Squarespace for Artists: How to Build An *Authentic Site
I noticed most posts on Squarespace for artists just focus on why it’s great, features to add and pages to include. That’s all fine, but this article is different.
My workflow starts with hyper-specific creative direction. This is the one thing that makes a website actually feel authentic and branded. But most people get it wrong.
(hint, brand clarity doesn’t mean choosing a color palette and writing a new bio)
Besides the authentic side, I also cover some other overlooked things that’ll make your site feel super premium (hint #2: grid systems).
My hope? By the end of this post, you’ll have confidence and a blueprint—not to just build an artist website, but to make something that feels and looks as good as your work.
By the way, besides web design, I’m also an artist and musician myself, so the steps and tools below come from my own personal experience.
Alright then, let’s do this freaking thing.
Table of Contents
Artist Websites All Look the Same
Do you ever feel like artist websites sort of all look the same? Most templates definitely do.
You know, a bit quiet and full-on gallery inspired.
Maybe everyone’s reading the same checklist. But the sites that truly stand out and make you inspired, those are the ones that are branded and intentional. They didn’t follow the typical playbook. And if they did, they added their spin.
And please take note, if quiet galley is your jam, that’s totally fine. I’m just saying don’t be shy to color outside the lines and push things a bit to add your voice.
The boring sites are the ones that don’t authentically express themselves.
The goal is to create something that fully reflects you, your brand, your vision, and your work.
Anything short of that goes in the digital trash bin.
The workflow I cover below will make sure you don’t make a boring artist website.
Is Squarespace Good for Artists?
Totally, Squarespace is perfect for artists. I’ve been using them since 2020 and I have 3 different active sites on my account. Squarespace has everything you could possibly need as an artist:
It’s easy to use
Powerful and reliable
Trustworthy reputation
Creative-community focused
Large community and lots of resources
Deep customization options with plugins
It’s an all-in-one ecosystem (email and campaigns, domain management, SEO and marketing, blogging, ecom, memberships, courses, and more)
How to Make An Artist Website That’s Super Good (4 steps)
Don’t Start Yet
This is the most important step. It’s also the most overlooked (or rushed).
Without a super clear vision, based on a confident brand identity, every website you try to build will feel disjointed or slightly off. It’ll drift in style and you’ll probably end up doing rebrands every couple of weeks.
(just speaking from years of experience lol)
So the first step to building a truly kick-ass artist website is to follow this workflow: brand clarity —> creative direction —> a curated stylescape.
The creative website planner goes deeper, but here’s the gist:
Brand clarity
Your values
Your unique POV
Your storyworld rules/anti-rules
Your mission and vision (your burning why)
Your art and brand ‘look’ (the brand kit)
Creative direction
What 1 thing do you want people to do on the site?
What 1 thing do you want people to feel on the site?
What 1 thing do you want people to remember on the site?
Turn your vision into a hyper-specific idea
If your artwork style had a house, how would it be decorated?
So, not ‘a minimalist artist website!’
But ‘an abstract artist retrofits an old Japanese surf magazine into their online portfolio’
This is your website’s theme
Stylescape
Based on your brand clarity and creative direction, curate a shortlist of super relevant inspiration sources
This will be your visual inspo guide
Build the Shell
To build your artist website, you have a few options:
Build from scratch
Use a template
Hire a designer
Using a template is quickest. Just make sure you choose a good one that’s aligned (aka, maybe don’t go with the yoga business option). I build my own custom Squarespace templates specifically for creatives if you want to check those out.
Building from scratch is great if you want to learn the Squarespace platform deeper, have patience, or don’t want to be influenced by other designs (like maybe you have a super unique vision).
Hiring a designer is the most hands-off option. It’s a great choice if you have the budget and find someone you align with.
Whatever path you go with, just be sure to add the essentials:
Portfolio
Contact
About/bio
Process photos
Artwork info (title, date, etc)
Pricing transparency
Whether your work is sold or available
Legal (t&c, a returns & privacy policy, disclosures)
Design It (like an artist)
Once you have the structure and basic layout set up, it’s time to add your voice. This is the fun creative part.
But it’s also the part where a lot of websites fall apart. So this section will give you some core design fundamentals to keep things grounded.
Web Layout Design
Grid systems are invisible structural frameworks to organize all your elements in a section or page. Each element snaps into the grid.
Web layout design is knowing which patterns (how you organize your elements) look good on that grid. For example:
Bento grid
Asymmetric grid
Broken/anti-grid
Full immersive
Check out my full post on the core grid systems to know for visuals and tips.
Principles
Design principles include concepts like balance, contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity, hierarchy, white space, emphasis, unity and movement.
Think about these when communicating your visual style.
But also remember that personality beats perfection. And I support breaking the rules, especially if you’re going for something like a punk-skate aesthetic that thrives on chaos. It just helps to know the rule you’re breaking and why you’re doing it.
Optimize + Launch
This is the final touch to your website. Let’s make it fully optimized and then send it.
Optimization can be summarized with a few acronyms: SEO, AIO and UX.
You’ve probably heard of at least one of these by now, but just in case, let’s break them down real’ quick.
SEO
Search engine optimization: the art of showing up in search.
AIO
Artificial intelligence optimization: the art of showing up in AI.
UX
User experience: making sure your visitors have a swell time.
SEO and AIO start with brand clarity, then finding your personal (brand) keywords, and finally using them in the right places. Learn more about SEO for creatives here.
UX means your site is mobile friendly, accessible, easy to navigate, easy to read, and fast.
So once you have your site optimized, you’re to smash that publish button (and check out my Squarespace launch checklist to make sure you didn’t miss anything).
And that’s a wrap! Follow this guide, and you’ll have a truly kick-ass, authentic artist website.
Later ✌️
(psst, want a shortcut to an awesome website? Check out my custom Squarespace templates)
