Title: twenty-twenty-one – Make WordPress Core --- # Tag Archives: twenty-twenty-one [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/poena/) [Carolina Nymark](https://profiles.wordpress.org/poena/) 2:37 pm _on_ November 10, 2020 Tags: [bundled-theme ( 84 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), [dark mode ( 2 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dark-mode/), twenty-twenty- one    # 󠀁[Twenty Twenty-One Dark Mode update](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/11/10/twenty-twenty-one-dark-mode-update/)󠁿 WordPress 5.6 is closing in on BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 4, and we are at a point where a final decision needs to be made about whether to include the Dark Mode functionality in the default theme, or whether it should ship separately in a pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.. With this post, we are asking for your feedback, and ways that we can improve the user experience. Since [the last discussion](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/10/22/twenty-twenty-one-dark-mode-discussion/), the Dark Mode functionality has been placed back into the theme to make it easier to test. Two test scrubs have been completed and we have listened to the feedback and tried to make the setting easier to use. **Changes include:** * Dark Mode Support is opt-in. * The button used to turn Dark Mode on or off was removed from the blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor. * In the CustomizerCustomizer Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings. and on the front, the button is now placed at the bottom right (left on RTL). The button is hidden when you scroll down to not distract from reading. * We renamed the Customizer section to “Colors & Dark Mode” to make the setting easier to find. * The description in the Customizer was updated and includes a link to the themes support page. * A notice in the Customizer has been removed. * The Privacy Policy has been updated with information about LocalStorage. **Dark Mode Walkthrough** To test the latest changes, you need to download the development version of the theme from the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone). Install and activate the theme. The colors will be the default mint green background and dark text. Go to the Customizer and open the Colors & Dark Mode panel: ![Customizer panels.](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2020/11/TT1-customizer- 1.png) Here you can customize the background color. If the background is light, a dark text color is used. If the background is changed to dark, the text color is white and the Dark Mode Support option is hidden. ![The Dark Mode option is a checkbox below the color picker for the Background Color.]( https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2020/11/TT1-customizer-2.png) The Dark Mode Support option is opt-in. When the option is enabled: * The colors respects the device settings. * A new button is visible on the front and in the Customizer. This button is used to turn Dark Mode on or off. This means that site owners and visitors can choose their preference independent of their device settings. * The same colors are used on the front, editor, and Customizer. When Dark Mode is on, a dark grey background color is used. Images and borders also have a lower contrast. When Dark Mode is off, the color in the background color option is used for the light background. [#bundled-theme](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), [#dark-mode](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dark-mode/), [#twenty-twenty-one](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/twenty-twenty-one/) [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/monikarao/) [Monika Rao](https://profiles.wordpress.org/monikarao/) 8:58 am _on_ November 6, 2020 Tags: [5.6 ( 85 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-6/), [bug scrub ( 85 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bug-scrub/), [test ( 16 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/test/), twenty-twenty-one    # 󠀁[Twenty Twenty-One Test Scrub](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/11/06/test-scrub-for-twenty-twenty-one-beta-three/)󠁿 As part of the 5.6 release, we’ll be hosting a **Twenty Twenty-One focused test scrub** today [Friday, November 6, 2020, 13:30 UTC](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20201106T1330) in the [#core](https://app.slack.com/client/T024MFP4J/C02RQBWTW) channel on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/). ## What we will test 1. UXUX User experience/UIUI User interface of **dark-mode**, in particular, https:// github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/790 2. Bugs that need testing after WordPress 5.6 Beta 3: https://core.trac.wordpress. org/tickets/needs-testing – those marked as “Next release” ## How we will test * We will go through each item as a group. * We will create a thread in Slack for each items where you can post the results. This will make it easier to reply in the existing issues or create new ones. What do you need to test * [WordPress 5.6 Beta 3](https://wordpress.org/news/2020/11/wordpress-5-6-beta-3/) installed * To test TracTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. patches, you need a development environment - https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/testing/patch/ - https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/09/29/test-scrub-for-wordpress-5-6/#comment- 39945 See you later! [#5-6](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-6/), [#bug-scrub](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bug-scrub/), [#test](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/test/), [#twenty-twenty-one](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/twenty-twenty-one/) [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/monikarao/) [Monika Rao](https://profiles.wordpress.org/monikarao/) 10:01 am _on_ October 30, 2020 Tags: [5.6 ( 85 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-6/), [bug scrub ( 85 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bug-scrub/), [test ( 16 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/test/), twenty-twenty-one    # 󠀁[Twenty Twenty-One Test Scrub](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/10/30/test-scrub-for-twenty-twenty-one-beta-two/)󠁿 As part of the 5.6 release, we’ll be hosting a **Twenty Twenty-One focused test scrub** today [Friday, October 30, 2020, 13:30 UTC](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20201030T1330) in the [#core](https://app.slack.com/client/T024MFP4J/C02RQBWTW) channel on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/). ## What we will test 1. **Image blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.**: [https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/737](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/737)– to test this issue, you need WP 5.6 BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 2 + [latest version (trunk) of the theme](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/archive/trunk.zip) 2. **Dark-mode toggle:** [https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone-dark-mode/issues/1#issuecomment-718679339](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone-dark-mode/issues/1#issuecomment-718679339)– to test this issue, you need WP 5.6 Beta 2 + [latest version (trunk) of the theme](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/archive/trunk.zip) + [dark mode toggle plugin](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone-dark-mode/archive/trunk.zip) 3. **2 untested blocks > Group and column** [https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/72](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/72) ## How we will test * We will go through each item as a group. * We will create a thread in Slack for each items where you can post the results. This will make it easier to reply in the existing issues or create new ones. See you later! [#5-6](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-6/), [#bug-scrub](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bug-scrub/), [#test](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/test/), [#twenty-twenty-one](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/twenty-twenty-one/) [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) [Mel Choyce-Dwan](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) 2:26 pm _on_ October 22, 2020 Tags: [bundled-theme ( 84 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), [dark mode ( 2 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dark-mode/), twenty-twenty- one    # 󠀁[Twenty Twenty-One: Dark Mode Discussion](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/10/22/twenty-twenty-one-dark-mode-discussion/)󠁿 [Yesterday in #core-themes](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RP4VMP/p1603294484103600), we discussed [Dark Mode](https://css-tricks.com/a-complete-guide-to-dark-mode-on-the-web/) support for Twenty Twenty-One. Dark Mode is a setting in some operating systems and browsers that allows individual users to request a “dark” version of the website they’re browsing. * [⌊Default (Light Mode)⌉⌊Default (Light Mode)⌉[ * Default (Light Mode) * [⌊Dark Mode⌉⌊Dark Mode⌉[ * Dark Mode Dark Mode support was added to Twenty Twenty-One during its development phase, and needs testing and refinement during BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. for it to be successful. Unsurprisingly, it’s a pretty complicated feature to wrap one’s head around. There are a lot of conditionals and remaining questions we need to solve. ## Dark/Light Toggle We’ve built in a CustomizerCustomizer Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings. setting that lets site owners opt their sites out of supporting Dark Mode, for greater design control. Additionally, we’re considering adding a front-end toggle so site viewers can turn Dark Mode on/off, regardless of their OS/Browser preference. This setting would only show if a site allows Dark Mode support. The idea of a toggle to turn Dark Mode on and off on the user side has been brought up a number of times in issues. [There’s currently a PR to explore how it would work in Twenty Twenty-One](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/pull/622). Today’s discussion focused around the intersection of this setting, along with the ability to disable Dark Mode entirely. Dark Mode support is a good accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Accessibility) improvement; some folks, for example, enable Dark Mode because they are sensitive to bright lights, or find find dark color schemes less of an eye strain. We identified five possible scenarios: ### Option 1 * Allow site owners to disable all dark mode support on their site, regardless of what the