--- sourceDocument: zurich Combined Product Files sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/delta-yokohama-zurich Release : - zurich ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - zurich Combined Product Files ft:clusterId : - delta3zy bundleId : - delta3zy --- # Combined Theme Builder release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich # Combined Theme Builder release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Zurich Updated October 8, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 10 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Combined Theme Builder Release Notes for Upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich This consolidated release note summary outlines the key updates, new features, changes, and important information for ServiceNow customers upgrading Theme Builder from the Yokohama to Zurich release families. Theme Builder is included as a core plugin with the Next Experience application and is available by default starting in Yokohama. This summary helps customers understand enhancements introduced across these releases to improve theme customization, branding alignment, and accessibility. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Accessibility Improvements:** Starting in Yokohama 5.1, the Accessibility Inspector reports contrast and accessibility errors in the Unified Navigation component, helping ensure compliance with accessibility standards. * **Image Styles and Custom Illustrations:** From Yokohama 5.1 and Zurich 6.1, customers can edit colors of empty state illustrations and other image categories such as banners, modals, tile icons, and cards. You can also override default illustrations with custom images to closely align with your brand identity. * **Unified Navigation Enhancements:** The Unified Navigation component can be customized within Theme Builder with features like preview panes, component configuration menus, updated canvas color display, and double-click access to the Component Editor for efficient styling. * **AI-Assisted Theme Creation:** Introduced in Zurich Patch 7, leverage Now Assist powered by ServiceNow Otto® to generate themes automatically from brand images using AI. This feature allows previewing multiple theme options and refining them within the updated Create a Theme wizard. Manual theme creation remains available. * **Brand Guideline Upload:** Starting Zurich Patch 9, upload brand guidelines as PDFs within the theme creation workflow to guide theme generation and ensure brand consistency. * **Custom Fonts Support:** From Zurich 6.1 onward, upload, preview, and manage up to 10 custom font families with unlimited font faces, enabling consistent typography that supports accessibility and cognitive differences. * **Dark Mode for Theme Builder Interface:** Available as of Zurich 6.1, dark mode enhances usability in low-light environments by reducing eye strain. This mode affects only the Theme Builder interface, not the themes themselves. * **New Coral Theme:** Publish or unpublish the fresh Coral theme from Theme Builder, which includes brand-neutral illustrations and a dark theme variant for web and mobile experiences. * **Improved User Interface:** Updates include breadcrumb-style navigation in the Component Editor, renamed buttons for clearer functionality, larger modals with drag-and-drop for uploads, and preview windows to improve user experience during theme configuration. ## Changes * Editor page enhancements with a dedicated Image styles tab for editing illustrations and colors. * Navigation improvements in the Component Editor for better contextual awareness. * Renaming and UI updates in panels and buttons to clarify styling options and states. * Color selector defaulting to Coral theme colors for a more vibrant initial palette during theme creation. ## Important Upgrade Information * Theme Builder is a core plugin included by default from Yokohama onward; upgrade versions are available through the ServiceNow Store. * Review pre- and post-upgrade tasks as recommended to ensure smooth transition and feature availability. * No features or functionality were removed or deprecated between Yokohama and Zurich releases. * No additional browser or localization requirements have been introduced in these releases. ## Accessibility and Branding Benefits Theme Builder enhancements support improved accessibility by enabling contrast error detection, customizable fonts optimized for readability and cognitive needs, and support for global languages through custom fonts. The ability to upload brand guidelines and custom images ensures themes closely reflect organizational branding and provide a consistent user experience across Next Experience applications. Consolidated page of all release notes for Theme Builder from Yokohama to Zurich. ## How to use this page To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family Theme Builder release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Yokohama to Zurich. Tip: If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release." ## Important information for upgrading Theme Builder to Zurich Before you upgrade to Zurich, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__2} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## New features Between your current release family and Zurich, new features were introduced for Theme Builder. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__8} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | [Adjust the Unified Navigation component to meet accessibility standards](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-adjust-component-wcag&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Theme Builder version 5.1, the Accessibility Inspector now displays the total number of accessibility errors with contrast issues for the Unified Navigation component and subcomponents. See the Accessibility section for details. [Adapt the theme-able illustrations to seamlessly integrate with your brand](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=working-with-image-styles&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Theme Builder version 5.1, use the new Image styles feature to enhance your theme in the following ways: * Edit the colors of the empty state illustrations from within Theme Builder. When a part of your Next Experience web page doesn't contain data, an empty state illustration appears. Empty state illustrations are theme-able and adapt to your theme colors. * Override empty state illustrations with your own custom images to uniquely align with your branding style. [Align with your brand by using the Unified Navigation component](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=edit-unified-navigation-component&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Customize the Unified Navigation component from within Theme Builder by using the following new features: * Quickly view how the Unified Navigation component will look in your theme by using the Preview pane. * Use the Component Configuration menu to view any shared styling between subcomponents. * View the background color of your subcomponent and see how it renders in relation to the Unified Navigation component by using the updated canvas color feature. [Use