Folks, I think Kora might be one of the best icon themes for Ubuntu (and other Linux distros) I’ve seen in a long, long time.
Certainly this year.
Kora isn’t newly new. I bet some of you reading this very post are already using it — why didn’t you tell me about it?! 😭 I only discovered it today via Reddit and no lie: I’m seriously impressed. I particularly like that on a stock Ubuntu install nearly every (non-branded) icon gets a Kora revamp.
The comprehensive coverage means even on relatively vanilla Ubuntu install switching to the Kora icon pack delivers an instant, dramatic re-do:
Don’t get me wrong: I love all of those flat Linux icon themes. Those simple 2D glyphs and limited colour palettes appeal to me as much as the next nerd. But as a contrast, Kora is a veritable breath of fresh air. It’s not afraid of shadowing, or gradients, or letting icons “escape” the bounds of a uniform style.
Neatly, the Kora icon pack works with the Folder Color tool. This means you can get colourful and expressive with your project folders if Kora’s stock blue hue isn’t quite you (though if it isn’t, there are separate Kora versions using different folder colours).
Changing icon set is a such an easy, and effective way to personalise and customise Ubuntu (or any Linux desktop). And switching to a superbly designed set like this one exemplifies that point entirely.
Want to use the Kora icon set on Ubuntu? You’ll need to download the master ZIP archive from Kora’s Github page and, once the download completes, extract the archive. Then move or copy the 4 named folders inside to the ~/.local/share/icons/ folder (to see hidden files press ctrl + h)
If the “icons” folder doesn’t exist you can go ahead and create it (remembering to be case sensitive) and drop the aforementioned folders in there.
Once done, change icon theme using the indispensable GNOME Tweaks tool.