How to change the theme of Office 2013

I recently had my IT department "upgrade" my Office install to 2013.  I was encouraged by the numerous new features of Excel 2013 (mapping, PowerView, etc.)  Immediately however, I found my eyes very sore from using the applications.  Excel 2013 is very difficult to view for long periods of time.  There is little contrast around buttons, lines, etc.  If I was using the application on my phone to calculate some simple formulas, OK.  But if I'm using this application 20+ hours per day, not happening.  I then moved onto Outlook 2013.  Unbelievable, does anyone at Microsoft care about the customer or heck even it's own financial results?  I now understand all the negativity around Windows 8.  Let me tell you, Office 2013 look and feel is worse.  

I have had my IT department remove Office 2013.  I have requested that Office 2013 NOT be installed in my departments machines (we have 150 people here).  There is no way I could take responsibility for allowing my co-workers to utilize this awful product.  I spent several hours searching for some sort of 3rd party skin software before coming to this decision.  There is none.

I then looked forward to Office 2016.  Certainly, MS listened to it's customers right?  Wrong, the 2016 preview is just as bad.  The 'Colorful' theme truly pathetic.  Seriously, the reviewers at CNET are only going to use the software for a few hours.  They'll give it a good review based on features sure.  However, the end users, the ones that actually have to use these products day in and day out are not going to be happy.  Looks like we have to stick to Office 2010.  Until a competitor comes along as takes a big bite out of this product line.  I no longer consider myself a fan of Microsoft (I know, I know, how did I last so long - because Office was always good for me that's why...)

Looks like MSFT decided not to listen to the customer base since Office 2016 is on the horizon. Sure hope Office 2016 offers more theme options than Office 2013 because these are horrible.

Please listen to your customer MSFT.

Somehow you need to run these things by your real end users before making these decisions.  ...   People who really use these products don't get to spend much time playing games and surfing the net so we need to have something to work with that doesn't give you a headache and eye pain from looking at it but doesn't take up all of the memory with how pretty it is.  Those of us who have to use our computers for work, Windows main users btw, don't want a lot of change, just improve on what we have, we don't have an abundance of time to spend re-learning systems for the sake of change.  That is why so many people have stayed with XP, good product for working people.

OMGosh! So true! One of my board members generously installed Office 2013 for me & I'm going to UNinstall & change back to 2010. I've had it!

Look, Micro$oft! I don't want or need fancy skins with cute patterns or puppies or stars or seaweed. I just want to be able to choose the colors that work for me and for my office environment and make looking at a screen all day easier. This can NOT be that difficult to do, code-wise. Even I can imagine how it might be done in a high-level language and I'm not even a half-competent code monkey, so doing it at the level of building foundation apps can't be beyond the developers of Office.

And STOP "enhancing" the app with new features. I don't need any more features. I don't use 80% of them as it is. I want it to smoothly do the things it promised to do 20 years ago (headers & footers in sections are still the biggest headache imaginable), and do them quickly. I did not need a new interface (apparently revised purely for the sake of being seen to be doing something, and certainly not with any thought to improving the user experience).

2013 has not only added clicks to most formerly simple tasks, but has cleverly hidden functions that commonly appeared on my toolbar in past versions. WHY?! I don't understand what can possibly be the thinking.

Dear Micro$oft, GET OVER YOURSELVES! Please?

Well said! It's so sad that Microsoft is completely ignoring the hundreds of complaints on here about what a total disaster Office 2013 is. I can't believe that they don't freak out when they read that some IT manager has not "upgraded" to Office 2013 on hundreds of computers in their organization because their users loathe the lack of any discernable color separations. Why ever would any company remove features that were in previous versions? I think the best comment I've read in the years I've been following this is, "Microsoft, get over yourselves!" They have obviously lost any concern for their customer base and they are letting a handful of developers have their own way, believing they know best what we want. No, you don't. Apparently Office 2016 is just as bad so, please, someone in senior management, listen to us and start paying attention. At the very least respond to all these complaints and explain why you are ignoring all of us.