130: New Artist Website with Shop on Squarespace 7.1 for Stephanie Ruble

Update: This site no longer active shows my design. From time to time clients will move on to other platforms or even shut down their business. This is such a case where my original design is no longer visible on this client site. That happens. And it’s okay. I am leaving this blog post for SEO and to give you ideas and as a record of my work!

Type of Project: New Website Build - Website In A Day + bonus 2nd day
Client Site: www.sruble.com
Platform: Squarespace 7.1
Niche: Art & Design
Location: Delaware, USA

Color Scheme:
The colors palette includes the blue from the logo for accents and highlights and bright orange for links and navigation.
White: #fff
Black: #000
Green: #3aa251
Blue: #2c71b6
Orange: #ff9933
Purple: #794f99

Fonts Used:
Headings: Acumin Pro
Paragraph: Poppins
Miscellaneous: Poppins

Fresh off the website oven! Last week, I was on a two day project to create an artist website for Stephanie Ruble. The project was over Monday, Tuesday and because of some unexpected scenarios, I needed an extra day to complete the project. Through it all, Stephanie, was calm and composed and readily supplied any new materials or info I needed for the project.

Usually, I tell my clients that we have only three main checkpoints on any day we work together. But on this project, we had multiple email threads to get some things taken care of and my client was very attentive to my requests responding in light speed throughout the two days of our project. The main issue was the size of the images and renaming all of them. This is an important point to consider if you are designing an image heavy site to make sure the site does load fast despite lots of images: ask for both jpegs and pngs of the artwork and ask for both the original and small sizes. There are a lot of tips around image prep that I can possibly put into a separate blog post. But for now, suffice to say, that we have a lovely site with fun, creative artwork in different categories that showcases Stephanie’s versatile artistic skills.

The site showcases a home, about, commissions, portfolio and a shop with three products. My client has already begun adding new elements and started a blog. This is always a good sign telling me that my handover Squarespace training was good enough to build confidence in my clients to start working on their site and developing it further.

This was a Website In A Day + Bonus Day project built on Squarespace 7.1 with the new Fluid Engine.

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Trivia: Stephanie’s artwork is fun and creative. I enjoyed so much working with her art on the website. A lot of her work is adorable but the frog in the pond is my absolute favorite. While Stephanie has illustrated children’s books, she has a vast skill set including creating fun patterns. And oh, she loves cows (her about page bio will make this obvious!).

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Kind Words from the Client :

“Sophia was wonderful to work with and went above and beyond to make my site come to life. She patiently answered all my questions, found solutions for the complicated things I requested, and came up with a design idea I absolutely love.” ⏤ Stephanie Ruble, sruble.com

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Here you can see the frog that I love so much.

Your Turn:

What’s something amazing you’ve noticed about your clients while working with them on their websites? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers to you and your abundant creativity,
🦄🦄🦄 Sophia

129: 15 Ways I Use Zoom to Run My Web Design Business

There was a time back in 2018-2019 when I was running my live Squarespace Fundamentals workshops, that I had to explain to my participants what Zoom was. Once they registered, I would send them links to tutorials on how to download Zoom and how to troubleshoot if it was not working. Plus, I would ask them to come 15 minutes early so I could help them with any technical difficulties on Zoom.

Fast-forward to 2022, thanks to the pandemic, Zoom has become a household name and there’s even a Zoom-fatigue that folks are experiencing through too much use of the app for communications.

Still, I use Zoom several times a week and on my consult call days, several times a day. It has made communication with my students and clients real easy. And so I thought I would round-up the many different ways I use Zoom to run my web design business.

1| 30 min Complimentary Client Calls

The first touch point with a new potential client is a complimentary 30 minute call over Zoom. In this call, I get to learn about the client’s needs and also share about my design workflow and packages. It’s a real conversation where the client gets to ask any question about the process and prep involved in building a new website.

2| 60 min Design Consult Hour - Day 1 of all of my design projects

This is an hour filled with in-depth review of all the content the client has put together as well as the time for us to get on the same page in terms of the visual aesthetic of the website I am building. We look at several example sites and discuss both design and functionality needs. This is one of my favorite parts of the design process as it is truly collaborative and I really get to feel into what the client is envisioning for their new site.

3| 10 min Design feedback during the course of the project
These are quick check-ins that I do with my client during the course of a project - whether it’s a two week project or a Website In A Day project, a 10 minute touch base makes communication flow much faster than several email threads.

4| 45-60 min Design Training + Website handover call
This is the magical end of the project call where I go over the final design of the site, do a live training of the Squarespace platform and officially handover the website to the client. This is when the final oohs and aahs are released and I see a wave of satisfaction on my client’s faces, which is truly fulfilling.

