{"id":67,"date":"2026-10-09T16:36:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.theicealphawolfden.com\/?p=67"},"modified":"2026-10-09T16:36:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:36:21","slug":"about-this-project-building-dark-mode-winter-mode-for-my-audiobook-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.theicealphawolfden.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/09\/about-this-project-building-dark-mode-winter-mode-for-my-audiobook-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"About This Project \u2013 Building Dark Mode & Winter Mode for My Audiobook Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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DESIGN NOTES \u00b7 THE EARLIER AUDIOBOOK MANAGER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

I wanted the library to feel like mine.<\/h2>\n\n\n

Building an audiobook manager was about more than editing tags and counting books. I wanted a place that felt familiar when I opened it: my collection, my artwork, and an atmosphere that matched the way I listen.<\/p>\n\n\n

That became Dark Mode<\/strong> and Winter Mode<\/strong>\u2014two looks for the same library, each with its own mood.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I often listen at night, in quiet surroundings, and during the colder seasons. A bright, busy interface was not the feeling I wanted when choosing the next story. I wanted the books to remain easy to recognise while the surrounding interface stayed calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post records the theme work in my earlier Audiobook Manager, before the later Flatpak version. The screenshots below preserve that stage of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DARK MODE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

The everyday look I used most: charcoal backgrounds, green status indicators, and the covers in focus.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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WINTER MODE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

The seasonal look: colder blue tones, frosted edges, pale highlights, and drifting snow.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Winter Mode: a quiet winter evening<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Winter Mode grew from a particular feeling: snow outside, a cold night, and a quiet moment to choose something to listen to. I wanted that atmosphere inside the library without losing the information I actually needed to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Original<\/a>
Winter Mode on the original author grid: a dark blue background, frosted-looking cards, pale highlights, and visible snowflakes. View full size<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The author grid keeps its familiar arrangement, but the surroundings change. The background becomes darker and bluer, the cards gain a frosted appearance, and pale highlights pick out the labels and edges. The cover artwork brings its own warmer colours into that colder setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I put into the winter look<\/h3>\n\n\n\n