Texts are doable. If there isn't an option in the message app's settings, just install a different messaging app from the Play Store and use that instead (Chomp, Handcent, Pansi, etc). All of them will certainly let you customise the appearance.
The settings menu is a different matter. That's a feature of the system software, and while I don't know that model you can't usually change that type of thing (at least not without rooting the phone and modifying the system, which you may not wish to do).