5| 90 min Squarespace 1 to 1 Training
Clients can hire me for a one-to-one training where I can give a custom training on using Squarespace. This training is super unique each time as each client will have different needs and are stuck at different parts of the website building process.

6| 60-90 min Paid Client Consult Calls
These are more of a strategy call that client can hire me for. They are dedicated for return clients who want to touch base about a new task or want to brainstorm a new product or strategy for their online presence.

7 | 90 min Squarespace Fundamentals Workshop
This is my 90 min live workshop for Squarespace beginners or those who want to refresh their knowledge of Squarespace. We go over the foundations such as creating new pages, adding galleries and links and so son.

8| 60 min Webinars for launching my courses and coaching program
I have done several webinars over the years for various courses and coaching program that have offered to my email list. I enjoy doing webinars very much and Zoom has been a reliable platform for that.

9| 60 min Coaching call for my MWD students
These are my weekly calls I do for coaching my students in my coaching program. And Zoom is my go to choice.

10| 90 min course delivery calls during live cohort for my course
When I deliver my course live, I use Zoom. These 90 minute sessions are perfect for screenshare where I teach a certain topic inside my course. Live courses are quite more fun than a pre-recorded course I think for my students as they can ask questions and see each other through out the program.

11| Personalized Assessment Delivery for my MWD students
Inside my coaching program I (or my team) make video assessments of any asset that my students submit. This way each student gets personalized feedback on everything they create as part of the coaching program. I use Zoom to record these as I can make the recording easily available to my students (instead of downloading and then uploading large video files separately).

12| Website Walkthrough Videos
Rare but once in a while walking through my first draft of the website if client is not available for a live call (often use Loom instead). I like making a video instead of sending an email because the client can see the site and hear my voice and understand the reasons behind my design choices. I highly recommend making a video if you cannot show the client the site in a live screenshare call.

13| Interviewing new hires for graphic design or team
Of course, for interviewing new hires, Zoom is my go-to tool.

14| Interviews for my YouTube Show (coming this fall)
I will be using Zoom for doing interviews for my new YouTube Show that’s coming this fall. I am researching other broadcasting apps so this is likely going to change but for now, Zoom it is.

15| Talks with my Business Mastermind Buddy
Since 2015, I have been chatting monthly or sometimes several times a month with my business mastermind buddy. We share a Zoom link with each other and it helps us keep in touch and share our learnings with each other with ease.

Things in the tech world are always changing and developing rapidly. But so far I am happy with Zoom. This app has become an important part of my business and writing this list makes it even more clear how much I rely on this one app for so many different aspects of running my web design business.

To your success,

Sophia

Your Turn:

For which of these 15 things do you use Zoom for? Do you have other apps that you have found more useful? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers to you and your abundant creativity,
🦄🦄🦄 Sophia

Note: There may be affiliate or paid links on this post and/or other pages throughout this website.

128: New Website for Dog-Friendly Vacation Rental Listing on Squarespace 7.1

Type of Project: New Website Build - Website In A Day + hybrid
Client Site: www.dogs-welcome.net
Platform: Squarespace 7.1
Niche: Travel - Vacation Rental Directory
Location: Northeast USA

Color Scheme:
The colors palette includes the blue from the logo for accents and highlights and bright orange for links and navigation.
White: #fff
Black: #000
deep Blue: #152982
light blue: #dae8f7
Beige/Brown: #dd9159

Fonts Used:
Headings: Cormorant Garamond
Paragraph: Adelle Sans
Miscellaneous: Adelle Sans

A few weeks ago, I got an opportunity to serve dogs through my web design service. Actually, I got to serve travelers who want to bring their dogs along wherever they go. Sara Sokol who owns a vacation rental herself and is an accomplished dog trainer herself, got the idea of creating a resource for people who want to travel but are heart-broken when they leave their dogs with friends or at a kennel. They would rather travel along with their furry companions. Thus, Dogs Welcome was born - a directory of North American vacation rentals that welcome dogs on their property. She asked me to create a website that includes a directory of vacation rentals that welcome dogs (and cats) along with their human companions.

The color scheme for the site was derived from the logo which was created by Garry Atkinson. Garry is not only a graphic designer but also a Squarespace web designer and you can contact him here for your graphic and web design needs: https://www.texplora.media/

The creation of the directory itself was quite a technical process and I used two different plugins (pre-designed code) to make it happen. My client was a delight to work with and we had a few outbursts of laughter (especially when co-creating the fun lines of moving text at the bottom of the home page). How can you not when you are writing about Sarah Jessica Barker and Dumbledog!

