design setup missing

Installed 8.8 shop on new site and what a disappointment (have other sites with 8.3).
With 8.8 NO design set-up function, added color options plugin, does not respond at all with changes. The Block titles home page are easy to understand, but then the sample layout with the Tab layout and the carousel layout, clicking on “watch video” or even on PP website, all explanation are “OLD”
Bringing radical updates with new framework to the market, not only should, but IMO MUST include detailed instructions, otherwise we are spending too much time searching, writing support tickets or here in Forum and waiting for answers.
I figured it out with the activation of the “Enable Page Editor”.
How changing colors, which was easy to do in 8.3 and now ???
I guess most real changes are so-to-speak “under the hood” – because so far I found most website set-up functions are the same as before, just in a different place and some with different wording, and comparing both 8.3 and 8.8 admin areas, the 8.3 is more user friendly IMO (maybe I am old fashioned)
just advise where and how to make color changes.
I gave up already on using the child theme
the color option settings are not saving in the CSS field