[Icons] Web Browser icon is not distinctive to the Ubuntu brand

[Alan Bell]

the icon for the webbrowser-app does not use transparency, so is a big square edged thing, which is inconsistent with other icons and looks out of place on the dash and alt-tab. I don't know if phone icons are supposed to meet the standards for desktop icons, or if desktop icons should work well as phone icons, but if we are aiming for convergence some kind of common ground is going to be required, or we end up with a separate icon for desktop and phone?

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

the icon for the browser with the blue and red north east pointing compass is also, erm, lets say "weakly differentiated" from the icon for the primary browser on a competitive platform.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

this is really not a good idea to leave unfixed http://www.tmfile.com/mark/?q=850198578

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

Probably worth mentioning that since filing this bug the icon for the webbrowser-app has been changed, but not in a way that fixes the concerns raised. Current icon attached now, still doesn't meet standards for desktop icons and has an orange compass needle pointing north east.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2016/06/ubuntu-browser-icon-too-similar-safari

[Nathan Haines (nhaines)]

Oliver, I'm not sure that an opinion column written about this bug is relevant here. We don't want to do what the "media" think is a good option, we want to do what's best for the Ubuntu Browser project.

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

I must say I was somewhat surprised about the article, but not quite as surprised as I am that this has been left for so long and even went through a redesign without addressing the problem.

[radicsge (radicsge)]

Im not a designer, but an idea could be to have a flying ship (caravel) above the clouds.
Ship is associated with bringing you somewhere and cloud with the net. Im not aware of similar icons anyhere. (flying ship was a strong unit in the master of magic).

Attached two quick scratches for demo.

[radicsge (radicsge)]

sketches :)

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

I linked to the OMG Ubuntu article because I think that this bug deserves some attention from design. I too would like to get them to comment on the issue (even if it’s just to dismiss it).

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

why not use the already drawn pictogram for the internet https://design.ubuntu.com/wp-content/uploads/pictogram-internet-orange-hex.svg why are all icons on the phone not meeting the pictogram style?

[Mark Curtis (merkinman)]

Would https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-themes/+bug/1358050 be related to this bug?

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

very much so, and that one is even older and more neglected!

[Matthieu James (tiheum)]

The pictograms have been designed several years ago to support the communication around the Ubuntu brand. Their style is nice but too simple and restrictive to be used to designing a complete and consistent Desktop/Phone OS icon theme. The constraints are simply different.
Regarding the browser icon, I agree that it presents a lot of similarities with the Safari icon but modifying its design is not a high priority for us at the moment. But you can be confident that we are always improving and expanding the Suru icon set (and especially core application icons).

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

if it isn't a priority then lets just slap any old image on it for now and do a new design when it gets to the top of the list. I really don't mind what I click on to launch the browser, I just don't want the project exposed to treble damages from wilful infringement of a trademark that isn't even a very good icon for a browser. *anything* will do.

[Sam Hewitt (snwh)]

Like it or not, Safari and others have defined the generic browser icon metaphor as the world/map + compass and Ubuntu doesn't have the clout in the browser market (like apple, google or mozilla) to drop a branded icon for its browser.

That being said I have modified the existing icon to be "less similar" to Safari (which I think is the main problem people are having): https://raw.githubusercontent.com/snwh/suru-icons/master/Suru/512x512/apps/webbrowser-app.png I'm open to feedback from the design team.

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

You can't just say that Safari has more market recognition so you will use their trademark for your commercial product in the same product class! That is exactly what trademarks are there to prevent and if the intent is to cause confusing that is very problematic. You can certainly use a globe or map, that is a common element going back to NCSA Mosaic and is a hard thing to trademark anyway. I dunno about the north west pointing compass, maybe a trademark lawyer would have an opinion on that. I think I would just replace it with a photo of a cat, that represents the modern internet pretty well.

[Alan Bell (alanbell)]

here you go, one suru folded world map with a black cat silouette based on a public domain and unencumbered image https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P_cat.svg

[Gregory Opera (gregoryopera)]

I agree, it would be *nice* to have something with an "Ubuntu feel" to it... But it's hardly a priority.

There's plenty of other things (such as bookmarks synchronization between a computer and a mobile device) that I'd love to see before the focus is on a new icon.

Of course, the flip side of the argument is that a new icon is one of the easier things to implement in the development of software - why not have a competition (via OMG! Ubuntu! perhaps?) for a new icon?

You don't necessarily need to offer any sort of significant prize - though that would of course, be an incentive - but there would automatically be the honour of being the one whom created to iconic Ubuntu Browser icon which is used going forwards...

I'm not the most artistic person, but I know I would give it a shot.

[Mateo Salta (mateo-salta)]

I think we could at least do some Ubuntu color spicing up on the current one, the map background is nice. But the compass does really look way too close to safari, possible to use ubuntu font shapes and arrows to acheieve the same generic browser metaphor with a unique ubuntu feel. color and style, as the current one looks exactly like a version revision of safari, color and feel like even the shape of the compass needles and their direction.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

> There's plenty of other things (such as bookmarks synchronization
> between a computer and a mobile device) that I'd love to see before
> the focus is on a new icon.

Those tasks are not mutually exclusive: creating a new icon is purely a design task that doesn’t need to involve developers. Input from everyone is of course always welcome, but creating a new icon wouldn’t delay other features and bug fixes in the app itself.