Switch Themes

Baseline Shopify Theme Help: Switch Themes Setup and Custom Code

The Baseline Shopify theme is Switch's brutalist-inspired design for curated storefronts, built on mid-century-style grids, blocks and mono hues, with Austere, Brutalist, Courier and Press as presets. Switch, based in Glen Waverley, Australia, sells three more themes on the Theme Store: Cascade, Exhibit and Shapes. As of October 2026 Baseline lists at $420. Browse Switch on the Theme Store.

Switch's support desk answers setup and settings questions. By its own policy it won't write custom HTML, CSS or Liquid, change layouts beyond the settings, or edit code for PageSpeed, and that list doubles as a map of what to hire for.

Should the listing below not suit the job, the custom theme and theme customization specialists linked near the end of this page take on the same work.

Open your brief with the theme, the preset and the version shown in your theme library.

Where Switch theme owners bring in help

Switch's support policy draws a clear line. Everything past it is a job for a developer or designer.

Custom code. Requests that need custom HTML, CSS or Liquid fall outside Switch's support. That covers new sections, changed templates and anything the theme editor doesn't expose, which is custom theme development work.

Layouts past the settings. Baseline's grids and Shapes' dividers, stickers and patterns are configurable. A layout the settings can't produce is design work Switch won't take on.

Moving to a newer version. Upgrading themes and adding newer features to older versions are excluded from support. On an older Baseline, someone has to carry your content and edits to the current release.

Speed fixes. Code edits to raise PageSpeed or Speed Score are excluded as well, so speed optimization specialists pick that up.

App conflicts. Switch sends app questions to the app's developer, and bugs caused by custom code or third-party customizations aren't covered. A developer who can trace a conflict to its source ends the back-and-forth.

What Switch handles for free. Feature questions, theme setup and settings, and bugs found during setup, which it aims to fix straight away. Use that route before paying a developer for a settings question.

Choosing help for Baseline, Cascade, Exhibit or Shapes

Switch builds its themes to be modified, so the useful question is how a candidate modifies them.

Ask which files they'll edit. Switch doesn't hand out raw SCSS or JavaScript source and points developers to the un-minified theme.css and theme.js. A candidate who knows this won't quote for a build setup your theme doesn't have.

Ask about backups. Switch recommends backing up the theme before custom coding, since bugs from modified code aren't covered. The right person duplicates the theme before touching anything.

Ask how they'll prepare for the next release. Upgrades sit outside Switch support, so ask for a list of every changed file. That turns a later update into a known amount of work.

Ask which preset you started from. Fizz, Candy, Aura and Scratch are Shapes presets; Swell, Phase and Sequence belong to Cascade. A careful candidate checks before quoting.

Cause for concern. Promising a better Speed Score before measuring anything. Editing the live theme. Adding apps for features the theme already lists, such as quick buy or a mega menu.

An inexpensive opener. One custom section built on a duplicate theme, with the changed files listed. It tests code quality before the bigger project.

Baseline Shopify theme and Switch support: what to know

Four themes, eighteen listings. Baseline and Shapes list at $420 as of October 2026. Cascade and Exhibit complete the set, and each of the four has its own presets.

Release dates. Baseline 5.4.0 shipped on August 4, 2026 and Shapes 5.0.1 on August 13, 2026. Cascade 5.1.0 and Exhibit 2.2.0 both date from January 30, 2026.

Design leanings. Baseline is brutalist-inspired. Shapes uses shape dividers, stickers and patterns. Cascade aims for calm, smooth browsing, and Exhibit is a gallery-style theme for visual, art-focused catalogs.

Response times. Switch aims to reply within 24 hours depending on volume, asks you to allow 1 to 2 business days, and isn't online on weekends. Requests go through a form on its help center.

Outside support. Custom HTML, CSS or Liquid, layout changes beyond the settings, app installs, bugs from modified code, theme upgrades, speed-score edits and general Shopify questions.

Customization referrals. Switch points customization requests to trusted partners through a page on its own site.

Plus and translations. Shapes lists combined listing support for Shopify Plus stores, plus EU translations in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

Switch theme projects worth scoping

Most paid Switch work lands in one of these buckets. Name yours in the brief.

Custom section build

A new Liquid section where the Baseline or Cascade settings stop

Layout change

Grid, header or product page changes the theme editor can't make

Version upgrade

Content and code edits moved to the current release on a duplicate

Speed pass

Image, app and script cleanup that Switch support doesn't cover

App conflict fix

A broken block or script traced to the app or custom code behind it

Preset rebrand

A Shapes or Baseline preset restyled around your brand

Switch Themes Shopify questions: Baseline, Cascade and support

Will Switch's support team customize my Baseline theme?

No. Switch's support policy covers feature questions, setup, settings and bugs found during setup. Custom HTML, CSS or Liquid, and layout changes beyond the settings, are excluded. Switch refers that work to trusted partners, or you can hire a developer directly.

What kind of store is the Cascade Shopify theme built for?

Switch describes Cascade as calm and polished, built to make product browsing feel smooth. Swell, Phase and Sequence are its presets, and it lists lookbooks, size charts, a sticky cart and an age verifier. Its latest release, 5.1.0, came out on January 30, 2026.

Can I get the SCSS source files for my Switch theme?

No. Switch doesn't provide raw SCSS or JavaScript source, and developers work from the un-minified theme.css and theme.js files in the theme. Mention this to anyone quoting for heavy styling changes so they plan around it.

Who updates my Switch theme to a new version?

You or someone you hire. Switch's support policy excludes upgrading themes and adding newer features to older versions. On an edited theme, have a developer install the new version as a duplicate, move content and edits across, and test before publishing.

Do I need a developer for a Switch theme?

Not for setup. Switch helps with settings, configuration and bugs found during setup, and asks you to allow 1 to 2 business days for a reply. You need a developer once the change involves code, a layout the settings can't produce, an upgrade or speed work.