Journal Themes

Journal Themes let you give each journal its own personality. Pick from a set of beautifully designed color themes and Day One restyles that journal everywhere you see it — the header, your entry list, and the entries themselves.

Classic and Notes are available on all accounts. The other seven themes require a Day One Silver or Gold subscription.

Key Features

Nine theme presets – Classic, Notes, Solarized, Tokyo Night, Everforest, Rosé Pine, Catppuccin, Nord, and Ayu, each with a live preview card.
Per-journal styling – Every journal keeps its own theme, so your travel journal can look completely different from your work log.
Themed entries – Body text, headings, lists, quotes, code, highlights, and links all take on the theme’s palette.
Color and background options – Pair a theme with a journal color (or let the theme’s own accent shine through) and add a header background image.
Light and dark variants – Every theme adapts automatically to your device’s appearance.

How to Get Started

iPhone & iPad

Open the journal you want to style.
Tap the ••• button at the top of the journal.
Tap Journal Settings.

Journal Settings screen on iPhone with the Theme row showing Classic

Tap Theme.
Browse the theme cards — each shows a live preview of how your journal will look — and tap one to select it.

Theme picker on iPhone with the Solarized theme selected and other theme preview cards below

Tap Done. The theme applies immediately across the journal’s header, tabs, and entries.

Journal entry list on iPhone fully styled by the selected theme

You can also choose a theme while creating a new journal — the same Theme option appears in the new-journal settings.

Theme picker open in Journal Settings on iPad

Inside Your Entries

A theme goes deeper than the journal header. The Home, List, Calendar, Media, and Map tabs all pick up the theme, and inside the editor your writing is styled too: headings, bullets, quote bars, inline code and code blocks, highlights, links, hashtags, and audio blocks all follow the theme’s palette.

Entry editor on iPhone showing a heading and bulleted list styled by the theme

Journal Color and the Clear Option

At the top of the theme picker you’ll find a row of Color swatches. Your journal color tints the theme’s accents. Choose the Clear swatch to step back and let each theme’s own signature accent color show instead — the preview cards update so you can see every theme’s true character before you commit.

Theme picker on iPhone with the Clear color swatch selected and theme cards previewing their own accent colors

Adding a Header Background Image

The theme picker also includes a Background Image section. Add a photo and it appears across the top of your journal, with a subtle gradient that keeps the journal name easy to read. Drag the photo to position it, and you can change or remove it any time from the same place.

Journal header on iPhone displaying a custom background photo behind the journal name, with a gradient keeping the title easy to read

Light and Dark Mode

Every theme includes matching light and dark variants. Your journal follows your device’s appearance automatically — no separate setting needed.

Journal on iPhone in dark mode showing the theme's dark variant

Syncing Across Devices

Your theme choice syncs with the journal, so a theme you pick on your iPhone appears on your iPad too.

iPad split view showing the synced theme on the journal list and an open entry

Platform Availability

Journal Themes are currently available on iPhone and iPad. Mac, Android, and Web don’t display themes yet — your choice is saved and syncs, ready for when they do.

FAQ

Does a theme apply to all my journals?

No — themes are per journal. Each journal keeps its own theme, color, and background image.

Will I see my theme on Mac, Android, or the web?

Not yet. Those platforms show the classic Day One look for now, but your theme choice is preserved and will appear when they add support.

Do themes appear in PDF exports or printed books?

No. PDF exports and printed books intentionally keep the classic look so they stay crisp and readable in print. A journal’s color setting doesn’t carry over either. That includes the bright blue divider pages between months in a PDF export — their color is fixed and can’t be changed from Settings > Journals or anywhere else. See PDF export appearance in the Exporting entries guide for what you can adjust.

What happens to my theme if my subscription lapses?

Journals you’ve already themed keep their look. You just won’t be able to select a new subscription-only theme until you resubscribe — Classic and Notes remain available to everyone.

Can I use my own font with a theme?

Not with most themes. Day One has a separate app-wide font setting on iPhone and iPad at Settings > Appearance > Font, but eight of the nine themes set their own font for entry text and override it. Classic is the only theme that keeps the font you chose in Appearance. Your font size setting still applies in every journal, themed or not. See Accessing the Settings in Day One for iOS for the full list of fonts and where to find them.