---
id: AP-1
title: Appearance
group: Appearance
summary: Light and dark, the account's theme and each streamline's; on the Mac the Style page with your own themes
keywords: [appearance, theme, themes, color, color, font, fonts, text size, dark mode, light mode, style, theme builder, new theme, import theme, palette]
---

Streamliner follows your device's light or dark appearance. Its own theme is **Base**, black and white, until you pick another under **Style**. The app's theme dresses the sidebar or list, the pages and settings; each streamline wears a theme of its own: its chats, cards, buttons and your messages are drawn in it, so you can tell Register from Approvals at a glance.

## Where the streamlines' themes come from

- **In an organization,** your organization chooses each streamline's theme: usually one brand theme with a different color per streamline, sometimes a whole different theme for one of them. They are the same on everyone's device; only its owners and admins can propose a change (AP-2).
- **On this device (free),** you choose each streamline's look: its icon and color, and its **Theme**: **Follow the account**, **Own color** (a color you pick), or a whole theme. See A streamline's theme (AP-2).
- Secure forms, secure views and questions a server asks you are never themed: their lock, title and footer always look the same, so you can always recognize one.

## Style

**Style** (in the sidebar on the Mac and iPad, in the list on the iPhone; its row shows the theme the app is wearing) has two tabs.

**Themes.** Pick the app's theme under **System Themes**: Base, Quiet, Harbour, Refined Calm, Amber, Paperwhite or Nord. In an organization, its own themes are offered too. A one-sided theme is marked *Light only* or *Dark only* and keeps its look whatever your device's appearance.

- **New Theme…** under **Make One** opens the theme builder, starting from a copy of the theme you are wearing. Name it, choose *Light and dark*, *Light only* or *Dark only*, and set the colors you care about (ground, card, lines, text, quiet text, accent, and the three status colors); the rest is worked out from them, and text always keeps its contrast. The **Preview** follows every change. **Save** keeps it under **My Themes**; **Cancel** puts everything back.
- Your own themes can be edited and deleted, and every theme copied as JSON to send to someone. **Import Theme** takes such JSON and makes a new theme from it, never overwriting one of yours.

**Text.** Choose faces and a size for the whole app:

- **Body**, for everything except code: System, System Rounded, System Serif, Avenir Next, Helvetica Neue, Gill Sans or Georgia.
- **Mono**, for code, numbers and aligned chrome: System Mono, Menlo or Courier.
- **Size**, as a percentage.

A **Preview** shows the result as you choose. Faces and size are this device's own choice, never part of a theme. The iPhone also draws everything a third larger than the Mac (GS-7).

Each streamline's card wears the theme chosen for it, whichever app theme you pick, so the cards stay distinct. To change one, use its Theme card (AP-2).

## What to watch for

Every theme keeps text readable on whatever it sits on: colors are adjusted, if needed, to keep a clear contrast, and more so when **Increase Contrast** is on in your device's accessibility settings. A theme can change how the app looks, never what it says.