This was a unique project (was outside of any of my packages) on Squarespace 7.1 with the new Fluid Engine.

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Trivia: My client Sara is the owner of Mr. Dog Training, a positive reinforcement dog training facility that has been voted best dog trainer in Maine for the past seven years!

And she has authored all of Coastal Humane Society’s behavior handouts, training class descriptions, and their “Caring for Your Newly Adopted Dog” packet. Her wealth of experience and love for the furry ones is truly admirable.

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Kind Words from the Client:

“Perfection! One of the best decisions I've made was hiring Sophia for my project. Sophia is easy to work with, beyond helpful, supportive, and fun. I look forward to having a chance to work with her again!” ⏤ Sara Sokol, Dogs Welcome

Your Turn:

What’s something amazing you’ve noticed about your clients while working with them on their websites? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers to you and your abundant creativity,
🦄🦄🦄 Sophia

127: Website In A Day - Video Production Company Website on Squarespace 7.1

Type of Project: New Website Build - Website In A Day
Client Site: www.paperplanevideo.com
Platform: Squarespace 7.1
Niche: Art & Design: Video Production Company
Location: NYC, USA

Color Scheme:
The colors palette includes the blue from the logo for accents and highlights and bright orange for links and navigation.
White: #fff
Black: #000
Light Beige/Neutral: #F5F3EB
Blue: #1498D5
Orange: #D55114

Fonts Used:
Headings: Europa
Paragraph: Proxima Nova
Miscellaneous: Proxima Nova

In early September, I had the chance to create a website for a video production company run by Christopher Nuut of NYC.
It included a Squarespace 7.1 walkthrough training (recorded) and moving the domain from his old 7.0 site to the new one. This project involved a lot of gifs, multiple video embeds for the portfolio as well as a full-bleed video on the home page banner. Although the Website In A Day package includes 3 pages, I built only two pages (Home and Social Media Ads) as each page contained multiple sections (9 and 7 respectively). Christopher was able to use those two pages as templates and went on to build some more pages on his own. He was super easy to work with because of his prompt response and availability throughout the day and sending all the visual assets and web copy well in advance of the project start date. And by the way, his videography is truly outstanding and makes this website shine.

This was a Website In A Day Project built on Squarespace 7.1 with the new Fluid Engines.

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Trivia: Christopher’s videography is really outstanding and after the site was built I went on to watch a lot of his example videos on the home page and the Social Media Ads page. When I get a video made about my business down the road, I hope I can get Christopher to create one for me!

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Kind Words from the Client :

“Sophia is very friendly, professional, and talented. She worked with me to understand exactly what I wanted beforehand, and provided a new website in just one day.” ⏤ Christopher Nuut, Paper Plane Video

Your Turn:

What’s something amazing you’ve noticed about your clients while working with them on their websites? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers to you and your abundant creativity,
🦄🦄🦄 Sophia

125: Website In A Day - Foundation Website for Tim Howard Foundation on Squarespace 7.1

Type of Project: New Website Build - Website In A Day x .5 (built over 1.5 days)
Client Site: www.timhowardfoundation.com
Platform: Squarespace 7.1
Niche: Non-Profit, Youth Development
Location: NYC, USA

Color Scheme:
The colors palette includes dark grey from the logo and bright blue for links and navigation.
White: #fff
Black: #231F20
Light Grey: #EFEFEE
Dark Grey: #7C7B7A
Blue: #031E9B

Fonts Used:

Headings: Anton
Paragraph: Proxima Nova
Miscellaneous: Poppins

Recently, I had the chance to create a website for a foundation that serves youth development in our communities through soccer. This foundation has been started by US Soccer legend Tim Howard and aims at bring mini-soccer field into communities where there are no such resources. As the website’s about page states, they have partnered with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to help build mini soccer pitches in underserved communities to provide the opportunity to explore the sport of soccer, to learn about teamwork and build confidence while participating in a healthy activity. What a wonderful mission!

This was a Website In A Day * .5 Project (Built in 1.5 days) and built on Squarespace 7.1 with the new Fluid Engines.

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Not so Trivial Trivia!: Tim Howard is an American soccer legend. He has the most caps and wins of any goalkeeper in US Soccer history. He played in three World Cups and holds the record for most saves by any goalkeeper in a single game in World Cup history.

