Theming & branding

Parch's visual identity lives in a set of theme packages applied at every boot stage. Each is a separate repository, packaged in world, and consumed by the ISO profiles.

The theme packages

Stage	Package	Repository
Boot splash	`parch-plymouth` (plus `parch-plymouth-waves` variant)	`parch-plymouth`
GRUB menu	`parch-grub-theme`	`parch-grub-theme`
Login (SDDM)	`parch-sddm`	`parch-sddm`
GNOME	`gnome-parch`	`gnome-parch`
Plasma	color schemes + `plasma-setup`	component repos
Wallpapers	`Parch-Wallpapers`, `parch-backgrounds-community`, nature set	wallpaper repos
Artwork source	PNG/SVG sources	`Arts`, `artwork`, `assets`

How a theme change flows

Edit in the theme's repository (QML for SDDM, theme config for GRUB, Plymouth plugins for splash).
Package it (most theme packages are simple package() file copies; see example packages).
Test in a VM at the right stage: splash changes need a slow boot to be visible (add plymouth.enable=0 removal or a debug pause), GRUB changes show in the menu, SDDM on logout.
Check both themes and both directions: light and dark backgrounds, Persian (RTL) text where the theme renders any.

Rules

Themes never hardcode colors that must adapt (user accent, dark mode); read them from the desktop theme where the stage allows it.
Logos and artwork come from the Arts/artwork repos, not binary blobs in theme code.
Every boot stage must have a manual fallback (Esc in GRUB, TTY switch past SDDM, plymouth.disable on the kernel line) so a broken theme never locks users out.
Test on real hardware once before release: VMs forgive GPU quirks that hardware does not.

Contributing artwork

Wallpapers, icon sets, and promotional art go to the Arts and artwork repositories, which ship into the wallpaper packages. Keep licenses explicit: artwork without a license cannot be distributed.