What’s worth knowing in the Squarespace world.
For designers, developers, and people building businesses around Squarespace.
How to Create a Photography Website with Squarespace in 5 Steps
So, you've been seriously getting into photography lately and you're ready to take the next step - creating your own website to showcase your work and get your name out there. But the idea of building a website sounds super intimidating and technical, right? Well, have no fear! I'm going to walk you through how I created my photography website using Squarespace, and trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.
Need some inspiration?
Here's a selection of beautiful and diverse Squarespace-powered photography sites, along with what makes each special.
Step 1: Plan Your Site
Before you start building, take a little time to plan out your site's purpose and intentions. Ask yourself questions like:
What are my goals for this site? (Showcase portfolio, sell prints, get hired for shoots etc.)
Who is my target audience?
What impression do I want to give with the look and feel?
Having clear intentions will make it easier to choose the right template and organize your content in a way that achieves your goals. I knew I wanted a clean, professional portfolio site to hopefully book more gigs, so I planned for an "About" page to tell my story, easy gallery integrations, and a "Contact" form.
This is also why templates are great because you don’t have to start from a blank slate. A good photography website template will give you a framework for the content you’ll need.
Take some time to map out what core pages and sections you want, such as:
About/Bio
This is where you'll share your photography story, background, specialities and what makes you unique. Make it personal!
Read more on how to write an about page
Services
What types of photography do you offer? Detail out your different services like portraits, weddings, commercial projects etc.
How to write a services page for creative professionals
Pricing
Potential clients will want to see an idea of your rate structure. You can list package details and pricing here.
Tips for photographers on building a strong pricing page
Portfolio/Gallery
Of course, you'll want an impactful gallery area to showcase your best work! Decide how you want to organize it by categories, projects, etc.
Other Potential Sections:
FAQ
Gear/What I Shoot With
Client Raves/Testimonials
Blog
When you've outlined all the content you want, it's easy to add new pages and sections in Squarespace using the + button and drag-and-drop builder.
Step 2: Choose Your Template
Head to www.squarespace.com and click "Get Started". Sign up for the free 14-day trial - no credit card required upfront. This will let you build your entire site risk-free before deciding if you want to upgrade to a paid plan.
Once you've signed up, you'll be prompted to choose a design template for your site. Squarespace has tons of gorgeous options, with many templates designed specifically for photographers' needs. Spend some time clicking through and exploring the different styles.
I ultimately went with the "Reseeda" template because I loved the clean, minimalist layout and the way it automatically optimized images for maximum impact. But browse until you find the perfect design to fit your vibe.
More Resources: The Best Squarespace templates for photographers
Step 3: Customize Your Site
Take advantage of the built-in styling options to tweak fonts, colors, backgrounds and more to fit your brand.
Take advantage of the built-in styling options to tweak fonts, colors, backgrounds and more to create a cohesive, on-brand look.
Choosing Fonts
In the "Design" section of your Squarespace editor, you can easily explore and change up the font pairings used throughout your site. Squarespace provides a nice selection of clean, modern font options.
You may want to use one primary font for all body text, with a complementary accent font for headings, menu items, etc. Play around with different pairings until you find a combo that fits your photography brand's vibe.
For example, a pairing like Source Sans Pro for paragraph text with a more stylized serif font like Libre Baskerville for titles can look very professional. Or go totally modern with Montserrat and Raleway. You can also go fully custom and add your own fonts.
Setting Color Palette
Your site's color palette is also fully customizable to your preferences. The "Color" menu lets you adjust the base colors used for:
Body Text
Headings
Navigation Links
Backgrounds
Buttons & Calls-to-Action
And more
Think about the overall mood you want to convey. A clean white background with pops of a bright, vibrant accent color can make your photos really stand out. Or go for an elegant, muted palette with deeper shades.
You can always save swatches of the specific HEX color codes you want to reference and reuse them throughout.
Consistent typography and color use goes a long way in making your Squarespace site look cohesive and professional. But don't be afraid to experiment and customize these design elements to create a truly distinctive, on-brand look!
