Squarespace’s launch of 7.1 was one of the most innovative versions of the platform to date. There were a ton of updates and changes made, particularly to the template families (or rather, consolidation of them), and the backend of the design page. This blog post is a bit more opinionated, in that I’m listing my thoughts on the four best features that have been a part of the 7.1 release.
The 4 Best Features of Squarespace 7.1
1. One-Template Family: In previous versions of Squarespace, if you chose one template, you were limited to the design features and functionalities that were associated with that template. Some of these templates are (still) awesome (Brine!) but some templates were a bit more limited in their design capabilities which could be frustrating, and require custom CSS...which could lead to potential hiccups down the line depending on the CSS. In 7.1, all “templates” that you see on the popular page as well as within the website categories listed on the template explore page, all originate from one template family, and they all have the same, extensive, design capabilities. This makes it AWESOME and EASY to navigate and design on because you never have to worry about “can I do ___ on this template?”
2. Categorized Design Sections in the Design Backend: I have to say, when I first saw the update on the back end for the design page, I immediately had this thought of “Oh this is..overwhelming” as Squarespace had removed the click-and-edit feature. But. This breakdown is actually extremely helpful because you can take a deeper dive into each category, and they have designer-curated options as well, particularly for font combinations and color palettes. Using the color palettes as an example, you have options to use a designer-curated palette, create one from an image you upload (SUPER COOL!), create one around one color, or customize your own. This is awesome and not only do you see it live on the site immediately, there are so many combinations that Squarespace automatically generates for your color palette for how it appears on the site.
3. Page Categories Now Includes Portfolio Page: There’s a new page in town, and it’s the portfolio page. For any kind of service-based business that needs to have a portfolio page, this is a great new option. Particularly if you are a photographer, you can input a portfolio page, and each “image” (and by image, say you select 1 image of an album as your album cover) within the gallery can lead to another page comprised of photos for that particular album of photos. If you’re a designer, you don’t have to link the photo to another page, you just have a super easy photo-upload process to display your work.
4. Replacing Index Pages with Live Page Add-Ins: Even though Squarespace has removed the index page option, you now have the capability to make every page an index page by simply clicking on the blue and white “+” button. Not only that, you can add a page above or below the current page you’re working on (previously you would have to create the page then drag and drop it to rearrange). Then, when you click on the “+” to add a page, you get a ton of options, broken down by categories with a photo preview of what different options within those categories look like.
If you haven’t had a chance to play around with the new 7.1 version, I highly recommend getting in there and exploring it. Whether you’re a tenured designer or building your website, the new update has features that will absolutely streamline the design process and offers way more customization options compared to previous versions. Also. No more stress about which template to choose, which is half the battle sometimes. Have you played with the new 7.1 version yet? If so, what are your favorite features?