user has selected in their OS/browser. * If enabled, allow site viewers to toggle dark mode on/off while viewing the site. * **Pros**: - Offers the most balanced amount of control for both site owners and site viewers. * **Cons**: - Allows site owners to remove an accessibility feature. ### Option 2 * Allow site owners to disable all dark mode support on their site, regardless of what the user has selected in their OS/browser. * Don’t allow site viewers to toggle dark mode on/off while viewing the site. * **Pros**: - Less visual clutter on the front-end of the site. * **Cons**: - Site viewers who prefer Dark Mode might have situations where they’d prefer to toggle Light Mode, and vice-versa; for example, a change in lighting conditions. ### Option 3 * Don’t allow owners to disable dark mode support. * Allow site viewers to toggle dark mode on/off while viewing the site. * **Pros**: - Most amount of flexibility for site viewers. * **Cons**: - WordPress coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. does not provide a way to control how sites look in Dark Mode. For example, if you have a dark logo, your logo will be hard to see or even invisible in Dark Mode. There’s no way to add a lighter logo for Dark Mode without using custom CSSCSS Cascading Style Sheets.. Transparent images could face similar visibility issues. ### Option 4 * Don’t allow owners to disable dark mode support. * Don’t allow site viewers to toggle dark mode on/off while viewing the site. * **Pros**: - Least amount of UIUI User interface. * **Cons**: - Least amount of flexibility for site owners. - There are situations where site viewers might prefer the inverse of their default color mode. ### Option 5 * Don’t support dark mode in the theme at all. * **Pros**: - Easiest for us; we revert and boom, we don’t need to tackle the many situations and edge-cases that will arise during Beta. - No potential conflictconflict A conflict occurs when a patch changes code that was modified after the patch was created. These patches are considered _stale_, and will require a _refresh_ of the changes before it can be applied, or the conflicts will need to be _resolved_. between what site viewers see, and what the site owner intends. - We won’t need to worry about issues like transparent images or dark logos becoming invisible. - If a site builder is using Dark Mode, they might not realize their site colors are different for most users than what they themselves are seeing for their site. - WordPress itself doesn’t support Dark Mode yet, so we’re not getting ahead of core. * **Cons**: - We’re in a unique position to help support and grow a new web/OS feature. - We’re also in a unique position to influence best-practice for Dark Mode support within the wider WordPress theme community. Amongst the folks involved in the discussion, there seemed to be a preference for** Option 3**, which forced Dark Mode support but allows individual site viewers to toggle it on/off. This late in the game, though, there are also compelling reasons to go with **Option 5**. ## Showing Dark Mode when editing your site We also talked a little bit about whether or not Dark Mode should be on within wp- adminadmin (and super admin) (specifically, the Customizer and the editor), and whether that front-end toggle should also show within those two admin contexts. This would be useful for site owners who use Dark Mode, so they could easily and quickly toggle it on/off while customizing or creating new content for their site. Creating a UI control independent of either editor toolbars and metaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. boxes within the editor would be a new and unexpected move for a default theme, and would likely create usability and accessibility concerns. Because default themes are used as an example for theme developers, deciding to show the toggle in the editor would require much more discussion from both the default theme team and the Themes team( +make.wordpress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. [https://wordpress.org/](https://wordpress.org/)/themes). This would have to be outside of the scope of WordPress 5.6. [@sarahricker](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sarahricker/) also suggested that we only ship a proof-of-concept for Dark Mode in 5.6 without the front-end toggle, and then push for native editing of Dark Mode within core for 5.7: > My suggested approach method might be: > Step 1) Proof of concept > theme switches colors based on user’s device > Step 2) > In 5.7 – Core adopts support for editing based on user’s device / toggle in backendStep > 3) In 5.7 – TT1 extends POC to integrate with Core AND provides front end toggle Once core supports being able to customize the design of your site in Dark Mode, we could add that support in to Twenty Twenty-One. We’d also ship the front-end toggle at this time. However, as [@williampatton](https://profiles.wordpress.org/williampatton/) mentioned, default themes rarely get updated with new features after release because of backwards compatibility concerns. [@ryelle](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ryelle/) suggested that perhaps Step 2 could be more feedback gathering which we push upstream to core and GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/): > step 2 would be listening to the feedback & issues we’re finding in TT1, and pushing > that feedback to core/gutenberg to get more native