Step 4: Optimize your Images
While your photography portfolio is the star of the show, loading large, unoptimized image files can really slow down your website. No one wants to wait forever for pages to load! Optimizing your images for web is crucial, especially for photography sites.
Start With High-Quality
Sources It's always best to begin with high-resolution photos, at least 300 DPI/PPI. This gives you crisp, detailed source files to work with. Professional photographers should already be shooting in RAW format and editing in programs like Lightroom or Photoshop.
Resize for Web
Once you have your final edited photos, you'll want to resize them for web. Squarespace recommends uploading images between 1500-2500 pixels wide. This ensures they still look sharp when resized responsively across devices.
Use Compression
Even after resizing, image file sizes may still be quite large. Using compression can drastically reduce file sizes for faster page load times. Save images as compressed JPEGs - you can crank JPG compression up to 60-70% with minimal quality loss.
There are also great compression tools like ImageOptim (Mac) and JPEGMini that can further optimize file sizes. For Squarespace users, the TinyIMG extension will automatically compress and optimize images on upload.
Image Color Profiles
Another key setting is using the correct color profile. While print photos use CMYK, web images need RGB color mode with the sRGB color profile to display accurately in browsers.
Step 5: Add Scheduling Functionality
If you plan to book clients for photography sessions through your new website, integrating online scheduling is a must. It saves you tons of back-and-forth emailing when people can just book times seamlessly online.
Squarespace makes this easy by allowing you to embed a scheduling tool like Acuity right onto your site. Here's how:
Sign up for an Acuity account at acuityscheduling.com and get your scheduling calendar set up just how you want it.
In your Squarespace editor, click the "+" button to add a new "Code" section
Copy the embed code from Acuity
Paste that embed code into the new "Code" section on your Squarespace page
Just like that, your online booking system is live! You can make this section its own dedicated "Scheduling" page, or embed it on your "Contact" page.
With Acuity embedded, clients can view your availability and book times right on your website without all the tedious email ping-pong. It streamlines everything and gives you a big professional boost.
Step 5: Publish Your Site
Once your content is loaded and you've got your site looking perfect, it's time to take it live! If you need a new domain name, Squarespace makes it super easy to purchase one through their platform.
When you're ready, just click "Publish" and do one last look-over. If everything checks out, your shiny new photography website is officially live! share that URL with the world.
Next Steps
Level up your website with plugins and integrations for photographers
Optimizing your photography website for search requires a few more extra steps that you definitely want to take if you expect to be found on Google.
Look into different CRM options to better manage your business
FAQS
Q: How much does it cost to create photography portfolio with Squarespace?
A: Squarespace Pricing starts at $16/mo if you pay annually.
13 Best Squarespace Website examples for Photographers
Photographers, your online portfolio is often the first impression potential clients get of your work. In 2024, having a visually stunning and user-friendly website is more important than ever. Squarespace has emerged as one of the top website builders for photographers, offering beautiful templates, easy customization, and seamless integration with client galleries and eCommerce.
Here are some key strengths of Courtney Holmes' Squarespace website and why they work well:
Powerful Visuals
The website showcases Courtney's incredible photography and videography skills through large, impactful images and video clips. This visual-first approach immediately draws the visitor in and showcases her talent. For a photography/videography business, letting the visuals take center stage is crucial.
Clearly Defined Services
The site does an excellent job of explaining exactly what Courtney offers - documentary-style family photo sessions and cinematic family films. The text concisely conveys the unique experience and VALUE of investing in these services to capture authentic family memories.
Emotional Storytelling
Courtney's writing has a warm, emotive style that resonates with her target audience of families. She speaks directly to the importance of documenting real family life and connections. This emotional appeal helps potential clients see the priceless importance of her services.
Strong Personal Brand
Throughout the site, Courtney's friendly personality and distinct photography philosophy shine through. The combination of professional work and relatable personal voice helps build connection and trust with website visitors.
Highlights Expertise
The website positions Courtney as an expert and leader in her field by detailing her numerous teaching roles, speaking events, awards and industry judgeships. This credibility-boosting section adds further validation.
