Choose a website theme
A theme decides how your whole website looks: its layout, colours, fonts and buttons. Switching theme never changes your words or pictures. This page is for website editors (admins with Website editor switched on).
- Open Website and choose the Theme tab.
- Click a theme’s card. The preview shows your own pages in that theme. Nothing changes yet: it says “Preview only: nothing changes until you use it.” On a phone, swipe the cards sideways to see them all.
- To see another page in the preview, choose it under Page.
- When you like one, press Use and the theme’s name (for example Use Meridian). Its card now says In use now and your draft uses it. It’s saved straight away.
- Press Publish to show it on your live site. Until then, the note at the top says “Publish to show it on your live site.”
Using a new theme starts it with that theme’s own colours and fonts. If you had changed the colours of your old theme, those changes don’t carry over. To change colours, fonts or the logo, press Change colours, fonts and logo (see Colours, fonts and logo).
The themes
Section titled “The themes”| Theme | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Meridian | Calm and corporate: navy and teal, clean grids, a framed hero video. |
| Daybreak | Bright and friendly: soft violet, rounded tiles and pill buttons. |
| Nightline | Dark and technical: amber on charcoal, a full-width hero video and live-feel numbers. |
| Freightyard | Bold and industrial: heavy type, hard lines and safety orange. Its moving band of words has a pause button. |
| Evergreen | Warm and natural: forest green on sage, an arched hero and photos beside the services. |
| Atelier | Quiet luxury: serif headings, gold on near-black and plenty of space. |
| A private design | A design made for one company. Only that company sees it, and only if one was made for it. Its colours and fonts are fixed. |
What each button and mark means
Section titled “What each button and mark means”| Button or mark | What it does |
|---|---|
| In use now | The theme your draft uses. |
| Draft (only you can see this) | A theme still being checked. Only the platform admin sees it. |
| Use theme name | Use this theme for your draft. Your live site changes only when you Publish. |
| Page | Choose which of your pages the preview shows. |
| Change colours, fonts and logo | Open Colours, fonts and logo. Not shown for a private design. |
There is also a theopsroom theme. It belongs to the platform’s own website and is never offered to an operator (see Edit the theopsroom website).
Hero videos
Section titled “Hero videos”Every theme can play a short video in the top (hero) section of a page. Add one in that section’s Background video, next to its Photo (the photo is needed too). Phones and people who turn on their device’s reduce-motion setting see the section’s photo instead, so the page stays quick and calm.
If something goes wrong
Section titled “If something goes wrong”| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “Your own design: colours and fonts are fixed. Pick a theme to recolour it.” | Your site uses a private design made for your company. | Nothing is wrong. Pick another theme only if you want a new look. |
| “That theme isn’t available” | The theme was taken out of the list. | Pick another theme. A site that already uses a theme keeps it. |
| A theme you used before is missing from the cards | It was hidden from the list, and nothing on your site uses it any more. | A hidden theme still shows while your draft, your live site or any kept version uses it. Once nothing uses it, it no longer shows. |