Academi does have a number of settings, but not as many as something like Essential, Adaptable or Flexibase.
Some parts, such as the slideshow, can be customised from theme settings. Other parts can be controlled through the content. However, if you want full control then learning something about the css can be helpful as almost all themes have a 'customcss' setting which means you can make adjustments to css without having to get depp into the code itself.
Richard