docs/html/design/style/themes.jd

page.title=Themes
@jd:body

<div class="layout-content-row">
  <div class="layout-content-col span-5">

    <img src="{@docRoot}design/media/themes_holo_light.png">
    <div class="figure-caption">
      Gmail in Holo Light.
    </div>

    <img src="{@docRoot}design/media/themes_holo_dark.png">
    <div class="figure-caption">
      Settings in Holo Dark.
    </div>

  </div>
  <div class="layout-content-col span-7">

<p>Themes are Android's mechanism for applying a consistent style to an app or activity.
The style specifies the visual properties of the elements that make up your user interface,
such as color, height, padding and font size. To promote greater cohesion between all apps
on the platform, Android provides two system themes that you can choose from when building apps:</p>
<ul>
<li>Holo Light</li>
<li>Holo Dark</li>
</ul>
<p>Applying these themes will go a long way in helping you to build apps that fit right into the
general visual language of Android.</p>
<p>Pick the system theme that best matches the needs and design aesthetics for your app. If your
desire is to have a more distinct look for your app, using one of the system themes as a starting
point for your customizations is a good idea. The system themes provide a solid foundation on top
of which you can selectively implement your own visual stylings.</p>

<div class="note develop">
<p><strong>Developer Guide</strong></p>
  <p>For information about how to apply themes such as Holo Light and Dark, and 
  how to build your own themes, see the
  <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/ui/themes.html">Styles and Themes</a> API guide.</p>
</div>

  </div>
</div>