the double-click feature to quickly access the Component Editor](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-edit-components&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Double-click a component tile to access the Component Editor where you can continue to make style adjustments to subcomponents, variants, or interactions. | | Zurich | [Upload brand guidelines to the theme creation workflow](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=create-theme-now-assist&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Upload your brand guidelines as a PDF to the theme creation workflow within the Now Assist panel to generate themes aligned with your brand. [Create a theme using ServiceNow Otto](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=create-theme-now-assist&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Zurich Patch 7, leverage Now Assist to generate themes based on your brand image. After generating a theme, navigate to Theme Builder to publish and apply additional styling. This feature requires ServiceNow Otto for Creator. [Create a theme with AI in Theme Builder](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-create-a-theme-ai&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Zurich Patch 7, use AI to generate themes from brand images, preview multiple options, and refine results all within the updated Create a theme wizard. If you prefer, you can skip the AI step and continue creating your theme manually using the existing workflow. This feature requires ServiceNow Otto for Creator. [Create a theme using ServiceNow Otto](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=create-theme-now-assist&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Zurich Patch 7, leverage Now Assist to generate themes based on your brand image. After generating a theme, navigate to Theme Builder to publish and apply additional styling. This feature requires ServiceNow Otto for Creator. [Create a theme with AI in Theme Builder](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-create-a-theme-ai&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Zurich Patch 7, use AI to generate themes from brand images, preview multiple options, and refine results all within the updated Create a theme wizard. If you prefer, you can skip the AI step and continue creating your theme manually using the existing workflow. This feature requires ServiceNow Otto for Creator. [Explore the expanded image categories with color editing and override capability](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=working-with-image-styles&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Theme Builder version 6.1, configure the following new image categories to further enhance your theme: * Edit the colors of banners, modals, tile icons, and cards from within Theme Builder. * Override each of these default illustrations with your own custom images to uniquely align with your branding style. [Guided tours in Theme Builder](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=guided-tours-theme-builder&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : As of version 6.1, learn about additional features and complete tasks through interactive steps by taking guided tours within Theme Builder. [Publish the new Coral theme](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-apply-theme&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Publish or unpublish the new Coral theme directly from Theme Builder. This theme provides a fresh look and feel and features brand-neutral illustrations to enhance your user experience. A dark theme variant is available for web and mobile experiences. [Upload and manage custom fonts in your theme](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=upload-custom-font&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Use your organization's fonts to maintain a consistent look and feel for your brand throughout your experience. * Upload, preview, and edit at most 10 custom font families from the Global styles or Component styles tabs. * Add unlimited associated font faces to each font family and apply them individually to components. * Delete your font family or font face from your theme. | [ ] ## Changes Between your current release family and Zurich, some changes were made to existing Theme Builder features. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__14} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | [New Image styles tab added to Editor page](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=working-with-image-styles&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Theme Builder version 5.1, the Editor page has the following additional options: * The general styles panel, which includes Global and Component styles, now features Image styles. The Image styles tab displays all illustrations available for editing. * When you select an empty state illustration for editing from the Image styles tab, the property panel opens with two additional tabs: Images and Colors. The Images tab displays which image files are applied to an empty state illustration. The Colors tab displays which theme colors are applied to an illustration. [Navigation updated](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-edit-components&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : The Return to component overview link within the Component Editor is replaced with breadcrumb-style navigation for a more contextual navigation experience. [Component Editor button replaced](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-edit-components&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : The Go to Component Editor button is now labeled either Style variants, Style subcomponents, or Style interactions depending on the selected component. The Component Editor behaves in the same way despite this UI change. [Component Editor Interactions States panel updated](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-edit-components&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : The Interaction States panel within the Component Editor now refers to either Interactions or Subcomponents. | | Zurich | [Now Assist \> ServiceNow Otto® announcement](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sn-ai-implementation-landing&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : ServiceNow Otto introduced AI on the platform. As that experience has evolved, there's a new name for the experience. ServiceNow Otto® is the conversational AI platform integrated into ServiceNow workflows. It provides agentic capabilities, supports multimodal interactions across web, mobile, and messaging channels, and enables autonomous orchestration for cross-system workflows. [Create a theme wizard color selector updated](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-create-theme&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : As of Theme Builder version 6.1, when you create a theme, the color selector now defaults to Coral theme colors instead of static gray tones. This means your initial color options feature a blue hue for a more vibrant look. Colors can still be customized at any time by selecting a preferred color in the color selector. [Global styles upload and selector modals