Simple Navigation
With clear sections like About, Session Info, and Portfolio galleries, the site structure makes it easy for visitors to quickly find the information most relevant to them as potential clients.
Overall, the strengths lie in the way this Squarespace site balances stunning visuals, a clear service offering, emotional/personal messaging, and proof of expertise - all within a clean, user-friendly design. It effectively markets Courtney as an accomplished, yet approachable family memory maker.
2. Ieva Photo
Here are some key strengths of Ieva Vi's Squarespace website and why they work effectively:
Stunning Visual Portfolio
The website immediately grabs attention with large, beautiful photos showcasing Ieva's talent as a Copenhagen wedding and lifestyle photographer. The cinematic, artistic visuals are the true star and set the tone for her creative style. For a photography business, letting the images take center stage is crucial.
Clearly Defined Services & Style
The wedding, elopement, lifestyle and portrait offerings are neatly organized into separate sections. Additionally, Ieva articulates her unique aesthetic as "cinematic, experimental, timeless" and her approach as "non-obtrusive, documentary, relaxed". Clearly communicating both services and style attracts ideal clients.
Comprehensive Client
Experience Beyond just photos, the site highlights Ieva's full-service offering like personalized location scouting, vendor recommendations, and helpful planning guides for marrying in Denmark. Detailing this elevated experience adds value for clients.
Locally-Focused Blog Content
The blog provides location-specific tips for Copenhagen - covering everything from venues to cafes to logistics. This locally-relevant, insider advice further demonstrates Ieva's expertise in the region.
User-Friendly Navigation
With a simple menu structure for About, Portfolio, Blog, Contact, etc. the website is easy for visitors to navigate and quickly find what they need as potential clients.
Overall, the site's strengths lie in the stunning photography, the inclusive personal branding, the clear style/service explanations, the comprehensive client experience, the localized blog content, and the intuitive navigation - all packaged in a clean, visually-led design. It effectively markets Ieva as an accomplished, LGBTQ-friendly, full-service photographer in Copenhagen.
3. Danielle Lentz
Here is an analysis of the key strengths of this Danielle Lentz Photography Squarespace website:
Visual Storytelling
The website leads with beautiful, emotive photography that draws you in and tells a story. The images capture genuine connections and real moments, showcasing Danielle's strength in documentary-style wedding and family photography. Using powerful visuals to set the tone works very well.
Clear Personal Brand
Throughout the site, Danielle's warm, friendly personality shines through. The writing style and typography give an approachable, down-to-earth vibe. This helps potential clients feel an authentic connection to Danielle as a person, not just a vendor.
Featured "Stories"
The featured stories section with images and poetic captions is a nice touch. It reinforces Danielle's heart-felt approach of capturing meaningful moments and emotions through her photography. This aligns well with clients looking for candid, storytelling images.
Clean Service Navigation
Having clearly separated galleries for Weddings, Couples, Families, and Editorial work in the navigation makes it easy for potential clients to quickly browse the type of photography they're interested in.
In summary, the strengths lie in the emotive, storytelling visuals, the relatable personal branding, the "featured stories" concept, the defined experience approach, and the organized portfolio navigation. With some expanded content, it can fully convey Danielle's candid, heartfelt photography style and services to ideal clients.
4. Aesthetic Sabotage Studio
Here are some of the key strengths that make this Aesthetic Sabotage Squarespace website effective for Vital Wilsh as a New York wedding and elopement photographer:
Visually Impactful
The site leads with large, striking images that immediately draw you in and showcase Vital's talent for capturing beautiful, candid wedding moments. The photographs have a cinematic, editorial feel that aligns with the "meaningful and candid" brand promise.
Distinct Personal Voice
Throughout the site, Vital's friendly yet professional voice shines through in the writing. There's a good balance of warmth and artistry that gives the content an authentic, human quality that helps build connection with potential clients.
Elopement Focus & Expertise
While offering traditional wedding packages, the site smartly leans into the modern elopement niche with tailored content like elopement guides, sample galleries, and messaging that speaks to non-traditional couples seeking a meaningful, intimate experience.
