Which CSS variables control typography in Dawn?

Dawn sets six tokens on `:root`: `--font-heading-family`, `--font-heading-style`, `--font-heading-weight`, `--font-body-family`, `--font-body-style`, and `--font-body-weight`. Heading selectors read the heading triplet, body selectors read the body triplet — there's no per-section override.

What's the difference between --font-heading-family and --font-body-family in Dawn?

`--font-heading-family` is consumed by every heading-level rule, including .section-header__heading, .product__title. `--font-body-family` is consumed by paragraphs, list items, form copy, and the cart drawer in Dawn. Setting only one lets you mix a display heading face with Assistant on body — a useful split when your custom font is large.

How do I override Dawn's typography without touching base.css directly?

Add a `:root { --font-heading-family: ... }` block at the bottom of `assets/base.css`. The cascade resolves the later declaration as the winner, so Dawn's defaults are overridden without removing them. This pattern survives Shopify's quarterly theme updates, which often modify `base.css` but rarely touch the trailing customization region.

Will a CSS-variable typography override survive a Dawn update?

Yes — provided you append the override at the bottom of `assets/base.css` rather than editing the original token declarations. Dawn ships theme updates that may rewrite the `base.css` defaults, but appended override blocks are preserved as long as they live below the auto-generated section. As a hardening step, paste the override behind a clearly marked comment so future you (or a subsequent developer) recognizes it as customization.

Shopify Dawn · Free, no signup · Last updated May 6, 2026

Dawn Theme Typography CSS Variables

Dawn exposes `--font-heading-family`, `--font-heading-style`, `--font-heading-weight`, and the matching `--font-body-*` tokens on `:root` — overriding them is the cleanest way to swap typography without forking core theme files.

Dawn centralizes its entire typography system in six CSS custom properties on `:root`. Because the Shopify OS 2.0 reference theme that ships with every new store and powers the largest install base of any free theme., every page-level heading and paragraph reads from those tokens — meaning a single override block can retarget the whole site.

Custom font nameBecomes the @font-face font-family

Formats

WOFF2 covers ~97% of modern traffic. Add WOFF / TTF only if you need legacy fallbacks.

WeightStyle

Apply to

Controls which Dawn typography roots the CSS variable block overrides.

Live preview

Add to cart · Free shipping · 30-day returns

Drop a WOFF2 / WOFF / TTF file here to preview your actual font. The file stays in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Paste these three blocks in order. They're independent files in your theme — copying one without the others won't break the store.

Step 1: @font-face CSS

Paste at the bottom of assets/base.css. Uses Liquid's asset_url filter — Shopify resolves the path at render time.

@font-face {
  font-family: "My Brand Sans";
  src: url({{ 'my-brand-sans.woff2' | asset_url }}) format('woff2');
  font-weight: 400;
  font-style: normal;
  font-display: swap;
}

Step 1: @font-face CSS

Paste at the bottom of assets/base.css. Uses Liquid's asset_url filter — Shopify resolves the path at render time.

@font-face {
  font-family: "My Brand Sans";
  src: url({{ 'my-brand-sans.woff2' | asset_url }}) format('woff2');
  font-weight: 400;
  font-style: normal;
  font-display: swap;
}

Step 2: settings_schema.json

Adds a Theme Editor section so non-technical merchants can toggle the font on or off.

{
  "name": "My Brand Sans (custom font)",
  "settings": [
    {
      "type": "header",
      "content": "My Brand Sans typography"
    },
    {
      "type": "paragraph",
      "content": "Upload your My Brand Sans files (woff2, woff, ttf, otf, or eot) to your theme's Assets folder. The @font-face block referencing my-brand-sans.* will then resolve via {{ 'my-brand-sans.woff2' | asset_url }}."
    },
    {
      "type": "font_picker",
      "id": "my_brand_sans_heading_font",
      "label": "Heading font (fallback when custom file is unavailable)",
      "default": "assistant_n4"
    },
    {
      "type": "font_picker",
      "id": "my_brand_sans_body_font",
      "label": "Body font (fallback when custom file is unavailable)",
      "default": "assistant_n4"
    },
    {
      "type": "select",
      "id": "my_brand_sans_apply_to",
      "label": "Apply My Brand Sans",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "headings",
          "label": "Headings only"
        },
        {
          "value": "body",
          "label": "Body only"
        },
        {
          "value": "both",
          "label": "Headings and body"
        },
        {
          "value": "off",
          "label": "Disabled"
        }
      ],
      "default": "both"
    },
    {
      "type": "checkbox",
      "id": "my_brand_sans_load_woff_fallback",
      "label": "Also load WOFF fallback (legacy browsers)",
      "default": false
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: CSS variable overrides

Retargets Dawn's --font-heading-family / --font-body-family. Survives theme updates.

:root {
  --font-heading-family: "My Brand Sans", sans-serif;
  --font-heading-style: normal;
  --font-heading-weight: 400;
  --font-body-family: "My Brand Sans", sans-serif;
  --font-body-style: normal;
  --font-body-weight: 400;
}

How to use this on Dawn

The six tokens are: `--font-heading-family`, `--font-heading-style`, `--font-heading-weight`, `--font-body-family`, `--font-body-style`, and `--font-body-weight`.
Dawn sets them in `base.css` from the values configured in the Theme Editor.
To swap them, you append a `:root { ... }` override to the bottom of `assets/base.css` — that override loads after the theme's defaults and wins by source order.
Selectors like .section-header__heading, .product__title pick up the change without any template edits, and the override survives Dawn updates because you're modifying values, not the cascade chain itself.

Frequently asked questions

Which CSS variables control typography in Dawn?
Dawn sets six tokens on `:root`: `--font-heading-family`, `--font-heading-style`, `--font-heading-weight`, `--font-body-family`, `--font-body-style`, and `--font-body-weight`. Heading selectors read the heading triplet, body selectors read the body triplet — there's no per-section override.
What's the difference between --font-heading-family and --font-body-family in Dawn?
`--font-heading-family` is consumed by every heading-level rule, including .section-header__heading, .product__title. `--font-body-family` is consumed by paragraphs, list items, form copy, and the cart drawer in Dawn. Setting only one lets you mix a display heading face with Assistant on body — a useful split when your custom font is large.
How do I override Dawn's typography without touching base.css directly?
Add a `:root { --font-heading-family: ... }` block at the bottom of `assets/base.css`. The cascade resolves the later declaration as the winner, so Dawn's defaults are overridden without removing them. This pattern survives Shopify's quarterly theme updates, which often modify `base.css` but rarely touch the trailing customization region.
Will a CSS-variable typography override survive a Dawn update?
Yes — provided you append the override at the bottom of `assets/base.css` rather than editing the original token declarations. Dawn ships theme updates that may rewrite the `base.css` defaults, but appended override blocks are preserved as long as they live below the auto-generated section. As a hardening step, paste the override behind a clearly marked comment so future you (or a subsequent developer) recognizes it as customization.