---
title: 'App patterns explained : Layout'
description: We want everyone to design and build beautiful and usable apps, and the
  App Design Guides help us do just that! So to kick things off, if you’re thinking
  about how to layout your app in portrait view, here’s how. Core layout   Your app
  must have A header on the top of the screen, which  […]
url: https://canonical.com/blog/app-patterns-explained-layout?format=md
---

1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog)
2. Article

---

[Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical "More about Canonical")

14 February 2013

# App patterns explained : Layout

[app design](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/app-design)
[app patterns explained](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/app-patterns-explained)
[Design](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/design)

---

Share the article

We want everyone to design and build beautiful and usable apps, and the [App Design Guides](http://design.ubuntu.com/apps "App Design Guides") help us do just that! So to kick things off, if you’re thinking about how to layout your app in portrait view, here’s how.

## Core layout

**Your app must have**

1. A header on the top of the screen, which consists of a coloured line, a title area and a divider
2. A content area
3. A toolbar with app controls which is revealed by using the bottom edge

For details about the header, toolbar and content areas, [read more about app layouts](http://design.ubuntu.com/apps/global-patterns/layout "Layout").

[Get in touch

Interested in running Ubuntu in your organization?](https://ubuntu.com/about/contact-us/form)

## Sign up for our newsletter

Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox.

Work email:

\*I agree to receive information about Canonical's
products and services.

By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy).

Sign up

## Share on

---

## Related posts

[### Challenges designers face in open source (and how to fix them)](https://canonical.com/blog/challenges-designers-face-in-open-source-and-how-to-fix-them)

Open source powers up to 90% of modern software, yet many projects lack usability. Canonical’s Design team surveyed 115 cross-functional professionals to uncover the 4 core...

[Kola Ojoodide](https://canonical.com/blog/author/kola-ojoodide)

26 June 2026

[### Why web engineering is great](https://canonical.com/blog/why-web-engineering-is-great)

Hi, I’m Johann! I’m an engineering manager in Canonical’s web team. For the larger part of my 15 years of work experience as engineer, I’ve been working in web development....

[Johann Wolf](https://canonical.com/blog/author/johannwolf)

27 April 2026

[### Canonical’s recipe for High Performance Computing](https://canonical.com/blog/canonicals-recipe-for-high-performance-computing)

In essence, High Performance Computing (HPC) is quite simple. Speed and scale. In practice, the concept is quite complex and hard to achieve. It is not dissimilar to what...

[Igor Ljubuncic](https://canonical.com/blog/author/igorljubuncic)

24 January 2024

[### Web team – hack week 2023](https://canonical.com/blog/web-team-hack-week-2023)

Today, around 96% of software projects utilize open source in some way. The web team here at Canonical is passionate about Open source. We lead with an open-by-default approach...

[Anthony Dillon](https://canonical.com/blog/author/ya-bo-ng)

25 October 2023