support there; and theoretically > nothing from a 5.7 TT1 would change except maybe a new “add_theme_support”, things > would just work nicer because we have core support A new `add_theme_support` to enable a Dark Mode editor for core that allows you to preview and make edits to your site’s Dark Mode styles (maybe something similar to the [AMP plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/amp/), but using the Full Site Editing framework?) could be great. [There is a PR adding the front-end toggle in GitHub](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/pull/622). ## Design tweaks to Dark Mode We didn’t have a chance to discuss this synchronously, but one other topic I’d like us to consider is making minor design tweaks to improve Dark Mode. I have two issues open which I’d love input on, especially from folks who have Dark Mode enabled on their computers: * [Reduce image brightness & contrast](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/618) * [Should we reduce the opacity of borders, dividers, and separators?](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/620) Are there any other improvements we can make to Dark Mode which will improve the overall accessibility and usability of the feature? --- ## Videos Dark Mode in Twenty Twenty-One trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision.: Dark Mode front-end toggle in [PR #622](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/pull/622): [#bundled-theme](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), [#dark-mode](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dark-mode/), [#twenty-twenty-one](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/twenty-twenty-one/) [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) [Mel Choyce-Dwan](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) 4:38 am _on_ October 5, 2020 Tags: [agenda ( 1,149 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/agenda/), [bundled-theme ( 84 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), twenty- twenty-one    # 󠀁[Twenty Twenty-One Chat Agenda: 5 October 2020](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/10/05/twenty-twenty-one-chat-agenda-5-october-2020/)󠁿 This is the agenda for the upcoming Twenty Twenty-One meeting scheduled for [Monday, October 4th 2020 at 15:00 UTC](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20201005T1500). This meeting will be held in the [#core-themes](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/CQ7V4966Q) channel in the Making WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/). If there’s any topic you’d like to discuss, please leave a comment below! * Housekeeping and updates * Discussion topics - Should the theme include a footer menu location? [[context](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/117#issuecomment-702841125)] * - Should we use starter content as an educational resource? [[context](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/1) and [context](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RP4VMP/p1601657360203100)] - Improving our CSSCSS Cascading Style Sheets. build process [[context](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/pull/265)] * Open floor [#agenda](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/agenda/), [#bundled-theme](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), [#twenty-twenty-one](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/twenty-twenty-one/) [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) [Mel Choyce-Dwan](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) 7:31 pm _on_ September 28, 2020 Tags: [bundled-theme ( 84 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), twenty-twenty-one    # 󠀁[TT1 Chat Summary: 28 September 2020](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/09/28/tt1-chat-summary-28-september-2020/)󠁿 [Full meeting transcript here on Slack](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C02RP4VMP/p1601305340064800). I ([@melchoyce](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/)) facilitated the meeting. ## Housekeeping Because this was our first meeting, I focused largely on [introducing the theme](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/09/23/introducing-twenty-twenty-one/) and giving a brief introduction on how people can contribute. I specifically called out: * [Good first bug](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/labels/Good%20first%20issue) * [Help needed](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/labels/Help%20wanted) * …[and reviewing PRs](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/pulls)! PR review is a great way to keep progress moving for the project, _and_ a great way for new contributors to get acquainted with the default theme creation process and code standards. ## Q&A We moved on to questions next. [@metodiew](https://profiles.wordpress.org/metodiew/) asked if people should open a new issue before making a PR. [@jffng](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jffng/) replied that opening a new PR is fine, but if someone has specific questions that needs discussion, open an issue. Next up, [@joyously](https://profiles.wordpress.org/joyously/) asked about the build process. We determined that it needs more documentation for new contributors, and there’s [an existing developer documentation issue](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/3) people can add questions