Editorial clock widget

What an editorial clock widget shows

A digital clock is the widget most people place first. It needs to be readable from arm's length, so the time takes most of the space and the date sits quietly below it.

It uses the phone's own time, so it needs no permission and works offline. WidgetCraft's clock layer follows your 12- or 24-hour setting unless you choose a format.

How the editorial style shapes it

Editorial widgets borrow from print magazines: a large serif headline, small spaced captions, thin rules and warm paper colors. They suit quotes, reading progress and portrait photos.

• Numbers: Set numbers in the serif at display size and add a short caption underneath.
• Text: Pair a serif headline with tiny capitalised sans captions, the way a magazine credits a photo.

Editorial clock widget recipe

Editorial color palette

• Newsprint #F3EEE4Background
• Aged paper #E7DFD0Surface and tracks
• Press black #1D1A16Text
• Caption grey #7B7265Labels
• Masthead red #A4452CAccent

How to make an editorial clock widget in WidgetCraft

1. Create a widget and open Canvas. Set the size to 360 × 180, the background to #F3EEE4 and the corner radius to 6.
2. Tap Add and choose Clock. Set the format to hours and minutes, the font to Libre Caslon Display, the size to 78 and the color to #1D1A16.
3. Add a Date layer above it for the weekday at size 12 in #7B7265.
4. Add a second Date layer below for the day and month at size 15.
5. Add a small Shape in #A4452C as the only accent, and align every layer to the same left margin of 24.
6. Arrange the layers in the stacked layout: weekday, time, then date, all left aligned.
7. Add the editorial ornament with Shape layers and move them below the other layers in Layers: a single hairline rule across the top, like a column divider.
8. Tap Save, then Add to home screen and resize the widget on your launcher if needed.

Everything in this recipe works in the free version.

Tips for editorial clock widgets

• Use a real serif for the headline and keep captions under 11 points.
• Add one thin rule to anchor the layout.
• Seconds make a home screen widget look busy and Android updates widgets about once a minute, so leave them out.
• Check the widest time, such as 22:58 or 12:48 PM, so it never touches the edges.
• If the launcher crops the widget, reduce the time size before reducing the margins.
• Do not use bright saturated colors.
• Do not center everything; align to the left edge like a column.

Ready-made Editorial templates

WidgetCraft includes a Editorial template pack you can import and edit instead of starting from a blank canvas.

A word to collect5 editable layersReading bookmark6 editable layersSunday cover7 editable layers

Questions about the editorial clock widget

What size is an editorial clock widget?

It is designed for 4 × 2 home screen cells on a 360 × 180 canvas. You can resize it on the launcher and the design scales in proportion.

Which colors does it use?

Newsprint (#F3EEE4) for the background, Press black (#1D1A16) for the main text, Caption grey (#7B7265) for labels and Masthead red (#A4452C) as the accent.

Is it free to make?

Yes. Clock widgets use free features in WidgetCraft, and the editorial styling is free too.

What else is this style called?

People also search for magazine clock widget, serif clock widget, newspaper style clock widget. They describe the same look as this editorial clock widget.

More editorial widgets

• Editorial analog clock widget
• Editorial calendar widget
• Editorial battery widget
• Editorial countdown widget
• Editorial to-do list widget
• Editorial photo widget
• Editorial quote widget
• Editorial music widget
• Editorial year progress widget
• Editorial step counter widget
• Editorial habit tracker widget
• Editorial sticky note widget
• Editorial world clock widget
• Editorial date widget
• Editorial home screen setup
• All editorial widgets

Clock widgets in other styles

• Newspaper clock widget
• Light academia clock widget
• Dark academia clock widget
• All clock widgets