the same color as the >>>>> background behind it, and of most windows. Speaking of the windows, I >>>>> really like the way the titlebar and menu bar are visuially connected >>>>> int the active window. In the unactive window where it looks like >>>>> just a gradient from brown to tan looks very ugly to me. >>>>> >>>>> I think this theme is about the prettiest a brown theme could be, but >>>>> we would still get a lot of flac from the brown haters if this were >>>>> default. I hope that it works well with the color options in the >>>>> appearence settings so that keeping the theme but using a different >>>>> color is just a couple of clicks worth of work. >>>>> >>>>> Corey >>>>> >>>>> On Dec 17, 2007 9:30 PM, Ken Vermette <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Got the link, and thanks to Racoqster for the quick post on the >>>>>> blog. I know about every language BUT python, so I can try to learn >>>>>> python this weekend and assist in coding later if absolutely >>>>>> necessary; Would it be possible to work without the configurator? >>>>>> >>>>>> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Incoming/Hardy/Alternate/BasicIdeal >>>>>> s >>>>>> >>>>>> The Wiki has been updated to include a mockup with all current >>>>>> elements - and links to the SVG source and XCF source are directly >>>>>> below the image. I'll be downloading some themes that resemble mine >>>>>> (in their technical composition) and start to figure out how we >>>>>> could get this beast into a live environment! The XCF source is >>>>>> almost useless, but it can make life easy if anyone wants to make a >>>>>> mockup with icons & text. >>>>>> >>>>>> The large mockup doesn't include the most recent requests (several >>>>>> of which will be integrated), but it gives the closest impression >>>>>> to what a full desktop would look like right now - barring the lack >>>>>> of widgets. >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks all; >>>>>> -- Ken V >>>>>> >>>>>> On Dec 17, 2007 7:51 PM, Iacopo Masi <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>>>>> >>>>>> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> On 12/17/07, Ken Vermette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> There's go GTK yet, currently most of the work is going into >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> mockups. I need >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> to get ahold of the Murrine Developer Andrea Cimitan, and see >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> about getting >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> information on the Transparent GTK tweaks before I start making >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> the mockups >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> live graphics. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> Cimi will release the code when a Murrine Configurator should be >>>>>>> available so we must work towards the murrine configurator in >>>>>>> pygtk. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> take a look at >>>>>>> >>>>>>> http://www.cimitan.com/blog/2007/12/16/searching-coders-for-the-m >>>>>>> urrine-configurator/ >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> Iacopo Masi >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> ubuntu-art mailing list >>>>>>> ubuntu-art@lists.ubuntu.com >>>>>>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art >>>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> ubuntu-art mailing list >>>>>> ubuntu-art@lists.ubuntu.com >>>>>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art >>>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> ubuntu-art mailing list >>>>> ubuntu-art@lists.ubuntu.com >>>>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art >>>>> >>>> -- >>>> -Ken Vermette >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> ubuntu-art mailing list >>>> ubuntu-art@lists.ubuntu.com >>>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art >>>> >>> -- >>> -Ken Vermette >>> >>> >>> -- >>> ubuntu-art mailing list >>> ubuntu-art@lists.ubuntu.com >>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art >>> > > -- ubuntu-art mailing list ubuntu-art@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art