Ubuntu is, without a doubt, the most well-known desktop Linux distribution on the planet. Canonical, the creator of Ubuntu, announced some exciting news yesterday: the Linux-based operating system has a new logo!
The original Ubuntu logo consisted of a black rounded lowercase wordmark positioned to the right of a stylish abstract emblem consisting of a ring of three segments with three solid dots attached.
The colors yellow, red, and orange were used to represent energy, dynamics, and advancement. According to the company, the circular Ubuntu logo represents collaboration, dependability, and freedom.
Each segment and point in the circle is a stylized image of three people holding their arms out and making a circle. This symbol is called the ‘Circle of Friends’.
The first version of the logo was bright, inviting, and enjoyable, but it wasn’t very functional for the logo, and it quickly became outdated.
As a result, the Ubuntu logo was redesigned in 2010, with the iconic insignia drawn in white and placed in a circle. It was simpler, with a limited palette of hues reduced to the now-familiar orange and white.
Now it’s the third time since 2004 that the ‘Circle of Friends’ logo has been revised, and it’s been released to address certain functional difficulties and make the design feel more contemporary.
Some might wonder why we had to touch the Ubuntu logo at all. As one can imagine, it is a daunting honor to work on something so many of us have such a strong connection to. But in the end, a logo should match what it represents. Similar to how Ubuntu continues to evolve and adapt to new uses in technology, its logo should follow suit to encapsulate and reflect such ongoing change.
Marcus Haslam, Canonical’s Head of Brand Design, designed the new logo, which follows the last one 12 years ago.
The new Ubuntu logo retains the orange and white color scheme we’ve all come to know and love. But the iconic ‘Circle of Friends’ motif is different. Now, it’s more unified and tighter than previous versions. Most notably, the ‘Circle of Friends’ is no longer contained within a circle but rather within a rectangle.
The Ubuntu logo has evolved a lot over the years; you can see the transformation in the image below.
Canonical has announced that the new logo will be included in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, which will be released on April 21. It will be officially launched, and the present one will gradually be replaced in all elements.
