SharePoint Brand Center: Themes and Fonts

Introduction

With the release of the SharePoint Brand Center, Microsoft has made it incredibly simple for organizations to control the look and feel of their SharePoint sites. From custom colors to unique font packages, you can now align your digital workspace with your brand guidelines. This guide will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to customize your SharePoint environment.

Step 1. Accessing the SharePoint Admin Center

To begin setting up your SharePoint Brand Center, you will first need to access the SharePoint Admin Center. Here’s how you can do it.

Open your browser and go to the Microsoft Admin Center: https://admin.microsoft.com
Log in with your admin credentials.
In the top left corner, click the grid of nine dots (app launcher), then select Admin.
Once in the Admin Center, click on Show All from the left-hand menu, then expand the Settings section by clicking on it.
Now, select Org Settings, then click on Brand Center.

Step 2. Setting up the SharePoint Brand Center Site

Once you have navigated to the Brand Center, it’s time to create your Brand Center site. This site will serve as the hub for all your branding needs.

On the Brand Center page (currently in preview), you’ll see options to setup your Site Name and Site Address. These can be named according to your organization’s needs.
If you want to activate the public content delivery network (CDN) for faster access to assets, check the relevant box.
Click on the Create site button to finalize the setup.
After a few moments, you’ll receive two important links.
One for the Brand Center site (a communication site that serves as a dashboard for managing your themes and fonts).
Another is for the Brand Center app.

Step 3. Customizing Colors in the Brand Center

Now that your Brand Center is set up, it’s time to start customizing the colors for your SharePoint sites.

Go to your Brand Center Site and click on the Add Colors button.
Next, click on Add a color. Here, you can either select from a color picker or input a specific hex code to match your company’s brand color.
Assign a name to your color.
Once done, click the Save button.

By adding your custom colors, you ensure that the branding of your SharePoint sites is in line with your organization’s visual guidelines.

Step 4. Creating Custom Themes in SharePoint

With your colors saved, it’s time to create a custom theme.

Navigate back to the Brand Center and select Themes under the SharePoint section.
Click on Create a Theme and give your theme a relevant name.
On the next screen, you’ll see various UI elements like button, headers, and text boxes that you can customize using the colors you’ve just created. You’ll also be able to preview how these colors will look on SharePoint and Viva Connections.
Once you’re happy with your theme, click on Save.

Step 5. Applying Your Custom Theme

Now that your theme is created, you can apply it to your SharePoint sites.

Go to the (Brand Center) SharePoint site and click on the gear icon in the top-right corner.
Select Change the look, then click on Theme.
Under the From your organization section, you’ll see your newly created custom theme. Select it, and your SharePoint site will update to reflect your brand colors.

Step 6. Creating Custom Font Packages

In addition to custom themes, you can also create and apply custom fonts to your SharePoint sites. Here’s how.

Return to the Brand Center and click on Manage your brand. Then, select Add Fonts.
A new window will open where you can upload your custom font files. These files need to be in a supported format like TTF or OTF.
After uploading your fonts, click on Create Font Package.
Assign both a Display Font (used for headers) and a Content Font (used for body text).
Click Next, and in the following step, give your font package a name.
Click Save to finalize your font package.

Step 7. Applying Custom Fonts

Once your Custom font package is saved, it’s time to apply it.

Go to the Brand Center SharePoint site where you want to apply the font.
Click on the gear icon and select Change the look, then click on Fonts.
Your custom font will be available under the From your organization section. Select it, and your site will now use the new fonts you uploaded.

Conclusion

With the SharePoint Brand Center, managing your organization’s branding has never been easier. By creating custom themes and fonts, you can ensure that all your SharePoint sites align with your company’s visual identity – without needing to write a single line of code. This new feature offers a simple yet powerful way to maintain consistency and professionalism across your organization’s SharePoint environment.