Elementary is one of my favorite themes for Ubuntu. However in a recent update, panel has been changed to a darker color. I loved the light color and do not particularly like the new darker color.

Note: If you want to install Elementary, refer to this article.

If you are like me and want to change to a lighter color, you would be happy to know that it can be done very easily. Just follow these steps:

Open the terminal or press ALT+F2. Type (or copy and paste) the command given below and hit Enter.

gksu gedit /usr/share/themes/elementary/gtk-2.0/gtkrc

Now, find the line that says

include "Apps/panel-dark.rc"

and replace it with

include "Apps/panel.rc"

Save the file and close it.
Now logout and login again. You will get the light panel back.

[via WebUpd8]