Helpful Planning Resources
The blog and guides section provides lots of useful location-specific tips and insights for couples looking to elope or have a unique wedding experience in New York City or destination locations. This establishes credibility and expertise.
Unique Branding & Positioning
The name "Aesthetic Sabotage" and tagline about "exploring the authentic way to celebrate your wedding" create an intriguing, non-traditional brand positioning compared to other wedding photographers. It hints at an edgier, stylish approach.
Testimonials & Publications
Client testimonials and listings of publications provide social proof and validation of Vital's skills. This helps build trust with couples researching photographers.
Overall, the combination of stunning visuals, personal brand voice, elopement specialization, insider planning content, unique branding hook, and credibility elements make this website quite compelling for modern couples seeking a photographer to capture their intimate, non-traditional wedding experiences. While comprehensive in content, the design and flow remain clean and focused.
5. Ed Louis
Here are the key strengths that make this Ed Louis Photography Squarespace website effective:
Visual Storytelling
The website showcases Ed's photography work beautifully through large, immersive image galleries. The photos have a cinematic, editorial style that really draws you in and tells a story about the couples and events he has captured. Letting the visuals take center stage works very well.
Personable About Section
The "Meet Ed" section gives good insight into Ed's background, photography passion, and down-to-earth personality. The casual writing style and personal details help create a warm, approachable vibe that aids client connection.
Testimonials Build Trust
The testimonials carousel with multiple raving reviews from past wedding clients provides valuable social proof and helps build trust in Ed's photography skills and ability to deliver a positive experience.
Location Specialization
While not overtly stated, the prevalence of desert landscapes and El Paso scenery in Ed's photos makes it clear he specializes in this geographic area. This focused location branding can attract couples specifically looking for that aesthetic.
Clean User Experience
The website has a clean, minimalist design that puts the emphasis squarely on the photography portfolios. Simple navigation between the bio, galleries, info/pricing, and contact sections provides a smooth user experience.
Overall, Ed's website establishes a strong first impression through his compelling visual work, relatable personal brand, client testimonials, location specialization, and user-friendly design. Some additional content could supplement his offerings, but the core strengths are well-represented.
6. hayley morgan photography
Here are the key strengths that make this Hayley Morgan Photography Squarespace website effective:
Authentic, Personal Brand
From the friendly and down-to-earth About section to the candid style of her photography, Hayley's warm and relatable personality shines through. This helps create an instant connection with potential clients looking for a laid-back, fun wedding experience.
Specializes in "Candid" Approach
Hayley does an excellent job defining and selling her candid, photojournalistic style of wedding photography that focuses on capturing authentic moments as they unfold naturally. This distinct style positioning attracts couples specifically looking for that vibe.
Highlights the Client Experience
Beyond just showcasing her photography, the website emphasizes the full experience Hayley provides - keeping things relaxed, giving gentle direction, joining in the celebration, etc. This comprehensive service approach adds value.
Testimonial Social Proof
The testimonials carousel allows past clients to rave about Hayley's talent, affable personality, LGBTQ-friendliness, and the overall amazing experiences they had. These authentic reviews provide crucial validation.
Showcases Recent Work
The "Real Weddings" blog feature lets Hayley display her latest work in a story-like format. This recency helps showcase her active portfolio and gives a sneak peek into her candid style in action.
Clear Branding and Targeting
Everything from the warm, personal tone to the focus on laid-back, candid, Sydney-based weddings aligns to create a very clear overall brand positioning that resonates with her target client base.
With its authentic voice, distinct style, enhanced experience, social proof, and focused branding, this website does an excellent job introducing Hayley as a fun, talented candid wedding photographer in the Sydney region. The only potential area to expand could be more details on her specific wedding packages and pricing.
7. The Kat Creative
Here are the key strengths that make this TheKatCreative website by Katie Nguyen effective as a lifestyle and product photographer:
Multi-Talented Positioning
While leading with photography, the site smartly highlights Katie's skills across photography, social media, and video production. Showcasing her as a versatile "creative" allows her to capture a wider range of potential client needs.
