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As many of you are aware Canonical recently updated the logo for Ubuntu. With this update came a request from Canonical to update the banner logo as well as the trademark copy in the footer of the page. Here is a preview of what the new logo will look like:

Ask Ubuntu Logo

You should expect to see these updates on the site on January 9, 2023. We hope you like the mini face lift. Let us know if you have any questions.

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    That looks great - just a question, what will the new Meta AU banner logo look like?
    – cocomac
    Commented Jan 5, 2023 at 17:44
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    Having obtained insight into the challenges of updating brand identity from Canonical themselves (See my comments on the posted response below), I would like to offer a reminder that please update the logo also in the corresponding SE chat / chatroom interfaces: chat.stackexchange.com/?tab=site&host=askubuntu.com Thank you!
    – Levente
    Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 19:34
  • Why isn't the logo updated on Canonical's website? I still see the old logo.. 🤔
    – Artur Meinild
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 21:29
  • Nice! :D this is great
    – William Martens
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 15:25
  • Great!(Cause it looks much better) but also not great (Because of inconsistencies)
    – Rishon_JR
    Commented Jan 22, 2023 at 12:04
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    Rosie, please consider looking into this while you are updating logos: Change the Launchpad logo on Ask Ubuntu's Contact and Login pages
    – Random Person
    Commented Jan 30, 2023 at 15:28

3 Answers 3

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It feels weird to see Ubuntu capitalised when:

  1. The current AU logo doesn't have it capitalised:

    Ask Ubuntu logo screenshot

  2. The Ubuntu website doesn't have it capitalised, as can be seen on https://ubuntu.com:

    screenshot of Ubuntu logo from ubuntu.com

    or in the assets downloadable from https://canonical.com/press-centre

Did Canonical request that it be capitalised?

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    Looks like Canonical has some homework to complete, regarding carrying out an apparent brand identity update. I have found inconsistent capitalization on this page (in the top row "The logo" vs "Ubuntu partner logos"): design.ubuntu.com/brand . Additionally, this page has the downloadable logo capitalized: design.ubuntu.com/downloads (filename: Ubuntu logo 2022).
    – Levente
    Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 13:37
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    Even the ubuntu.com landing page's header (randomized content, upon page load) can produce 2 Ubuntu logo instances within it, with inconsistent capitalization: i.sstatic.net/S7BqQ.png
    – Levente
    Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 13:47
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    Sorry, my last message about this, here's a stable page reliably representing the inconsistent branding: ubuntu.com/certified
    – Levente
    Commented Jan 7, 2023 at 13:00
  • I believe ubuntu.com is still using the old logo. That's why it's not capitalized. The circle of friends logo is the new logo is also different. The "friends" are in the circle instead of being just outside of it: new vs old
    – Dan
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 8:29
  • @Dan wasn't that change made months ago? I think this is a new change
    – muru
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 9:16
  • @muru This was just an observation of mine, as I saw the website still uses the same branding we have on Ask Ubuntu. So I just assumed everything in my previous comment. Tbh, I didn't know anything about any rebranding until a few days ago when Rosie posted this post.
    – Dan
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 13:01
  • Related articles: canonical.com/blog/a-new-look-for-the-circle-of-friends and omgubuntu.co.uk/2022/03/ubuntu-has-a-brand-new-logo
    – Random Person
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 19:23
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On mobile (iOS, Microsoft Edge), the logo isn’t vertically centered… could the margins be adjusted so it is correctly vertically centered within that orange section…?

enter image description here

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I feel the moderators should have been informed about this prior to changing the logo (before official announcement in meta). I hope they were informed.

With this update came a request from Canonical to update the banner logo as well as the trademark copy in the footer of the page.

While it's normal for companies to ask for changing their logos where old logos are used, Stack Exchange should have thought about this in a different manner when Canonical approached them.

This could have been the perfect time for a new logo for our site, which could have been created by the Ask Ubuntu community, and maybe even a site redesign. I know that site redesign is quite a time-consuming process, but letting the users choose a new logo would have been a better choice.

