Making Squarespace website not look like Squarespace websites

How to Break the Mold and Make Your Squarespace Website Truly Unique

Ever wondered how to create a website that doesn’t scream "Squarespace"?

As Squarespace designers, we often get asked how we make websites look less like the typical, cookie-cutter Squarespace templates. While the platform offers incredible tools for building sleek and functional sites, there are ways to take your designs to the next level by incorporating custom assets.

Breaking the Boundaries with Custom CSS and Plugins

One method to customise a Squarespace site is by using custom CSS or plugins. This can help you craft new layouts, tweak navigation bars, and introduce unique fonts and animations. But that’s just the beginning. To truly make your website stand out, it’s worth looking outside the platform itself for design inspiration.

The Drop Zone Golf Ltd, Home Page (With custom Adobe assets)

Adobe Illustrator: The Powerhouse for Custom Assets

A tool I frequently turn to when building Squarespace sites is Adobe Illustrator. It’s a game-changer for designing unique assets that you can then bring into the Squarespace framework. Take one of my recent projects for Drop Zone Golf as an example.

Instead of using Squarespace's built-in dividers, I created rough, custom dividers inspired by the terrain of a golf course. I used Adobe Photoshop to cut out an image of a golfer, imported it into Illustrator, and added rough grass effects to give the page a natural, textured feel. It made the site feel like the golf course was literally spilling out of the screen. Achieving the same effect through code would have been time-consuming and far less polished.

For Drop Zone Golf, I also designed custom icons that expanded on the branding. Inspired by Wii Sports, I created icons to visually represent the key selling points of the business—like the ability to play in any weather and the social aspect of the venue. These custom designs really helped bring the brand to life and gave the site a unique touch.

Custom icons built in Adobe Illustrator

Canva: A Great Alternative for Novices

If Adobe Illustrator sounds too advanced, don’t worry—Canva is an excellent alternative, especially for those new to design. While it doesn’t have all the features of Illustrator, Canva provides templates and easy-to-use tools for creating custom assets like logos, banners, and icons.

For instance, I often use Canva when creating smaller assets for websites, such as advertisements or social media thumbnails. It’s perfect for generating visually engaging content quickly, and you can easily export these designs as PNGs and drop them straight into Squarespace.

One recent example is using Canva to create a tiled layout of my favourite project screenshots, which I then used as a visual call to action on our website. It’s a straightforward way to add a custom flair that aligns with your branding, without needing advanced design skills.

Social media assets created in Canva, after building the main branding in Adobe Illustrator.

Tying Custom Assets to Your Brand

Whether you’re using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Canva, the key to making your Squarespace site unique is ensuring that your custom assets are tied closely to your brand. For Drop Zone Golf, we built upon the initial branding with subtle touches like adding logo motifs and textures throughout the site. These small details make a big difference, taking the website from a standard template to something truly bespoke.

Want to Learn More?

If you’re interested in exploring how to create custom assets for your Squarespace site, we’ve got you covered. Our online community at Skool offers a variety of tutorials to help you master these skills. Whether you’re a novice or a pro, we’re here to help you break the mold and make your website stand out.

Incorporating custom assets can elevate your Squarespace site from great to outstanding. These tools help you create a unique, branded experience that can’t be achieved by sticking to the default templates. Give it a try, and take your website to the next level.

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Feel free to drop me a message and let’s get your project off the ground with our web design workshops.