Visual Storytelling Portfolio
The gallery showcases Katie's talent for capturing authentic, atmospheric lifestyle and product shots that draw you in. The curated visuals effectively convey her organic, candid style.
Client Testimonials
The included testimonials from past clients provide valuable social proof and validation of Katie's professionalism, creativity, communication skills and ability to deliver high-quality photography/visuals.
Clean, Focused Design
The overall design is clean and visually-focused, putting the emphasis on Katie's imagery and creative services. The simple navigation makes it easy for visitors to access her about, portfolio, and contact details.
Overall, this Squarespace site does an excellent job introducing Katie as a friendly, talented photographer/creative with strong visuals, client testimonials, social integration, and a focused presentation - providing a solid foundation to build upon.
8. luisa apanui
Here are the key strengths that make this Luisa Apanui Photography Squarespace website effective:
Stunning Visual Storytelling
The website leads with breathtaking photography and videography that immediately showcases Luisa's talent for capturing gorgeous, cinematic visuals. The images and video clips have an artful, editorial quality that immerses you in the stories she tells through her lens.
Refined, Sophisticated Branding
Everything from the minimalist design to the warm, poetic language conveys a refined, high-end brand positioning. Phrases like "modern & artful", "soulful adventures", and "visual memories you'll adore" cultivate an aspirational yet welcoming vibe appropriate for Luisa's upscale clientele.
Experience-Focused
While showcasing portfolio work, the website equally emphasizes the personalized experience Luisa provides - warm, expressive storytelling combined with a professional, easygoing process. Highlighting this full-service approach adds value beyond just imagery.
Geographic Flexibility
By stating availability to travel between New Zealand, Europe and worldwide locations, Luisa positions herself to attract destination wedding/elopement clients looking for her unique creative perspective.
Smart Brand Associations
The featured publication logos and testimonial name-dropping establish credibility while the lifestyle imagery cultivates aspirational lifestyle associations fitting of Luisa's artful approach.
Overall, this website captivates through Luisa's breathtaking visuals and refined, experiential brand storytelling. Her sophisticated yet warm tone, strong social proof, flexible travel services, and strategic brand associations cohesively target upscale destination wedding/editorial clients seeking artful, cinematic photography and videography. The design beautifully facilitates an immersive visual and editorial journey into Luisa's creative world.
9. Lyndi Ruth
Here are the key strengths that make this Lyndi Ruth Photography Squarespace website effective:
Inspirational, Aspirational Branding
The opening lines about capturing the beauty in every soul and helping clients create a life they can't wait to wake up to set an uplifting, inspirational brand tone. This aspires to shift photography from just documentation to an empowering creative experience.
Warm, Personal Voice
Lyndi's friendly, conversational writing style throughout the site cultivates an inviting, personable vibe. Using phrases like "darling" and sharing personal details helps build an instant human connection with potential clients.
Focuses on the Client Journey
While showcasing beautiful photography, the site emphasizes the consultative journey Lyndi provides - making clients feel truly known, served and special throughout the portraiture experience. This client-centric approach demonstrates enhanced value.
Simple, Image-Driven Design
The stripped-down design keeps the focus squarely on Lyndi's stunning portrait and wedding imagery, with each gallery showcasing her refined editorial style. Clean navigation allows easy access to her about, portfolio, and investment details.
Overall, this website establishes Lyndi as an impactful fine art photographer with a nurturing personal brand rooted in inspiration, emotional storytelling, and a seamless client experience. Her warm approachability balanced with technical expertise and creative direction makes for a compelling high-end portrait/wedding photography offering. The design is simple yet powerful in facilitating an immersive visual and personal brand journey.
10. malaky photography
Here are the key strengths that make this Malaky Photography Squarespace website effective:
Emotional, Heartfelt Messaging
The opening line "Hold onto these little memories" and phrases like "tender connection" and "moments that make your heart warm" tap right into the sentimental emotions parents feel about capturing their children's fleeting stages. This resonates powerfully with the target family/newborn photography audience.