updated](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=working-with-global-styles&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : A more consistent, user-friendly interface is now available for uploading logos, fonts, and shapes. The following changes have been made: * A larger modal for uploading your company logo with a browse or drag-and-drop capability. * A larger modal for selecting predefined corner shapes and fonts. * A preview window within each modal for immediately viewing your selections before they're applied to your theme. [Updated Global styles Overview panel](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=working-with-global-styles&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : The Global styles Overview panel has been updated in the following ways: * The Font section has been renamed Typography. * The font family field that is listed in the Typography section has been renamed as the Default font family. The Default font family still indicates which font is applied globally across your theme, unless you override it at the component level. | [ ] ## Removed Between your current release family and Zurich, some Theme Builder features or functionality were removed. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__20} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Deprecations Between your current release family and Zurich, some Theme Builder features or functionality were deprecated. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__26} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Activation information Review information on how to activate Theme Builder. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__32} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | Activation information : Starting with the Yokohama release, Theme Builder is included as a core plugin with the Next Experience application and is available by default. You can update to the latest version of Theme Builder from ServiceNow Store. Important: Theme Builder is available by default starting in the Yokohama release and upgrades are available in ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes. | | Zurich | Activation information : Theme Builder is included as a core plugin with the Next Experience application and is available by default. You can update to the latest version of Theme Builder from the ServiceNow Store. Important: Theme Builder is available by default and upgrades are available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes. | [ ] ## Additional requirements If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for Theme Builder we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__38} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Browser requirements If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Theme Builder we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__44} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Accessibility information Review details on accessibility information for Theme Builder, such as specific requirements or compliance levels. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__50} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | Accessibility information : [Adjust the Unified Navigation component to meet accessibility standards](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=tb-adjust-component-wcag&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : The Accessibility Inspector, which detects and guides you through fixing contrast issues in your theme, now includes accessibility errors for the Unified Navigation component and subcomponents. | | Zurich | Accessibility information : [Upload custom font](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=upload-custom-font&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : The ability to upload custom fonts to your theme can help users with disabilities in several ways, including: * Improved readability: Custom fonts can be selected to enhance readability, making text easier to see, understand, and retain. This is beneficial for users with visual impairments, as clear letter forms reduce eye strain. * Support for cognitive differences: Custom fonts can address cognitive accessibility needs. For instance, users with dyslexia or Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may benefit from fonts that reduce reading strain and improve information processing. * Improved globalization support: Custom fonts tailored to specific languages improve the readability for non-Latin alphabets and ensure consistent, accessible user experiences across global audiences. [Dark mode in Theme Builder](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=dark-mode-theme-builder&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : As of version 6.1, Theme Builder is now available in light and dark mode. This option is commonly used to alleviate eye strain and improve readability. Dark mode applies to the Theme Builder interface only and does not affect the appearance of individual themes. | [ ] ## Localization information If there are specific localization considerations for Theme Builder we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__56} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Highlight information If there are specific highlight considerations for Theme Builder we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-themebuilder-summary__entry__62} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Yokohama | * Edit and style the Unified Navigation component to better suit your brand. * Make individual style edits on a component by double-clicking it to quickly access the Component Editor. * As of Theme Builder version 5.1, customize the colors of empty state illustrations from within Theme Builder. * As of Theme Builder version 5.1, use your own custom images by overriding the default empty state illustrations. See [Working with themes in Next Experience](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=next-experience-theming&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) for more information. | | Zurich | [Zurich Patch 9](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=zurich-patch-9&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) * Beginning with Zurich Patch 9, upload brand guidelines as a PDF to the theme creation workflow in the Now Assist panel to generate themes that align with your brand. [Zurich Patch 7](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=zurich-patch-7&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) * As of Zurich Patch 7, use Now Assist to automatically create brand‑aligned themes, then refine and publish them in Theme Builder. * Publish the new Next Experience Coral theme from Theme Builder. * Add custom fonts to your theme for enhanced branding. * As of Theme Builder version 6.1, configure modal, tile icon, banner, and card colors, and override these default illustrations with your own custom imagery. * As of Theme Builder version 6.1, enable dark mode to improve usability of Theme Builder in low-light conditions. See [Working with themes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=next-experience-theming&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) for more information. | [ ]