Re: [Ayatana] message indicator.(colour palette)

[Jan-Christoph Borchardt <jan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 1 April 2010 11:06, Luke Benstead <kazade@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 1 April 2010 10:52, Thorsten Wilms <t_w_@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Thu, 2010-04-01 at 10:02 +0100, Mark Shuttleworth wrote:
>
>> There should be a rationale and guidance for the use of the various
>> colours. For example, red is clearly an alert colour, as is orange. When
>> would one use red and when orange? Both indicate a caution or warning.
>> Green indicates something that one should be aware of that is NOT a
>> warning or caution, such as a message. So I would expect the document to
>> include:
>
> Leaving color-deficient-vision issues aside (the usual advice is to not
> rely on color alone, but to use other clues such as shape):
>
> Red is used to mean Stop on traffic signs and lights. It stands for
> record armed or in progress in the audio realm.
>
> I'd use orange for warnings and red for state or use only one of the 2.
>
> Taking from traffic and audio again, green stands for go!, you-can-pass,
> playing (playback, not toys). It shouldn't be used if something is not
> in an all-OK state, I think.

Also, someone mentioned (I can't remember where, a forum or something)
that Blue is usually associated with conveying general information
which is certainly the case for road signs in the UK at least, and
searching Google images for "information icon" comes up with a load of
Blue icons :)

I'd suggest that Blue makes more sense for something like "new mail"
rather than Green.

e.g.

Red = Error/Alert
Orange/Amber = Warning (it could be argued that restart required
belongs here really (e.g. security update))
Blue = Information (e.g new mail)
Green = It's OK for you to go ahead and do something (e.g. signing
into something)

Although +1 for the icons changing with the colour.

Indeed, Blue seems to be more of a passive color. It is informing, not necessarily demanding to take action. (True for German road signs as well.)

Plus, the standard link color is Blue. Though this may be a counter-point to the »not demanding to take action«.

It also is neither positive nor negative (e. g. new mails are not always good).

Colors mixed with Blue have a similar effect on the base color, making it less active: Green -> Turquoise; Red -> Purple (already used ;D).