Squarespace: Showcasing Talent
One of the best ways to present your creativity with beauty and simplicity
As a group of editors constantly on the lookout for emerging designers and artists, the team at CH understands the value of an accurate, beautiful demonstration of talent.
Sites can be too busy, or mistake scantness for minimalism. UX problems are abundant. Perhaps most frequently, websites are just plain ugly. All of this distracts from what could be a presentation of immense creativity and skill. An affordable and accessible option is available. One that we’ve used, and recommended to artist friends.
Squarespace guarantees a simple, beautiful display, regardless of design complexity.
Squarespace distances itself from its competition in two key areas. The first is design, a feature tantamount to none in our opinion. We’ll explore that further below, but Squarespace’s second unmatched value is the all-in-one platform. When building a personal site no time should be wasted on snags, external aid or outreach and finding appropriate affiliates. It can be reduced to picking a domain, uploading content, customizing and launching. This is more than a place to display work, but also provides the option to build an online store and connect to Google Apps for custom emails. Most creatives will likely benefit from Squarespace’s very own IT department, offering expert guidance 24 hours a day. The less time one spends thinking about the technical details of a domain, the more time can be spent populating it with one’s own work.
The best way for us to convey our appreciation of Squarespace’s design value is to probe into three sites we’ve found, made using the platform. First, Michael Steven Forrest—the Art Director for Wakeboarding Magazine—has taken a clean, crisp and very easy to navigate approach to his site. With gorgeous images presented in a no-fuss manner, his site lets his photography speak for itself. Further, it snaps to format for different screen sizes, a requirement today.
Laura Bohill‘s site also employs a tiled design, and yet the stark contrast between hers and Forrest’s demonstrate the Squarespace customization. The platform actually offers 45 different templates—as launch pads. From there, everything can be adjusted. The varied shapes of Bohill’s tiles highlight her work, the medium and more. Each tile acts as an access point to content beyond.
A departure from the previous two, the website of Jeff Rogers captivates with its vibrant title page. Rogers’ messaging is clear and direct: this is the home of an artist and designer. Access to further information presents itself. With one click, visitors enter his store. Another click and they’ve added something to their shopping cart. It’s all easy. And that’s necessary for creatives, visitors, those looking for a website and anyone wanting to browse away unencumbered.
You can create a portfolio for your photography, design or creative endeavors
with Squarespace, starting with a free trial. No credit card is required. Further, readers can use coupon ‘COOLHUNTING’ for 10% off their first website or domain purchase.
Hero image from Max Dworkin, following image from Samm Blake, all other images courtesy of respective Squarespace websites
