Skip to main content

Your submission was sent successfully! Close

Thank you for signing up for our newsletter!
In these regular emails you will find the latest updates from Canonical and upcoming events where you can meet our team.Close

Thank you for contacting us. A member of our team will be in touch shortly. Close

An error occurred while submitting your form. Please try again or file a bug report. Close

  1. Blog
  2. Article

Canonical
on 21 September 2011




To celebrate Software Freedom Day 2011 we got sent one of the banners showing the new SFD logo. The logo design is based around a custom-modified version of the Ubuntu Font Family (the fonts come with source code, and modification is allowed as long as you follow the rules).

There are some photographs showing the development of the logo components, and how it even includes the subtle outline of Tux the penguin, the mascot of the Linux kernel that forms the base layer of the Ubuntu operating system and other Free Software distributions.

Frederic Muller has added more details are on bug #838287, and there’s a case study of the modifications changed from Ubuntu Bold Italic when making the Software Freedom Day logo. Photos from SFD2011 events around the world are starting to appear on Flickr.

Marcus Haslam, brand lead for the Ubuntu project reminds everyone that if you’re representing the Ubuntu brand itself, you must only use an unmodified version of the Ubuntu typeface. This is to keep consistency across the brand.

Related posts


Lyubomir Popov
17 February 2025

A deep dive into our grid system and typography for the A4 format

Ubuntu Article

We recently redesigned our whitepapers as part of our broader rebranding project. Let’s look at some of the ideas behind our approach to layout and typography. The goal? A reliable, accessible modular system that communicates with clarity, purpose and precision across mediums — qualities that tie directly back to our brand values. Context ...


Graham Morrison
18 December 2025

Design and Documentation clinics at FOSDEM Fringe 2026

Ubuntu Article

FOSDEM is one of the biggest and most exciting open source events of the year, held at the Solbosch campus of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels), Belgium. Thousands of open source contributors and enthusiasts attend, often with several folks from Canonical among them. The next one is coming quickly, with FOSDEM 2026 being held ...


Miguel Divo
21 November 2025

Open design: the opportunity design students didn’t know they were missing

Design Design

What if you could work on real-world projects, shape cutting-edge technology, collaborate with developers across the world, make a meaningful impact with your design skills, and grow your portfolio… all without applying for an internship or waiting for graduation? That’s what we aim to do with open design: an opportunity for universities ...