Public bug reported:
Binary package hint: light-themes
Using Lucid beta-1 with the light-themes I have the following issues:
The use of light (gradients + shadows) is inconsistent in the theme.
Generally the light seems to come from above - but certain elements
indicate the light comes only from the left side or that light is
reflected.
While this seems to be a minor issue at first sight it is a major design flaw.
To illustrate this just put two icons/graphical elements together, where for
one object the light seems to come from above and for the other object the
light seems to come from the bottom. Everybody will immediately see that the
lighting of the elements do not fit together.
To conclude: for a consistent appearance the consistent use of light/shadows is
absolutely crucial.
The problem is best illustrated with the attached screen-shot.
Almost all elements are designed with light from above (virtual light source
above the screen). This can be seen at all places that are indicated by 1 in
the screenshot. (The Window boarders, icons and so on). These elements
generally have a gradient that is lighter on the top and darker on their bottom
which gives the illusion of a 3-dimensional round shape with a light-source
above the desktop. Same for the Icons - they often have the light from above,
and consequently the shadow just below the icon.
Now we have at least two elements with a inconsistent source of light
(use of shadow and gradients). These elements therefore do not fit
naturally to the rest of the desktop. (Wrong shadows / light are often
not perceived conscientiously by most of the people - however many
people can say that something seems to be wrong with it)
At the place marked by "2" in the screen-shot (the scrollbar): Here the light
seems NOT to shine from above but exclusively from the left of the desktop.
Actually since the gradient is very strong it gives the impression of a very
deep half-tube in which the slider is embedded. However if it would be a deep
half-tube we should actually see shadows from above at the top of this
half-tube (where the tube ends). In addition with a light source from above
there shouldn't be any shadows (gradients) at the left of the half-tube, in the
lower part of the half tube (= in the background of the scroll-bar).
I think this is the main reason why the scroll bar seems not to fit in the
whole picture.
One solution would be to give the scrollbar a flat design. (Only a apply
a very smooth gradient and make the total colour a bit darker to
maintain the contrast).
Another example:
At the place marked by "3" in the screen-shot (the close button):
Here the light seems to come from above on a round button (The fact that the
button has the shape of a half dome is a different issue). However if we take
a detailed look a the lighting we perceive something odd: There seems to be a
different source of (weak) light from bellow. As a result we have a second
source of light at the place where there should be a shadow.
Of course this could be some source of reflection. (Light reflected by elements
bellow) However the use of reflected light is completely inconsistent with the
rest of the design.
One solution would be to apply a flat bottom design - as in the rest of
the desktop (compare with the buttons in the panel or the min/max
buttoms). At the minimum one should apply the same light - shadow design
for all elements on the desktop.
Please let me know if you need further explications.
** Affects: light-themes (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
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[ambiance radiance] iconsistent use of light / shadows in scrollbar
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/542686
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