---
title: "Style a playlist with multi-color gradients"
slug: "/help/playlists/styling/gradient-branding"
topic: "playlists"
last_updated: "2026-08-05T15:29:14.200Z"
---

## **Overview**

You can style your playlists, demo centers, and deal rooms with a **multi-color gradient** on top of the existing flat-color branding. Gradients apply to three surfaces:

- **Background color** — the surface the playlist sits on
- **Player Background Color** — the surface behind an open demo in a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure (CYOA) playlist
- **Accent color** — buttons and other accented UI

Font color and link color remain solid colors — they are typography and need to stay crisply legible.

---

## **Turn a Color Into a Gradient**

1. Open the playlist, demo center, or deal room in the editor.
2. In the top bar, click the **Styling options** (palette) icon.
3. Expand **Background color**, **Player Background Color**, or **Accent color**.
4. In the fill picker, switch **Fill mode** from **Solid** to **Gradient**.
5. Configure the gradient — add color stops, drag them to adjust position, and choose the direction.
6. The playlist updates live.

Only one field is expanded at a time, so the panel never overflows and it's always obvious which surface you're editing.

---

## **Return to a Solid Color**

Flip **Fill mode** back to **Solid**. Walnut remembers the gradient you were editing for the rest of the session, so switching to Solid and back doesn't lose your work — you can compare a solid brand color and a gradient without rebuilding the stops.

Use **Reset to company default** on the field to snap back to your workspace default entirely.

---

## **When to Use It**

- **Product launches / campaign playlists** — a bold gradient makes a campaign feel distinct from your evergreen library.
- **Themed deal rooms** — signal a particular customer, industry, or vertical.
- **Brand systems that already use gradients** — match your marketing site or product hero.

Keep contrast in mind: playlist and demo-center content sits on top of the background, so pick stops that keep tiles and text readable.

---

## **FAQs**

### **Do gradients apply to individual demos inside the playlist?**
No — gradient branding applies to the playlist / demo center / deal room chrome (background, player background, buttons). Demos inside carry their own template styling.

### **Can I keep just one surface as a gradient and the rest flat?**
Yes. Each field has its own Fill mode, so you can mix and match (e.g. gradient background + solid accent).

### **Does gradient branding work in dark mode?**
Yes. The playlist chrome respects viewer theme; pick stops that read well against both light and dark demo content if your audience uses both.

### **What if I switch to Solid — do I lose my gradient stops?**
Within the same editing session, Walnut remembers the last gradient on each field so you can flip back and forth. Once you leave the editor and save with **Solid**, only the solid value is persisted.