diff --git a/gnome-shell-sass/_drawing.scss b/gnome-shell-sass/_drawing.scss
index 85f16fb..6a6dc9b 100644
--- a/gnome-shell-sass/_drawing.scss
+++ b/gnome-shell-sass/_drawing.scss
@@ -373,11 +373,11 @@
 // $child_class:        class name of the child element
 //
 
-@mixin panel_button($bg:$panel_fg_color, $fg:$panel_fg_color, $flat: true, $highlighted_child: false, $child_class:"") {
+@mixin panel_button($bg:$panel_fg_color, $fg:$panel_fg_color, $flat: true, $highlighted_child: false, $child_class:"", $border_radius: 99px) {
 
   transition-duration: 150ms;
   border: 3px solid transparent;
-  border-radius: 99px;
+  border-radius: $border_radius;
 
   font-weight: bold;
   background-color: transparent;
diff --git a/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_panel.scss b/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_panel.scss
index f19c7c7..fee2f98 100644
--- a/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_panel.scss
+++ b/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_panel.scss
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 $privacy_indicator_color: $orange_3;
 
-$panel_bg_color: if($variant == 'light', $light_3, $dark_5);
+$panel_bg_color: if($variant == 'light', $light_3, $dark_4);
 $panel_fg_color: if($variant == 'light', $fg_color, darken($fg_color, 5%));
 $panel_border_color: if($variant == 'light', darken($panel_bg_color, 2%), $panel_bg_color);
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ $panel_transition_duration: 250ms; // same as the overview transition duration
 
   // panel menus
   .panel-button {
-    @include panel_button($panel_fg_color);
+    @include panel_button($bg: $panel_fg_color, $border_radius: 3px);
     -natural-hpadding: $base_padding * 2;
     -minimum-hpadding: $base_padding;
 
@@ -46,6 +46,31 @@ $panel_transition_duration: 250ms; // same as the overview transition duration
     &#panelActivities {
       -natural-hpadding: $base_padding * 2.5;
 
+      .panel-button {
+        > * {
+          background-image: url("common-assets/activities.svg");
+          background-size: contain;
+          width: 24px;
+          height: 24px;
+          background-color: transparent !important;
+          background-gradient-direction: none !important;
+          border: 0 solid transparent !important;
+          text-shadow: 0 0 transparent !important;
+          transition-duration: 0ms !important;
+          box-shadow: none !important;
+          color: transparent;
+        }
+
+        &:active, &:overview, &:focus, &:checked {
+          background-color: transparent;
+          box-shadow: none;
+          border-bottom-width: 1px;
+          border-color: transparent;
+
+          > * { background-image: url("common-assets/activities-active.svg"); }
+        }
+      }
+
       & StBoxLayout {
         spacing: 5px;
       }
@@ -83,7 +108,7 @@ $panel_transition_duration: 250ms; // same as the overview transition duration
       // The clock display needs to have the background on .clock because
       // we want to exclude the do-not-disturb indicator from the background
       // see _drawing.scss for override details
-      @include panel_button($highlighted_child: true, $child_class:".clock");
+      @include panel_button($highlighted_child: true, $child_class:".clock", $border_radius: 3px);
 
       .clock {
         // the highlighted child