and ideas to. We also discussed the need for more clarity around what parts of the build process will make it into coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.. [@bgnicolepaschen](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bgnicolepaschen/) had a question about the starter content being included with the theme. [This is a topic currently under discussion](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/1), and more input is appreciated. We discussed using female artists, and even the possibility of using art from our community members. [@joyously](https://profiles.wordpress.org/joyously/) brought up the idea of including a sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme. with the theme. I volunteered to create some mockups so we could explore adding a sidebar template to the FSE version of the theme, which we’ll be working on after BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 1. This will be a great opportunity to explore the best way of adding sidebars to fully blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.-based themes. Next up, we talked about where to discuss questions, comments, etc. about the theme— on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/), or in GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. [https://github.com/](https://github.com/)? I said either is fine, and recommended that if we have conversations in Slack, we summarize them on GitHub. Lastly, we clarified [browser support](https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/best-practices/browser-support/) and talked a little about bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. gardening. Please join us [Friday at 16:00 UTC](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20201002T1600) for our next bug scrub! [#bundled-theme](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), [#twenty-twenty-one](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/twenty-twenty-one/) [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) [Mel Choyce-Dwan](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) 2:31 pm _on_ September 23, 2020 Tags: [5.6 ( 85 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-6/), [bundled-theme ( 84 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), [core-themes ( 27 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/core-themes/), twenty-twenty-one    # 󠀁[Introducing Twenty Twenty-One](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/09/23/introducing-twenty-twenty-one/)󠁿 Well friends, it’s time for what I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for: an announcement about the next WordPress default theme! The rumors are true; WordPress 5.6 will launch with a brand new default theme: Twenty Twenty-One.  [[ The default theme team includes: * Default Theme Design Lead: Mel Choyce-Dwan ([@melchoyce](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/)). - Cohort: Ellen Bauer ([@elmastudio](https://profiles.wordpress.org/elmastudio/)). * Default Theme Development Lead: Carolina Nymark ([@poena](https://profiles.wordpress.org/poena/)). - Cohort: Beth Soderberg ([@bethsoderberg](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bethsoderberg/)). * Default Theme Wrangler: Jessica Lyschik ([@luminuu](https://profiles.wordpress.org/luminuu/)). * …and you, our fabulous volunteers! --- ## Background Twenty Twenty-One is designed to be a blank canvas for the blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor. After trying some designs heavily inspired by print resources, [@kjellr](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kjellr/) remarked to me, “why not try something natively digital?” I added even more ideas to my [increasingly unwieldy pinterest board](https://www.pinterest.com/melchoyce/tt1/) and gave it a shot. The concept ended up being the most natural, usable design of the bunch. It was simple and un-opinionated, yet still refined. It felt like a fresh canvas, waiting to be painted. Twenty Twenty-One will use a modified version of [the Seedlet theme](https://wordpress.org/themes/seedlet/) as its base. This provides us with a thorough system of nested CSSCSS Cascading Style Sheets. variables to make child theming easier, and to help integrate with the global styles functionality that’s under development for full-site editing. Once the theme is stable, after BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 1, we’ll start exploring [Full Site Editing](https://make.wordpress.org/design/handbook/focuses/full-site-editing/) support. --- ## Design Decisions [[ By default, the theme uses a native system font stack. I made this choice for a couple reasons: * No extra load time. Let’s keep this theme simple and fast. * This particular stack is pretty typographically “neutral” — none of the fonts are super opinionated, so the theme can be used broadly across different types of sites. * Using just the one font stack, without loading additional font files, also makes it easier for folks to customize or create a child themeChild theme A Child Theme is a customized theme based upon a Parent Theme. It’s considered best practice to create a child theme if you want to modify the CSS of your theme. [https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/advanced-topics/child-themes/](https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/advanced-topics/child-themes/) for Twenty Twenty-One. We want this theme to be a teaching tool, and an outlet for your creativity. The theme also uses a limited color palette: a pastel green background color, and two shades of dark grey for text. We’ll be bundling the theme with some additional color palettes, including both a white and a black color scheme. Why pastel green? [Pastels](https://www.garnishstudios.com/) and [muted](https://www.designbyparker.com/) [colors](https://westportcondos.ca/) are [pretty](https://arisacoba.com/) [in](https://www.collaborativechange.global/) [right](https://paradigmacreation.com/) [now](https://taregrocery.com/) _((seriously I could keep going)). [[ _(Who doesn’t love a little pastel cottagecore during these troubling times?)