The problem
Online now is crowded, and it will only get worse as small businesses realise the potential of a good website. The problem is not poor aesthetics - it’s being anonymous. Standing out from the crowd is essential for success on the Internet.
What absolutely not to do
Most Squarespace designers look at other Squarespace websites for inspiration and to get ideas for the websites they are building. This is 100% the wrong way to go about it. If you just look at Squarespace websites, you will build a site that looks like other Squarespace websites. Our premium Squarespace templates are designed using the techniques on this page.
It’s like the blind leading the blind. Websites that are likely performing badly are copied, and you guessed it: copying these poorly performing websites will lead to more poorly designed websites.
Broaden your horizons
Instead of looking at other Squarespace websites, look at different things completely. I highly recommend the following process.
Pen and paper
Start looking at different mediums, film, television, art even nature to gather ideas. The last idea of nature sounds a little woo woo but break down the colours and composition can lead to some interesting ideas. To capture these ideas pen and paper is extremely quick to get your thoughts down. Your drawings don’t need to be Picasso like quality. Simple lines and more importantly notes can help remind you of your impression.
Phone camera
Who doesn’t carry a phone with them these days? Phones have cameras, and these can be crucial in capturing things of interest. I’ve snapped many pieces of graphic design I have found out about in the city and country. Photos of nature can all be caught very well on a phone camera. Sure, you don’t have the zoom lens of a full-blown DLSR camera, but phone cameras are powerful in their own right.
Bringing these together
After taking some doodling and pictures, you want to tie them together so they are not lost in the thousands of other pictures you have on your phone or at the back of your notebook. A digital tool like Evernote or Notion can store your capture ideas and images so they last the test of time. You can take a picture of your notebook and then take into Evernote, as well as any other images you have taken of your inspiring moment.
Save websites of interest
Any website you come across that is interesting, save a screenshot and take it into your note tool of choice. Screenshots are better here than bookmarks, as live websites can be renewed, and businesses can go out of business. With a screenshot, that’s your’s forever. Dribbble, Awwwards and Pinterest are excellent sources of inspiration.
Many Squarespace designers start designing in Squarespace
I highly recommend NOT starting a design off in Squarespace. A tool like Figma, which is affordable and easy to learn allows you to design from scratch with your own ideas. It’s much quicker to iterate and get the little details right in Figma. You can easily duplicate and then compare your designs side by side. I can’t recommend designing in Figma first enough.
Conclusion - get off Squarespace
Don’t look at Squarespace websites for inspiration is one of the big takeaways from this post. There is a whole planet of websites away from Squarespace ones. By using pen and paper and then a digital note tool allow you to capture visual things out of Squarespace. Broaden your horizons.