Clearly Defined Services
The concise service menu for Maternity, Newborn and Family sessions succinctly explains what Mimi offers in terms of portrait packages. Having this spelled out simply makes booking seamless.
Behind-the-Scenes Insight
The "Experience" section gives helpful context into what a photoshoot with Mimi will actually be like - from letting kids be kids to her documentary approach. Setting these realistic expectations enhances transparency.
Authentic, Evocative Imagery
Mimi's photography gallery showcases a beautiful mix of stylized yet heartfelt family portraits and candid moments. The images have a lovely, airy quality that aligns with the sentimental brand vibe.
Overall, this website captures the right emotional sentiments through its messaging, voice, testimonials, clear services, transparent process insights, and evocative family imagery. The connection and comfort built through these elements effectively positions Mimi as the empathetic yet talented choice for authentic family storytelling.
11. Allison Redmon Photography
Here are the key strengths that make this Allison Redmon Photography & Films Squarespace website effective:
Powerful Brand Storytelling
The opening lines about capturing "the depth of your life" and "the smallest stories" immediately convey an emotional, sentimental brand positioning around preserving meaningful family memories. This resonates powerfully with the target photography audience.
First-Person Warmth & Authenticity
Allison's friendly first-person tone and personal details create an inviting, down-to-earth vibe. Statements like "I help take you back to the places you long to return to" cultivate a welcoming authenticity that builds trust.
Multi-Media Approach
By offering both photography and videography services under the "Family Films" brand umbrella, Allison provides a comprehensive solution for preserving family memories across stills and motion.
Overall, this website immerses visitors in Allison's emotive family storytelling approach through compelling visuals, an authentic personal voice, a comprehensive photography/videography solution, and clear service delineation — while hinting at international availability. The foundational branding and service strengths position her effectively for her sentimental, multi-media client niche.
12. Whitney Retter Photography
This custom squarespace website was built for Whitney Retter, an intimate wedding and elopement photographer that empowers clients to create their own celebration of love in the midwest and beyond. The site is designed to honor Whitney's values of adventure, honesty and intimacy through both her brand and web design.
Squarespace Template: Greenwich
Designer: MAYA NORMANDI
Butler & Badou Portraits showcases a variety of beautiful imagery and a clean, modern design on its Squarespace website. Let's break down what works well and what could be even stronger:
Strong Visual Impact
High-quality photography takes center stage from the moment the site loads. The use of large images and strategic layouts effectively draw the viewer in.
Variety of Offerings
The site clearly presents the studio's core services (families, boudoir, personal branding) making it easy for potential clients to find what they need.
Client Testimonials
Positive, authentic-sounding testimonials provide much-needed social proof, building trust with potential new clients.
Team Introduction
Introducing Marian, the lead photographer, humanizes the business and helps potential clients feel a connection.
Key Takeaways For Your Photography Website
Visuals First: Your images are the stars – ensure the chosen template and design elements support them, not compete with them.
Navigation Matters: Make it easy for people to find what they need (portfolio, about, contact), or they'll bounce.
Don't Neglect the Words: Compelling, concise copy and clear about-me details humanize your work.
Optimize for Impact: Don’t neglect SEO. Well-optimized photography sites get seen by more potential clients.
Squarespace Websites: 37+ Beautiful Examples to be Inspired by
Setting up a Squarespace website is easy, but making it stand out so it doesn’t look like every other site made with Squarespace, requires customization.
Drawing inspiration from other businesses using Squarespace can help you make yours better. Look at how others have customized the templates, what elements they've added or removed, and what looks good.
Just don't copy any site designs wholesale. Taking inspiration is fine, but copying is unethical. With so many good Squarespace designs, you'll likely end up with something unique by combining different elements.
The sites listed below are categorized, but there's overlap between categories, showing the templates' flexibility. Let's dive into the inspiration!
Portfolio Website Examples
1. Architecture in Formation
This site is the portfolio page for NYC-based architect and design firm AiF. It focuses heavily on both internal and external graphic images for the buildings and rooms they've designed. Note how graphic design is put forward at every opportunity.
2. Darren Booth
Darren Booth is a Canadian artist specializing in illustration and lettering. Every page is a tiled display of individual works, with some animation to draw the eye.