_ All this is to say: the design? It’s pretty simple. That’s where patterns come in. GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) [introduced support](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/16/block-patterns-in-wordpress-5-5/) for [patterns](https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/developers/block-api/block-patterns/) in WordPress 5.5. This is the perfect time to show them off. Twenty Twenty-One will come packaged with a bunch of unique patterns designed explicitly for the theme. The theme’s overall design is simple, so you can make it your own, but the patterns will be opinionated. There are a couple already designed, and we’ll be relying on our talented community designers for more ideas. Here’s what we’re thinking about so far: [[ Want to contribute a block pattern? [We have an issue template for that](https://github.com/WordPress/twentytwentyone/issues/new?assignees=&labels=Needs+design+feedback%2C+%5BComponent%5D+Block+Patterns&template=block-pattern-ideas.md&title=Block+Pattern%3A+). Lastly, we’d love to make the theme meet relevant guidelines from [WCAG 2.1 level AAA](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/). We loved the idea [when ](https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/2020/08/25/accessibility-teams-goals-for-wordpress-5-6-and-beyond/#comment-72994) +make.wordpress.org/accessibility/ brought it up, and would appreciate any and all guidance from our community a11yAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Accessibility) experts to help make this possible. [You can find full page mockups of Twenty Twenty-One in the Figma file](https://www.figma.com/file/Fv7BODXobfo2prksqRDySy/Introducing-Twenty-Twenty-One?node-id=0%3A1). --- ## Timeline Per the [development cycle information](https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-6/), the upcoming important dates are: * WP 5.6 Beta 1 – October 20 - Last chance for feature projects and new enhancements - Theme should be committed to trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. - Start exploring FSE support in a second, block-based theme * WP 5.6 Beta 4 – November 10 - Soft string freeze - Starter content should be committed * WP 5.6 RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see [alpha (beta)](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/twenty-twenty-one/?output_format=md#alpha-beta). 1 – November 17 - Hard string freeze - Starter content needs to be finalized * WP 5.6 Release – December 8 --- ## Get Involved If you are interested in contributing to Twenty Twenty-One, make sure you are following this blogblog (versus network, site). During the design and development process, there will be weekly meetings starting [Monday, September 28 at 15:00 UTC](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20200928T1500) in [#core-themes](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/core-themes/). We’ll also be holding weekly triagetriage The act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors. sessions at starting [this Friday at 16:00 UTC](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20200925T1600). Theme development will happen on GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. [https://github.com/](https://github.com/) and in the interest of time, an in-progress version of the theme code has been uploaded here: [https://github.com/wordpress/twentytwentyone](https://github.com/wordpress/twentytwentyone). Once the theme is stable, it will be merged into coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. and the GitHub repo will be deprecated. --- ## Learn More If you’re interested in learning more about default themes, you can read the following posts: * [Why Default Themes Change Each Year](https://make.wordpress.org/themes/2012/09/18/default-themes-change-each-year/) * [Introducing Twenty Twenty](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2019/09/06/introducing-twenty-twenty/) * [Introducing Twenty Nineteen](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/16/introducing-twenty-nineteen/) * [Introducing Twenty Seventeen](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2016/09/09/say-hello-to-twenty-seventeen-%F0%9F%91%8B%F0%9F%8F%BD/) * [Introducing Twenty Sixteen](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2015/08/25/introducing-twenty-sixteen/) * [Joen on Twenty Thirteen](http://noscope.com/2013/04/four-little-numbers/) [#5-6](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-6/), [#bundled-theme](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/bundled-theme/), [#core-themes](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/core-themes/), [#twenty-twenty-one](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/twenty-twenty-one/)