Why Awaken Journal looks soft: themes, dark mode, fonts and the Awaken-Morphism slider

The short answer: Awaken Journal is built from soft shapes that rise out of the page or sink into it. Things you tap rise up, like keys. Places you write sink in, like a page pressed by a pen. You can change all of it in Global Settings → Customisation: a font, a colour theme, a slider for how deep the soft look goes, and Light, Dark or System. This post explains the look, then walks through each setting.

The last post was about choosing which modules you see. This one is about how they look.

1 · Why it looks soft

Look at any page and you'll see two kinds of shapes:

• Raised: buttons, cards and pills sit up off the page, with a soft shadow under them. These are the things you tap.
• Sunken: the boxes you type into, and the tracks of switches and sliders, are pressed into the page. These are where you write or choose.

So you can tell what's tappable without reading a label. Everything is the same colour as the page, so nothing shouts. The look comes from light and shadow, not from bright colours or borders.

2 · Where to change it

Tap ☰, then the gear at the bottom of the sidebar, then Customisation. There are four groups, top to bottom:

• Awaken Fonts
• Awaken Themes
• Awaken-Morphism
• Appearance

Every change shows straight away. There's nothing to save.

3 · The Awaken-Morphism slider: how deep the soft look goes

Slide it and the whole app changes as you move, everywhere at once. There are six steps, and the name shows under the slider:

• Gone: flat. No shadows at all; a thin line keeps every edge visible.
• Lite: a gentle hint of depth.
• Founder: the depth we designed it with. This is where everyone starts.
• Pro, Max, Ultra: deeper and deeper shadows, for people who like the pressed-in feel.

Above the slider are two samples, one Raised and one Sunken. They're drawn with the same shadows as the rest of the app, so they always show what you'll get.

In dark mode, the slider doesn't change the depth yet: dark has its own fixed shadows.

4 · Awaken Themes: four colours

Tap Change Theme and pick one. A theme sets the main colour and the page behind it:

• Awaken Blue: deep indigo on soft violet-white. This is where everyone starts.
• Awaken Clay: warm terracotta on quiet cream.
• Awaken Ocean: a muted blue-green, like still water.
• Awaken Forest: deep green on pale leaf-white.

Each name in the list is written in its own colour, so you can see it before you pick.

5 · Awaken Fonts: the voice of the page

Tap Change Font. Each name in the list is written in its own font, so the list is a sample of itself:

• SF Pro Display: Apple's own font. Crisp and neutral, it steps back and lets the writing carry the page. This is where everyone starts on the web app.
• Inter: made for screens, easy to read at small sizes. The starting font on Android.
• Lexend: shaped to make reading feel easier. Open and unhurried, kind to long entries.
• American Typewriter: looks like struck keys. Turns your page into something typed.

On a computer or phone that doesn't have SF Pro or American Typewriter, you'll see the closest match. On Android the list is Inter, Lexend and Typewriter.

6 · Appearance: Light, Dark or System

Under Appearance, pick one of three:

• Light: this is where everyone starts.
• Dark: the whole app goes dark, easier on the eyes at night.
• System: follows your phone or computer, so it switches when your device does.

On Android there's also a quick sun or moon button beside the gear in the sidebar.

7 · Your look stays on each device

Fonts, themes, the slider and Appearance are saved on the device you're using. So your phone can be Forest in dark mode while your laptop stays Blue in light. (Which modules are on is different: that follows your account, as the last post explains.)

Check it yourself

1. Tap ☰, then the gear, then Customisation.
2. Drag the Awaken-Morphism slider all the way left to Gone, then all the way right to Ultra. Watch the samples and the page change. Put it back on Founder if you like.
3. Tap Change Theme and pick Awaken Forest. The whole app turns green.
4. Under Appearance, tap Dark, then Light to come back.

Quick answers

How do I turn on dark mode in Awaken Journal?

Global Settings → Customisation → Appearance → Dark. Or pick System to follow your phone.

How do I make the app look flat?

Slide Awaken-Morphism all the way left, to Gone.

Can I change the font?

Yes: Global Settings → Customisation → Awaken Fonts → Change Font.

Why didn't my phone change when I changed my laptop?

Your look is saved on each device, so each one keeps its own.

Why doesn't the slider do anything in dark mode?

Dark mode has its own fixed shadows for now. The slider changes the light look.

Is it the same on iPhone?

The iPhone app is being built with the same settings.

Where to go next

Back to Chapter 3 for the rest of the tour.