The Dawn Reality Check
I've talked clients out of custom themes more often than I've built them. Dawn is genuinely good. Most businesses don't need custom themes.
2025 Note: Shopify is introducing the Horizon design system as Dawn's successor. But Dawn remains the recommended starting point for custom development — its Online Store 2.0 architecture and Shopify CLI workflow are mature and well-documented.
What Dawn does well:
- 90+ Lighthouse performance scores out of the box
- Build pages without touching code
- WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility
- Automatic updates from Shopify
When a client asks about custom themes, my first question is: "What specifically can't you do with Dawn?"
Most of the time, they can't answer specifically.
When Custom Actually Matters
Note: Client names and some details have been changed to protect confidentiality. The technical challenges and solutions are real.
Brand experience problem. A luxury jewelry client needed visuals that communicated luxury without clichés. Dawn's sections imposed predictable spacing. We heavily customized Dawn rather than building from scratch — unique feel with Dawn's performance foundation.
Deep integration needs. Another client needed product pages pulling live data from their inventory system. Dawn sections couldn't do API calls. We built custom sections that connected to their backend.
Complex product configuration. A custom jewelry builder required real-time 3D rendering and options that affected each other. No theme or app could handle it. Full custom was justified.
The Cost Reality
| Approach | Cost | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Light Dawn customization | $2-5K | Colors, fonts, minor layout tweaks |
| Heavy Dawn customization | $8-20K | Custom sections, some integrations |
| Dawn-based custom theme | $20-40K | Complete brand control with Dawn's base |
| From-scratch custom | $40-80K+ | Almost never justified |
Plus ongoing maintenance: custom themes need $3-10K/year in updates.
The Questions to Ask
- What can't I do with Dawn? Be specific.
- Is this an app's job? Apps are maintained by teams. Custom code needs your developer.
- Will I maintain this? Custom code breaks when Shopify updates.
- Is the cost justified? $40K theme needs to generate real ROI.
Not Sure What You Need?
We'll tell you honestly if you need custom — and often the answer is "Dawn with some customization is enough."
Roye Kott
Founder & Lead Developer
Expert in e-commerce development and business automation with 10+ years of experience building custom technology solutions.
Free Strategy Call
Want to implement something similar for your business? Let's talk about how we can help you achieve results.
Start a Conversation