And this kinda reminds me of my old question. For how long is the Canonical sponsorship gonna have strings attached? Now let's say the community decides to change the logo, there was a logo competition organised in meta, and a logo has many upvotes, will the highly upvoted logo be considered as the new logo by Stack Exchange? Or does it require authorisation from Canonical?

I think it's time we rethink about the sponsorship such that AU can be more independent IMO.

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    Has SE ever ran "logo competitions"? They've always used professional designers ...
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 0:40
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    CMs are pretty scrupulous about informing the elected Mods of such changes before a general announcement is made and this was no exception.
    – andrew.46 Mod
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 8:59
  • @AzorAhai-him- well, maybe not logo competitions, but they do take input from the community for logo. Example: islam.meta.stackexchange.com/q/3576
    – Random Person
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 9:21
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    "I think it's time we rethink about the sponsorship such that AU can be more independent" — More independent from whom? Stackexchange? Canonical? And for what purpose? For what benefits? How are those benefits in balance with the entailed challenges and costs?
    – Levente
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 11:09
  • @Levente Independent from Canonical. I feel the sponsorship gives more benefits to Canonical than it does it to AU/SE. Canonical is just promoting Ask Ubuntu as if it's owned by them (and also they're promoting their logo, colour scheme, Code of Conduct). Take a look at this pic. "our Stack Exchange". Canonical does not own our community to call it "our SE". Since the sponsorship is not monetary, I don't think SE would be losing money by ending the agreement. Since there are barely any benefits to AU community from sponsorship, we can function without it.
    – Random Person
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 11:54
  • We are here because we need an OS that we feel is right. Many of us have more than a decade to think back fondly of, thanks to Ubuntu, which we can thank to Canonical. I believe, even if you were in the position to offer us something on par with Ubuntu, posting your initiative as such on this platform would still come across as both distasteful and harmful. You are encouraging this community to disrespect, and alienate itself from the very entity who supplies, since decades, the very subject of our efforts here. I think the entire foundation of your suggestion couldn't be more misguided.
    – Levente
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 22:14
  • I don't agree. Ask Ubuntu is wholly focused on Ubuntu and the Ubuntu community. I personally consider my contributions on Ask Ubuntu to be contributions to Ubuntu and not to Stack Exchange or AU as a standalone entity. I appreciate that Canonical endorses us and allows us to use the trademark and branding. Canonical benefits from having an active community to support their product. We benefit from the legitimacy granted by the endorsement and permission to use the trademarks.
    – Nmath
    Commented Jan 14, 2023 at 3:41
  • @Levente I'm not here to offer a new OS. I'm thankful to Ubuntu and thankful to Canonical for supporting Ubuntu. It's just that I do not like Canonical having influence in AU/SE. That's it.
    – Random Person
    Commented Jan 14, 2023 at 5:54
  • @Nmath I think we have to agree to disagree.
    – Random Person
    Commented Jan 14, 2023 at 5:58
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    "Now let's say the community decides to change the logo, there was a logo competition organised in meta, and a logo has many upvotes, will the highly upvoted logo be considered as the new logo by Stack Exchange?" AFAIK, this has never happened where the community requested to change logo/theme and approved. It's always been staff-initiated. The one you linked is for graduated sites without a site design, where the staff asked for user input. Related on MSE: Can communities come up with their own site design?
    – Andrew T.
    Commented Jan 17, 2023 at 1:54
  • @AndrewT. Thanks for sharing the link... but it's unfortunate that no one answered that question yet :(
    – Random Person
    Commented Jan 17, 2023 at 18:53
  • @AzorAhai-him- Yes, they did. stackoverflow.blog/2009/06/16/…, stackoverflow.blog/2008/04/24/logo-design-contest, stackoverflow.blog/2009/04/04/…
    – Random Person
    Commented Jan 29, 2023 at 8:58
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    Well considering they haven’t in 14 years and have used professional designers many dozens of times since then it probably isn’t worth worrying about that specific hypothetical.
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Jan 29, 2023 at 22:41

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