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Kind Words from Tim Howard’s team :

“Sophia was great to work with! Efficient, professional and helpful. Very happy with how my website turned out.” ⏤ Amber Olivieri, Team Tim Howard

Your Turn:

What inspiring moment you can recall while working with your clients? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers to you and your abundant creativity,
🦄🦄🦄 Sophia

123: Website In A Day x 2 - Artist Website for Theodora Miller on Squarespace 7.1 (Using Fluid Engine)

Type of Project: New Website Build - Website In A Day x 2 (built over two days)
Client Site: www.theodoramiller.com
Platform: Squarespace 7.1
Niche: Art & Design
Location: Richmond, Virginia, USA

Color Scheme:
The colors palette is soft cream and light olive green and grey for section backdrops and some title colors. The navigation and links are in the main brand color of teal.

Fonts Used:
The fonts are light and elegant.
For Headings: Minerva Modern
For Paragraph text: Montserrat

This week I got to work in a completely new way. Most of my projects are done either via my Website in A Day workflow or my Two Week Website workflow. Theodora Miller, a fine artist in Richmond, Virginia suggested a third way: Website In Two Days! Wednesday and Thursday of this week, we collaborated on moving her 7.0 artist site to 7.1 and up-leveling the design and functionality in the process.

This 6 page-site features a portfolio of her art work, commissions page, a shop for prints and gifts, an about page, a contact page and a home page. Of course, SEO, keywords, image optimization and mobile optimization plus an hour training of Squarespace was part of the package. Theodora has an inspiring healing story which guides her art that takes inspiration from her Greek heritage. Even before she hired me, I looked at her work and started dreaming of a vacation in the Greek islands!

This was a Website In A Day * 2 Project (Built in 2 days) and built on Squarespace 7.1 with the new Fluid Engines.

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Trivia: Theodora takes inspiration from her Greek heritage and memorizes inspirational quotes in Greek and then transmutes those words into her art!

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Kind Words from Theodora:

She is truly excited about her website and this is what she had to say about our work together:

"Sophia has been an amazing partner from the moment of our initial free consultation to our customized 2-day sprint. She has the perfect mix of technical prowess and creativity. She was thoughtful about making value-added design solutions that delighted me and elevated my brand even further than I had imagined. Her compelling expertise of Squarespace 7.1 features made the training portion of our project a breeze. In a very short duration of time, we developed a comfortable rapport that made the collaborative nature of this initiative so enjoyable. All of this is attributable to Sophia’s willingness to think outside of the box, investing the time to understand my unique needs and developing a web design that showcases my art in the best light.

As if that was not enough, she blew me away with the SEO capabilities that she built into the site and taught me do so I can optimize performance in the days and months ahead. She’s joyful and optimistic to work with and I will likely have withdrawals tomorrow after working together for two solid days.

I can’t wait to see what my friends and art collectors say about my new website.” ⏤ Theodora Miller

This is the commissions page.

Your Turn:

What inspiring moment you can recall while working with your clients? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers to you and your abundant creativity,
🦄🦄🦄 Sophia

122: Website In A Day - Squarespace Website for Actor and Voice Over Artist (Using Fluid Engine)

Type of Project: New Website Build - Website In A Day
Client Site: www.jenniferugarriza.com
Platform: Squarespace 7.1
Niche: Entertainment
Location: Connecticut, USA

Color Scheme:
The colors palette is monochromatic with black and white as the main colors with a splash of terracota orange to add some color for links and buttons and footer.

Fonts Used:
The fonts are elegant and modern at the same time. Squarespace offers a plethora of font combination options so there’s no lack of choice there.
For Headings: Acumin Pro
For Paragraph text: Poppins

This week, I had a lovely opportunity to build a Squarespace website for an Actor/Voice Over Artist - and I built it in a day!

Jennifer purchased my Website In A Day package to get a lovely site that serves as a digital business card for her acting and voice over work. We presented her voiceover demo on the Media page along with acting clips as well as a separate page for all her headshots. With everything in one place, she can send the link to this website to potential clients, agents and post it on her profile.

This was a Website In A Day Project and built on Squarespace 7.1 with the new Fluid Engines.

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Trivia: While we were doing Zoom calls to review the new design I created, Jennifer’s dog, Paco, a little dachshund, was barking softly while sleeping, which I found totally adorable!

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Kind Words from Jennifer:

"I loved working with Sophia--she made the process super easy and seamless for me and was responsive to all of my questions. The website design turned out exactly how I wanted--actually even better than I had anticipated! I would recommend Sophia, she is friendly, professional, and knowledgable in graphic design. Thank you for your great work!!”
⏤ Jennifer Grace Ugarriza

Your Turn:

What inspiring moment you can recall while working with your clients? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers to you and your abundant creativity,
🦄🦄🦄 Sophia