How to Create a Style Guide
A beautifully designed website starts with a well-thought-out style guide.
Whether you're using one of our professionally designed Squarespace templates or working with your own design, a style guide will help you maintain visual consistency and make customisation easier. In this blog article, we'll show you how to create a style guide tailored to your brand and apply it to your Squarespace website effortlessly.
By the end, you'll not only have a solid understanding of your website's visual identity but also be equipped to tweak your Squarespace template like a pro. Want a step-by-step walkthrough? Watch our accompanying YouTube tutorial where we apply these concepts live!
✨ What is a Style Guide, and Why Do You Need One?
A style guide is a document that outlines the visual elements of your website, including typography, color palette, and imagery. It ensures that every part of your website looks cohesive and represents your brand professionally.
✨ Key Benefits of a Style Guide:
Consistency Across Pages: It ensures your website looks unified, no matter how many pages or sections you add.
Time Savings: Once established, you won't need to make design decisions every time you add new content.
Professionalism: Consistent design builds trust with your audience and enhances your brand identity.
Pro Tip: Before customising your template, define your brand’s personality. Is it modern and sleek? Fun and colourful ? Your style guide should reflect this.
✨ Key Elements of a Style Guide for Your Squarespace Website
👉 Typography
Your font choices affect readability and convey the tone of your brand. Squarespace makes it easy to customise fonts, but here’s what you should include in your style guide:
Primary Font: Used for headers and titles. Choose something bold and eye-catching that aligns with your brand.
Secondary Font: This font should be easy to read and is used for body text.
Font Sizes: Define sizes for headers (H1, H2, etc.), subheaders, and body text to maintain a clear hierarchy.
Example: For a modern business, you might choose “Bebas Kai” for headings and “PT Sans” for body text, ensuring a balance between elegance and clarity. Like we used for our template Envision, perfect for an Interior Design studio. CHECK IT OUT
👉 Colour Palette:
Your color scheme is a key part of your website’s identity. Squarespace allows you to customise this easily, but defining it in your style guide helps keep it consistent.
Primary Colours : These should be your main brand colours (often 1-2).
Secondary Colours : Accent colours for buttons, links, or CTAs (2-3 additional colours ).
Neutral Colours : Use whites, greys, and blacks for backgrounds or text.
Example: A tech startup might use a primary color like midnight blue, with a secondary color like neon green for buttons, and neutral tones like light grey for backgrounds.
👉 Buttons and CTAs:
Your buttons should guide visitors to take action, like signing up for a newsletter or purchasing a product.
Button Style: Should they be rounded or square? Define this in your style guide.
Colours and Effects: Set hover effects that contrast with your color palette to make buttons more engaging.
Example: Use your secondary color for the default button style, with a hover effect that darkens the shade slightly.
✨ Applying Your Style Guide in Squarespace
Now that you've established your brand's visual identity through your style guide, let's see how to apply it to your Squarespace website.
A. Customising Fonts
Go to Design > Site Styles > Fonts.
Choose your primary and secondary fonts.
Adjust the font sizes according to your style guide’s hierarchy.
B. Setting Your Color Palette
Go to Design > Site Styles > Colours.
Input the hex codes from your style guide into the color editor to set your primary and secondary colours .
Preview how these colours look on different elements like headers, buttons, and background areas.
C. Customising Buttons
Go to Design > Site Styles > Buttons.
Set the shape, color, and hover effects to match your style guide.
Pro Tip: Test your design on both desktop and mobile versions to ensure consistency.
✨ Keep Your Style Consistent
After setting up your Squarespace template according to your style guide, ensure consistency by:
Sticking to the Guide: Refer back to it whenever you’re adding new content or pages.
Auditing Regularly: Check every few months to ensure everything still matches your brand.
Updating Your Guide: As your brand evolves, adjust your style guide to reflect changes in design trends or branding.
✨Conclusion
By following this guide, you can ensure that customising your Squarespace template is easy and stress-free,
while also maintaining a consistent and
professional website.
