---
path: themes/get-started/introduction
title: Introduction
position: 1
seo_title: Telerik and Kendo UI Themes Introduction
seo_description: Learn what are the built-in Telerik and Kendo UI themes, what
  design system principles they follow, and how they are built.
---

## Introduction to Themes

The Telerik and Kendo UI themes are collections of visual styles like colors, fonts, spacing, sizes, and layout. At the core of these themes are widely available design systems like Material, Bootstrap, and the Telerik and Kendo UI Design System. When you apply a specific Telerik and Kendo UI theme to the UI components, you achieve a consistent look and feel in any application.

From a technical perspective, the Telerik and Kendo UI themes are [Sass](https://sass-lang.com/)-based themes written in [SCSS syntax](https://sass-lang.com/documentation/syntax#scss). These themes are used across various Telerik and Kendo UI suites. Each production-ready theme is a single CSS file.

The [kendo-themes](https://github.com/telerik/kendo-themes) monorepo contains the source code of the themes. The theming syntax is compatible with both [node-sass](https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-sass) and [dart-sass](https://sass-lang.com/dart-sass).

A [swatch](/foundation/color/swatch/) is a color variant of a theme. All swatches of a given theme use the same fonts, sizes, and layouts. On the other hand, the text colors, background colors and border colors are different.

### Available Themes

Starting with [Kendo Themes v14.0.0](https://github.com/telerik/kendo-themes/releases/tag/v14.0.0), the [Meridian theme](/themes/kendo-themes/meridian/) is the recommended starting point for new Telerik and Kendo UI applications. Existing projects can continue using the Default theme and migrate to Meridian when it fits their roadmap.

Currently, you can choose between the following Telerik and Kendo UI themes:

<ResponsiveList data='{"size":"large","imagePosition":"center","imageElevated":false,"imageRounded":false,"padding":"small","gradient":false,"items":[{"imageBackgroundColor":"#F9F9FB","title":"Meridian","description":"A modern, accessible theme and the recommended starting point for new projects.","url":"/themes/kendo-themes/meridian/","image":"images/themes-meridian-card-image.png"},{"imageBackgroundColor":"#F9F9FB","title":"Bootstrap","description":"А theme that matches the metrics and styling of Bootstrap v5.","url":"/themes/kendo-themes/bootstrap/","image":"images/themes-bootstrap-card-image-v2.png"},{"imageBackgroundColor":"#F9F9FB","title":"Material","description":"A theme that follows the Material Design guidelines.","url":"/themes/kendo-themes/material/","image":"images/themes-material-3-card-image-v4.png"},{"imageBackgroundColor":"#F9F9FB","title":"Fluent","description":"A theme that implements the Microsoft Fluent UI look and feel.","url":"/themes/kendo-themes/fluent/","image":"images/themes-fluent-2-card-image.png"},{"imageBackgroundColor":"#F9F9FB","title":"Default","description":"A theme that is based on the Telerik and Kendo UI Design System and suits most applications.","url":"/themes/kendo-themes/default/","image":"images/themes-default-card-image-v3.png"},{"imageBackgroundColor":"#F9F9FB","title":"Classic","description":"A theme based on the predecessor of the current Telerik and Kendo UI Design System.","url":"/themes/kendo-themes/classic/","image":"images/themes-classic-card-image-v2.png"}]}'>![Meridian](images/themes-meridian-card-image.png)![Bootstrap](images/themes-bootstrap-card-image-v2.png)![Material](images/themes-material-3-card-image-v4.png)![Fluent](images/themes-fluent-2-card-image.png)![Default](images/themes-default-card-image-v3.png)![Classic](images/themes-classic-card-image-v2.png)</ResponsiveList>

### Theme Development

The Telerik and Kendo UI themes have their own product roadmap and strategy. You can log bug reports and submit feature requests on the Telerik and Kendo UI Web Themes feedback portal:

<ExternalResource data='{"url":"https://feedback.telerik.com/themes","title":"Telerik & Kendo UI Web Themes Feedback Portal","description":"Log bug reports and submit feature requests"}'>![](images/homepage-mascots.svg)</ExternalResource>