Gears
Concept
In the naming contest for Fedora 9, Batisphere (see Wikipedia ) was a popular name, second to the final choice, Sulphur. From this "old but cool technology" concept, came the idea to feature the technology aspect of Fedora (technology advancement is one of the primary goals of our distro) by using a steampunk aspect. And as steampunk is represented by steam engines and clockworks, a Gears theme seems fit.
NicuBuculei: with the gears made from yellow metal (gold or bronze) I can see an approach like "the Golden Age of Fedora" or "the Golden Age of Linux" - with the message that we are so confident in our distro that we think Fedora 10 is the distro marking the start of the golden age of Linux (and, of course, the best Fedora yet).
Round 2
Lot of gears
A lot of interconnected gears, forming a very complex machinery. Currently as work-in-progress, with only 2 layers of gears.
Wallpaper
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Lots of Gears - 2 layer Inkscape export Source SVG
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Blue Swirl - Gimp manipulation Source xcf.gz (original SVG from Lots of Gears)
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Golden Gears - Gimp manipulation Source xcf.gz (original SVG from Lots of Gears)
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Large Golden Gear - Gimp manipulation Source xcf.gz ( original SVG from clockwork gold below
Horizontal Graphics
Vertical Graphics
(derived from the wallpaper PNG)
Square Graphic
Source SVG
Source XCF.GZ (for textured plate)
Round 1
Plate
The steampunk concept in a very simple button. It is featured in a metallic looking button with visible banding effect resulted from dithering, purposely used to create a rugged look. The slogan "you can't believe it is man made..." focuses on technology: F10 is so good, unbelievably good.
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears f10 steampunk.png
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears f10 steampunk.svg Source SVG]
Clockwork
Clockworks are an often used steampunk motif, they symbolize technology and perfection. A rough draft (note: those are concepts, not wallpapers, the text added into images help defining the concept. it is not supposed to be used in the final wallpapers, but on complementary graphics, like banners and buttons):
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears clockwork.png
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears clockwork.svg Source SVG]
The draft can evolve in two completely different turns:
Old drawing on old paper:
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears clockwork paper.png
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears clockwork paper.svg Source SVG]
Realistic (golden):
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears clockwork gold.png
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears clockwork gold.svg Source SVG]
Blue
As Fedora's traditional colour is blue and it it part of our identity, neither the golden or paper images above have blue as primary or secondary colour, so here are my attempts to bring some blue.
For the golden clockwork device I think I can cheat: usually the value of a watch is made by the ruby bearings used in it. Ruby is pink/red so not useful, but I can use sapphires, hoping nobody will notice and confuse the gemstones. If that is not enough, I can add some gears made from steel (the pochet watch I used as a visual reference has both bronze and steel gears) and color those steel gears if a gradient of blueish greys instead of just greys. If that is still not enough, I can go over the top and add some big blue elements: a vial filled with blue liquid or a big blue gemstone integrated in the device (but this woulf not make for a good wallpaper image) or a blueish electric arc.
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears gold-blue.jpg
For use - intermediary image which is probably the best:
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears gear cold.png
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears gear cold.png Source SVG]
The paper image is brown and reminds too much of Ubuntu's brown, so it must be somehow turned blue. A possibility is to leave the paper ligt brown and use blue ink - I am not sure if the color fit or if it is blue enough. Another possibility is to make the paper blue, dark blue, for an inverted image - it is blue enough but I am not sure the result still keep the initial "steampunk" targeted feel.
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears paper-blue.jpg
For use - intermediary image which is probably the best:
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears gear blue ink.png
File:Artwork F10Themes Gears gear blue ink.png Source SVG]
Steampunk photography
Around a release,many graphics are used, including photos and with a few GIMP effects we can turn a regular image into a "Steampunk photo" (sepia colors, defocused, artificial ageing):