diff --git a/data/gnome-shell-theme.gresource.xml b/data/gnome-shell-theme.gresource.xml
index 3df1b7235..24b3be8db 100644
--- a/data/gnome-shell-theme.gresource.xml
+++ b/data/gnome-shell-theme.gresource.xml
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@
     <file>gnome-shell.css</file>
     <file>gnome-shell-high-contrast.css</file>
     <file>gnome-shell-start.svg</file>
-    <file>no-events.svg</file>
-    <file>no-notifications.svg</file>
     <file>pad-osd.css</file>
     <file>process-working.svg</file>
     <file>toggle-off.svg</file>
diff --git a/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_message-list.scss b/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_message-list.scss
index c7e84cb3f..b99004dbd 100644
--- a/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_message-list.scss
+++ b/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_message-list.scss
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
   .message-list-placeholder { 
     font-weight:1000; 
     font-size: 18pt;
-    color: transparentize($fg_color, 0.7);
+    color: $insensitive_fg_color;
     spacing: 12px;
 
     // icon size and color
diff --git a/data/theme/no-events.svg b/data/theme/no-events.svg
deleted file mode 100644
index 8ab08a962..000000000
--- a/data/theme/no-events.svg
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,119 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
-<!-- Created with Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) -->
-
-<svg
-   xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
-   xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#"
-   xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
-   xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
-   xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
-   xmlns:sodipodi="http://sodipodi.sourceforge.net/DTD/sodipodi-0.dtd"
-   xmlns:inkscape="http://www.inkscape.org/namespaces/inkscape"
-   width="64px"
-   height="64px"
-   id="svg3471"
-   version="1.1"
-   inkscape:version="0.48.5 r10040"
-   sodipodi:docname="New document 5">
-  <defs
-     id="defs3473" />
-  <sodipodi:namedview
-     id="base"
-     pagecolor="#ffffff"
-     bordercolor="#666666"
-     borderopacity="1.0"
-     inkscape:pageopacity="0.0"
-     inkscape:pageshadow="2"
-     inkscape:zoom="5.5"
-     inkscape:cx="32"
-     inkscape:cy="32"
-     inkscape:current-layer="layer1"
-     showgrid="true"
-     inkscape:document-units="px"
-     inkscape:grid-bbox="true"
-     inkscape:window-width="1461"
-     inkscape:window-height="772"
-     inkscape:window-x="37"
-     inkscape:window-y="64"
-     inkscape:window-maximized="0" />
-  <metadata
-     id="metadata3476">
-    <rdf:RDF>
-      <cc:Work
-         rdf:about="">
-        <dc:format>image/svg+xml</dc:format>
-        <dc:type
-           rdf:resource="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" />
-        <dc:title></dc:title>
-      </cc:Work>
-    </rdf:RDF>
-  </metadata>
-  <g
-     id="layer1"
-     inkscape:label="Layer 1"
-     inkscape:groupmode="layer">
-    <g
-       transform="matrix(4,0,0,4,1.9999997,2.3636364)"
-       id="g19145"
-       style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1;display:inline">
-      <g
-         id="g19147"
-         inkscape:label="status"
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1;display:inline"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)" />
-      <g
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1"
-         id="g19149"
-         inkscape:label="devices"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)" />
-      <g
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1"
-         id="g19151"
-         inkscape:label="apps"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)" />
-      <g
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1"
-         id="g19153"
-         inkscape:label="places"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)" />
-      <g
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1"
-         id="g19155"
-         inkscape:label="mimetypes"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)">
-        <path
-           inkscape:connector-curvature="0"
-           d="m 543.0002,301 c -1.05237,0 -2,0.84508 -2,1.9375 l 0,11.125 c 0,1.09242 0.94763,1.9375 2,1.9375 l 11,0 c 1.05237,0 2,-0.84508 2,-1.9375 l 0,-11.125 c 0,-1.09242 -0.94763,-1.9375 -2,-1.9375 l -11,0 z m 0,5 3.03125,0 0,2 -3.03125,0 0,-2 z m 4.03125,0 2.96875,0 0,2 -2.96875,0 0,-2 z m 3.96875,0 3,0 0,2 -3,0 0,-2 z m -8,3 3.03125,0 0,2 -3.03125,0 0,-2 z m 4.03125,0 2.96875,0 0,2 -2.96875,0 0,-2 z m 3.96875,0 3,0 0,2 -3,0 0,-2 z m -8,3 3.03125,0 0,2 -3.03125,0 0,-2 z m 4.03125,0 2.96875,0 0,2 -2.96875,0 0,-2 z m 3.96875,0 3,0 0,2 -3,0 0,-2 z"
-           id="path19157"
-           style="font-size:medium;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;text-indent:0;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;line-height:normal;letter-spacing:normal;word-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;direction:ltr;block-progression:tb;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;baseline-shift:baseline;color:#000000;fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;stroke-width:2;marker:none;visibility:visible;display:inline;overflow:visible;enable-background:new;font-family:Sans;-inkscape-font-specification:Sans" />
-        <rect
-           height="1.9999993"
-           id="rect19159"
-           style="opacity:0.35;color:#000000;fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;stroke-width:1;marker:none;visibility:visible;display:inline;overflow:visible;enable-background:accumulate"
-           width="2.9999993"
-           x="551.00018"
-           y="309" />
-      </g>
-      <g
-         id="g19161"
-         inkscape:label="emblems"
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1;display:inline"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)" />
-      <g
-         id="g19163"
-         inkscape:label="emotes"
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1;display:inline"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)" />
-      <g
-         id="g19165"
-         inkscape:label="categories"
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1;display:inline"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)" />
-      <g
-         id="g19167"
-         inkscape:label="actions"
-         style="fill:#bebebe;fill-opacity:1;display:inline"
-         transform="translate(-541.0002,-301)" />
-    </g>
-  </g>
-</svg>
diff --git a/data/theme/no-notifications.svg b/data/theme/no-notifications.svg
deleted file mode 100644
index 402868bbf..000000000
--- a/data/theme/no-notifications.svg
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-<svg width="64" height="64" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path style="fill:#fff;fill-opacity:.34999999;stroke-width:3.96875" d="M32 .25a5.955 5.955 0 0 0-5.887 6.842C18.028 9.6 12.156 17.136 12.156 26.047v17.86h-1.984a3.976 3.976 0 0 0-3.969 3.968 3.976 3.976 0 0 0 3.969 3.969h43.656a3.976 3.976 0 0 0 3.969-3.969 3.976 3.976 0 0 0-3.969-3.969h-1.984v-17.86c0-8.91-5.872-16.446-13.957-18.954A5.955 5.955 0 0 0 32 .25zm-7.938 55.563a7.93 7.93 0 0 0 3.97 6.867 7.897 7.897 0 0 0 7.937 0 7.93 7.93 0 0 0 3.968-6.867H24.063z"/></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/js/ui/calendar.js b/js/ui/calendar.js
index 035c7ccc4..4ed17cf73 100644
--- a/js/ui/calendar.js
+++ b/js/ui/calendar.js
@@ -894,9 +894,7 @@ class Placeholder extends St.BoxLayout {
         super._init({ style_class: 'message-list-placeholder', vertical: true });
         this._date = new Date();
 
-        const file = Gio.File.new_for_uri(
-            'resource:///org/gnome/shell/theme/no-notifications.svg');
-        this._icon = new St.Icon({ gicon: new Gio.FileIcon({ file }) });
+        this._icon = new St.Icon({ icon_name: 'no-notifications-symbolic' });
         this.add_actor(this._icon);
 
         this._label = new St.Label({ text: _('No Notifications') });