# Avid Reader Theme
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/avid-reader-theme/202156
**Category:** Theme
**Tags:** official, avid-reader-theme
**Created:** [August 30, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/avid-reader-theme/202156 "2021-08-30T18:54:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 1
### Author:  [@Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Discourse)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/avid-reader-theme/202156/1 "2021-08-30T18:54:40Z")
> ⚠ If you installed the theme **before June 7, 2023** , you will need to **reinstall** it using the new repository link on GitHub.
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| :discourse2: | **Summary** | **Avid Reader** is a theme focused on readability, inspired by the look of [Pocket](https://getpocket.com/). |
| 🛠 | **Repository Link** | [https://github.com/discourse/avid-reader](https://github.com/discourse/avid-reader) |
| 📖 | **New to Discourse Themes?** | [Beginner’s guide to using Discourse Themes](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-using-discourse-themes/91966) |
Install this theme
> [@](#):
>
> :discourse2: As this is an #official theme maintained by the Discourse team, #Support issues, #Contribute > Bug reports, #Contribute > UX suggestions, and requests for #Development advice can be made in the respective categories here on Meta, and tagged with the appropriate theme tag. Click on a link below to get one started. 👍
>
> [❓ **Support**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=6&tags=avid-reader-theme "Ask for support on configuring and using the Avid Reader Theme") [🐛 **Bug**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=1&tags=avid-reader-theme "A bug report means something is broken, preventing normal/typical use of the theme") [👀 **UX**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=9&tags=avid-reader-theme "Discussion about the user interface of the Avid Reader Theme, and how features are presented (including language and UI elements)") [🧑🎨 **Dev**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=7&tags=avid-reader-theme "Advice on how to customise this theme for your site")
### Features
We implemented bigger font sizes, more contrast in size between different headings, more space in between lines and a neutral background color for a better reading experience. And there are a few custom icons as well.
# Screenshots
 
# Theme Components
The theme includes the following theme-components:
- [Discourse Clickable Topic Component](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-clickable-topic)
- [Versatile Banner](https://github.com/tshenry/discourse-versatile-banner.git) by @tshenry
For Versatile Banner, we are using only a few features to have a simple welcome message with a description only at the homepage. You can check the screenshot below to replicate our settings for it:
> **See complete settings for Versatile Banner**
>
> 
And here is the code we used for our welcome message + description:
```plaintext
Your Welcome Message
A brief description of what your Discourse is all about
```
# Our Recommendations
If you want to have your Discourse to look just like the live preview, besides implementing the setting for Versatile Banner above, these were our choices for some of the Admin settings.
## Category style
We prefer the category style to be **bar** instead of the default bullet. This can be changed in:
> Admin \> Settings \> Basic Setup \> category style \> bar
## Desktop category page style
We opted to use the ‘boxes’ option for the Categories page. This can be changes in:
> Admin \> Settings \> Basic Setup \> desktop category page style \> boxes with subcategories
## Category colors
We made a color palette for category colors that we feel works nicely with the rest of the theme.
> **See HEX Color Values**
>
> ```plaintext
> #8ECEA0
> #20A9AB
> #946F96
> #CF9D2B
> #366B80
> #F69A9B
> #9FD8DF
> #00917C
> #F27072
> #C1CEBF
> #6B7AA1
> #F4D6A2
> #F0C928
> #C6B4CE
> #65516B
> #C56183
>
> ```
You can add these HEX values in:
> Admin \> Settings \> Basic Setup \> category colors
# Remove user card background setting
The theme does have one setting which might be a bit controversial. It is called ‘hide user card background’ and what it does is make it so that user card backgrounds are just white. We feel like even with the strong overlay Discourse uses by default, user cards backgrounds sometimes are a bit noisy.
But this does limit an aspect of user self expression. We opted to leave it as a setting, up to the Admin to decide.
 
* * *
This is our very first theme and really the first real thing we do coding wise. We hope you enjoy it and we are more than happy to hear any feedback the community has. Thanks to Discourse for supporting this work!
> :discourse2: **Hosted by us?** Themes are available to use on our Standard, Business, and Enterprise plans.
> Last edited by @JammyDodger 2024-06-17T11:27:41Z
>
> > **Check document**
> >
> > Perform check on document:
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_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/avid-reader-theme/202156)._