The theme of a story includes everything from its background and recommended colors to the size and style of its fonts to the symbols in the express maps. Themes blend all of these elements together. ArcGIS StoryMaps offers one-click themes so you can use a predefined visual style for all elements in a story. Authors can also customize certain elements of a theme to change the specific look and feel of the story.
Change the theme
If you want to change the visual style of your story, you can change the theme, which switches the colors, fonts, and other themed elements of the story. You can change the story's theme in the story builder's Design panel.
Use the following steps to change the theme:
- Click Design in the header to display the Design panel. The current theme card is highlighted in the panel under the Theme section.
- Click the theme you want to apply to your story.
- Click outside the panel or click the close button to close the Design panel.
The selected theme is active, and all of the visual elements associated with the new theme are applied.
Note:
The font pairing of Avenir and Noto Serif is best for stories written in a language other than English. If you are authoring a story in a non-English language, and using a theme other than Summit, you may get better results if you select the Avenir and Noto Serif font pairing in the Design panel.
Customize a theme
You can customize a theme by overriding certain elements of the theme in your story. For example, you can change the story's accent color, add your own logo in the header, and switch the font pairing. These customizations enable you to author story maps that match your organization's branding guidelines or better fit the tone of your story. When you customize a story theme, the changes persist through future theme changes. For example, if you change the default font pairing, the new font pairing will still be selected if you choose another theme. Explore the theme customization options under the Customize section of the Design panel.
Use themes with express maps
Express maps are designed to match the look and feel of a story by adopting elements from the selected theme. For example, each theme includes a curated set of basemaps for express maps that complement the story's colors and fonts. Additionally, the theme's recommended and custom accent colors can be assigned as layer colors for the drawn features on express maps. For more information, see Add maps.