Themes

Make it your own.

All people want to express themselves. Mobile device users can easily do just that with themes, which let them change the on-screen look and feel of their devices. That's why themes are among the fastest-growing types of mobile device media.

For graphic designers and artists, themes offer some of the easiest and potentially most lucrative ways to enter the mobile market. It's easy to create themes by using Carbide.ui in conjunction with any bitmap or vector graphics and audio editor.

Learn more about themes from these key Forum Nokia resources:

Documentation
Tools
Wiki
Discussion Board
Go to Market

What is a theme?

A theme is a package of graphics and audio that can replace the default look and sound of the user interface on a Series 40 or S60 device. Themes may modify almost all visual and aural aspects of the UI. Visual changes range from mere colour adjustment to the addition of animated graphics for backgrounds and icons. Audio may be attached to events such as alarms, and it can be created in any format supported by the Series 40 platform or the S60 platform.

As a designer, you can use themes to play with many interface possibilities. For instance, the latest version of the Carbide.ui Theme Edition tool supports several new theme elements for the Series 40 UI. Now you can use items such as virtual buttons and scroll bars, and you can dim lists and menu screens. For the latest S60 devices, Carbide.ui plug-ins offer such new theme elements as e-mail pop-up and enhanced calendar features for the Nokia E71 multimedia computer.

Why should I create themes?

The market for mobile content is expanding rapidly as consumers seek more personalisation options for their mobile devices. Themes enable users to publicly declare their passions: The possibilities — such as displaying a beautiful image or showing support for a favourite sports team — are bounded only by the imagination.

For businesses, themes offer opportunities for promotion and building brand awareness. A theme can be used to create a fully branded user experience, in which corporate identity permeates all aspects of a consumer's mobile phone use.

It's easy to start creating themes. Theme creation requires very little new learning — a person who already creates digital content probably has the right skills to create impressive graphics and audio for themes. Best of all, Carbide.ui Theme Edition, which is used to create theme packages, is available from Forum Nokia free of charge.

How do I create themes?

Creating themes is straightforward with Carbide.ui Theme Edition, which enables you to add graphics, colours, and sounds to Series 40 and S60 UIs.

To make things easier, you can integrate your favourite tools for editing bitmap graphics, SVGT graphics, and audio with Carbide.ui Theme Edition. Carbide.ui includes a QuickStart guide and tutorials to help you get started. If you need more help, you might want to watch some Carbide.ui screencasts, such as Getting Started with Carbide.ui S60 Theme Edition and Editing Themes with Carbide.ui S60 Theme Edition.

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