# Editing global styles

> Global styles are the foundation of your theme. Set your colors, typography, fonts and layout once in the visual builder and have them applied consistently everywhere.

Source: https://www.zenplates.co/documentation/visual-builder/editing-global-styles (Visual builder › Designing your theme)

Global styles define the look and feel of your entire help center. Rather than styling every element by hand, you set your brand's colors, type and layout once in the **Global styles** panel, and everything else inherits from them.

This is the best place to start when branding a new theme. Get your global styles right and the rest of your help center will already look the part.

## Colors

Define your brand's color palettes—primary, secondary and tertiary—along with the standard palette and the colors used for request statuses (Open, Awaiting your reply and Solved). You can also set the base colors used throughout the theme, including headings, body text, links, borders and page backgrounds.

![Editing color palettes in the Global styles panel](https://www.zenplates.co/assets/images/documentation/visual-builder/global-colors.webp)

Every element that hasn't been given a specific color will draw from these palettes, so updating a palette here instantly reflects across your whole help center. These same colors are available as [color utilities](https://www.zenplates.co/documentation/utilities/text-color) and [color schemes](https://www.zenplates.co/documentation/visual-builder/editing-dark-mode-styles) elsewhere in the builder.

## Typography and fonts

Choose the fonts used for your headings and body text from the system fonts and Google Fonts, adding up to two additional Google Fonts. Then control the rest of your type system:

-  Base font size and a consistent type scale, from extra small through to the largest headings.
-  Line heights and letter spacing.
-  Default heading and body styles.

Fonts you add here become available throughout the builder wherever you set typography, including on individual elements.

## Layout, shadows and borders

Global styles also cover the structural defaults of your theme:

-  **Layout** — choose a boxed or full-width layout and set your maximum content width.
-  **Shadows** — define a set of shadow presets that elements like cards can use for depth.
-  **Borders** — set default border widths and radii.

Because these values cascade down to every element, global styles are the most powerful way to make a big change quickly. To restyle a single element without affecting others, edit that element directly—see [editing elements](https://www.zenplates.co/documentation/visual-builder/editing-elements).