The default wallpaper set to greet those installing Ubuntu 23.10 ‘Mantic Minotaur’ next month has been unveiled.
Ubuntu 23.10’s default wallpaper and mascot artwork draws heavily on the motifs afforded to it by its mythological moniker – to a greater degree than I think many of us had expected.
Most Ubuntu mascot artwork has, during the past 5 years or so, been fashioned from geometric shapes, simplistic lines, or concentric circles. But Mantic is a far more complex beast. The ‘bull’ head is present but it is not as linearly distinct as mascots past.
Instead, Ubuntu’s designers have chosen to encapsulate the mascot image within a maze1, rather than a labyrinth like the Minotaur of legend. It’s still a clever intertwining and creates a conceptually bold centerpiece for the wallpaper – ancient and classical yet modern and dynamic:
I feel like I say it every 6 months (having checked I don’t) but this addition to the annals of Ubuntu’s default wallpaper looks like the strongest entry in years. Ubuntu art buffs are sure to notice that it’s one of the few modern Ubuntu wallpapers to include the Ubuntu logo itself.
Want to download it to use on your current Ubuntu install?
For once we don’t have to wait for the wallpaper to be packaged up and pushed out to daily builds of Ubuntu 23.10.
You can use it today. How? By downloading the Ubuntu 23.10 wallpaper (in up-to 4K resolution in all manner of sizes and variants) directly from Google Drive.
There are other goodies offered in the cloud directory too, including editable SVG files and cute animated bumpers ideal for plastering all over your social media accounts.
Let me know what you think of the Mantic Minotaur’s manifestation down in the comments – but do keep any criticism (not that art as nice as this warrants any) constructive rather than caustic.
- This explainer details the difference between a maze and a labyrinth ↩︎