Midnight is an open-source content theme for GitHub Pages, created by Matt Graham, that provides a ready-made layout for publishing written content on static sites.
What is Midnight?
Midnight is an open-source content theme originally designed for GitHub Pages and distributed for free. It takes a static site repository and applies a styled, content-focused layout, with a live demo hosted at madebygraham.com/midnight. The theme was built by web designer Matt Graham (twitter @mattgraham) and is available for anyone to download, fork, or reuse on any web host.
What makes Midnight stand out?
- GitHub Pages integration — built specifically for GitHub Pages, so it can be activated by choosing it as the theme in a repository's settings.
- Open source distribution — the full theme source is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, allowing free use, modification, and sharing with attribution.
- OpenSans typeface — the theme incorporates the OpenSans font for body text, with additional character sets available from version 1.1.
- Portable — although made for GitHub Pages, the theme is designed to be used anywhere on the web, including other static hosting platforms.
- Simple content layout — the theme focuses on readability, making it suited for blogs, personal sites, and project pages that are heavy on text.
Who should use Midnight?
- GitHub Pages site owners — anyone hosting a personal, project, or organization page can apply Midnight to get a consistent, clean look without writing custom CSS.
- Developers — developers can fork the theme repository and customize the templates and styles for their own static sites.
- Bloggers and writers — people publishing articles on GitHub Pages can use Midnight as a straightforward content-first theme.
Use cases
- Personal websites: set up a personal landing page or resume on GitHub Pages using Midnight's built-in layout.
- Project documentation: structure and style a project's documentation pages on GitHub Pages with a readable, minimal theme.
- Blog publishing: create a blog on GitHub Pages where the focus is on the written content.
Pricing
Midnight is free. It is open-source software released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, so there are no fees for download, use, or modification.
FAQ
Is Midnight free?
Yes, Midnight is completely free to use. It is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, which permits anyone to download, modify, and share the theme as long as they give credit to the original author.
Who created Midnight?
Midnight was created by Matt Graham, a web designer. His website is madebygraham.com and his Twitter handle is @mattgraham.
Can I use Midnight outside GitHub Pages?
Yes. Although Midnight was first designed for GitHub Pages, the theme is available for download and forking, and it can be used on any web hosting platform that can serve static files.
What typeface does Midnight use?
Midnight uses the OpenSans typeface for its text. Version 1.1 includes additional font characters for broader language support.