3. Mike Perry Studio
Another artist and graphic designer, this portfolio site uses bright colors, animations, and front-and-center graphics to immerse you immediately and keep your attention.
4. Studio Bramble
This studio is more corporate-focused, and as such, their design portfolio is more subdued, showcasing their professional designs. It just shows that not all portfolio sites need to be in-your-face with bright colors and images.
5. Alana Dimou
Photographers love Squarespace, and with good reason, it's straightforward to get a portfolio site set up and running on the platform. This website is one example of a great photo portfolio site, with examples leading to category pages with whole sets of photographs in them.
6. Candy Black
This is a branding and design agency showcasing design-first projects for various talented individuals worldwide. A lot of exciting clients here, and stunning designs for each of them, all showcased through one excellent portfolio site.
7. Fukt Magazine
This contemporary art and design magazine uses its portfolio site to showcase its magazine issues and entice people to subscribe. All in all, it's a great depiction of a simple portfolio.
Click here to check out Squarespace Portfolio Templates
Ecommerce Website Examples
8. Supernatural Kitchen
You're never limited in how much you want to make your site bold, to make a statement. This online store does just that with vibrant colors, and clear branding from the word go. Want to attract attention? This design style is an excellent way to do it.
9. Ocelot
Chocolate is a widely varied industry with thousands of artisan chocolatiers trying to make a name for themselves. This website helps promote the owner with enticing pictures of their product with clever graphic design and plenty of photos.
10. Little Fat Boy
This food-focused store website sells cookbooks, using great graphics to sell the individual recipes they provide for free. It's a classic business model, supported by a great design that puts the food first.
11. Amina Muaddi
Evocative and unique photography takes center stage for this fashion brand, showcasing items as simple as shoes and purses uniquely and impressively. It just goes to show that a clever design can make simple products and smaller stores pop.
12. Not Work Related
The storefront for a local potter in Brooklyn is another unique site using graphics to promote items. It also uses a custom script to change your cursor on the desktop site, so check that out.
13. JBD
Just Black Denim is a denim store focusing on women's fashion, trying to bring the style, well, back in style. Again, they use large images of a particular type to promote their aesthetic, attracting a specific customer.
14. Memor
A hybrid between a portfolio website and a storefront, this brand is a part art studio, part store, and the website reflects this dual-purpose design.
Blog Examples
15. Hunter & Folk
A blog, journal, design studio, and artist, this site has it all. You can see all the eclectic interests and designs reflected in the website, making it a great inspiration source.
16. The Good Trade
This website is about fashion, beauty, culture, and self-improvement, designed to promote content. They have issues with topic cohesion, but not in site layout or design, that's for sure.
17. Riposte Magazine
Another digital magazine, this site showcases a more subdued design with more text and less prominent images, reflecting a more classical idea of what a magazine looks like.
18. Sunday Suppers
A food blog and photographer with an over-the-top level of pretentious self-importance, showcases how many different interests can converge into one cohesive site design.
19. Ash Owens
The personal blog and portfolio for a digital author, photographer, and designer. This design is a more traditional website that shows you that even simple things can be done with elegance and focus using Squarespace's templates and customizations.
20. One Mag
The website for the magazine One, focusing on sustainable production. It's another site that focuses on graphic design to sell their magazine, and it does an excellent job of showcasing their aesthetic front and center.
21. Taylr Anne
A lifestyle blogger from southern California, this blog covers various related interests with a clever design that keeps you scrolling to find more tidbits and exciting passages.
Restaurant Examples
22. Blue Dog NYC
Restaurant websites need to showcase three things: the style of the restaurant, the menu, and how to get there (hours, location, etc.). You can see from this design that you get all of that at a glance, with specific details only a single click away. I particularly like that when you scroll down, the entire site shutters up and shows you the main menu again.
23. Rare Bird Rooftop
A restaurant with two locations, you can click on your closest venue and see all of the vital restaurant information near at hand. If you're in their target audience, this website will capture your interest immediately.
24. Co'm Vietnamese
Restaurant information? Check. Menu link? Check. Option to order online? Check. Bright and vibrant images of the food they make? Check. This restaurant site has everything and shows you that even a simple design can serve its purpose admirably.
25. Leisir Wine
New York City is packed with nontraditional restaurants, so why would their websites be different? As a wine shop and bar, this site showcases the aesthetics of wine as much as the products they sell.
26. Dram & Grain
Compare and contrast this with the previous site. Both are bars, both offer a similar intent in dining, but they have incredibly different aesthetics, sensibilities, and designs. Yet you can see how the same core focus exists, with creative photography, information laced throughout the site, and enticing offers on display.
27. Jones BBQ
Sometimes, a restaurant goes too far in the pretentious direction. Jones takes it back down to earth with a simple, forward design. They tell you who they are, the products for sale, and they tell you how to buy them, all within a few swipes of scrolling.
28. Fire and Flour Bread
You might never think that a restaurant specializing in bread would succeed. Still, as it turns out, there's near-infinite variation in recipes, and bread culture is an incredible experience. This site showcases how diverse and wonderful bread can be, interspersed with information about their products, services, and how to order.
Local Business Websites
29. Bembien
When you're building a storefront for your business, you want to showcase your products in the best light possible. There's a lot of overlap between local businesses, storefronts, and portfolios. You'll see elements of these in this site and the others in this section of the post.
30. Fighting Eel
Anything can be a brand name these days, so long as you put effort into making it yours. This fashion brand showcases categories of products in a somewhat subdued homepage. Still, it offers everything you need to have a successful store, including important pages like store locations and the all-important shopping cart.
31. Kismet L.A.
Kismet is a local restaurant, and its website combines the best elements of local business and restaurant site designs. Notice how they have every significant page linked front and center, and you can scroll to see more specifics at your leisure. It's also well-formatted for a mobile experience, so much so that even desktops feel like mobile devices using it.
32. A+I
This local business works as a design firm, so their website is part promotion, part portfolio, and part blog. You can see all of those essential elements on display, with sliders and great use of white space to bring focus to specific information.
33. Altrock Surfaces
Pop quiz: how interesting do you think countertops are? This site will disabuse you of the notion that there's nothing to them. It's simple on the surface, just some exciting composite and marble countertops. When you dig in more, as the site design encourages you to do, you learn more about the artistry behind them. It's a good design that draws you in.
34. Black Girl in Om
While not quite a local business, this brand covers everything from blog and podcast content to an exclusive networking club for black women and women of color. Check out their About section to see some impressive uses of locked and unlocked elements while scrolling.
35. Lunch Group
This site is another example of how subtle animation elements can bring life to an otherwise simple design. Check out the textured background near the bottom and the tiny animation of the logo that draws your attention to the top menu navigation.
36. Photo Haus
Photo Haus uses Squarespace for their studio rental business. They use this along with Peerspace to get online bookings. The benefit of Squarespace is the ability to fully customize everything and even offer membership packages with the Scheduling tool.
Musician WEbsite Examples
37. David Bowie
Bowie’s website is on a classic Squarespace template featuring everything Bowie fans need to connect with the artist.
38. Alanis MorissetTE
Alanis Morisette’s website features everything a musician should have including news, upcoming tour dates, of course music, podcasts and merch, all with Squarespace
Looking for more?
Try our template directory here.
Have you found something inspiring in this post? Great!
I tried to give a broad range of different designs to tickle the fancy of as many other people as possible.
If I've convinced you to try out Squarespace when you haven't before, why not give Squarespace a try? It'll give you quick and easy access to Squarespace and help me out a bit along the way. And, if you want to start someplace other than the default Squarespace templates, why not check out my list of custom template shops and best Squarespace designers?? They're premium templates that have custom designs and far fewer people online already using them, so it's easier to make a unique-looking site out of them.
What did you think of these designs? Which is your favorite? Do you have any questions for me? If you’re struggling to build your new Squarespace site, or if you want to bounce some ideas off me, please share with me in the comments. I’d love to hear from you and the new website you’re building.
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