Designing Sites in Squarespace 7.1 Workshop
Why This Matters
Web design platforms love to announce “major updates” as if they’re giving you a gift. In reality, you log in one morning and find that everything looks upside down. Welcome to Squarespace 7.1: the version that’s tripped up seasoned designers, complete beginners, and anyone in between.
For small business owners, creative freelancers, and in-house marketers, every hour counts. Wrestling with an unfamiliar interface means you’re not building your brand or bringing in clients. Even a straightforward site can balloon from a weekend project to a three-week odyssey of trial, error, and silent cursing. An unintuitive layout sends visitors packing, drains your patience, and ultimately dents your bottom line.
Add to that the uniquely stubborn quirks of Squarespace 7.1: new navigation, mysterious settings, unfamiliar responsive tools, and the allure (or terror) of built-in CSS customisation. If you’re stuck, your site stays unfinished and your ideas never quite make it online.
You need a real-world approach that offers more than a list of “exciting new features” that read like a sales pitch. Effective skills training grounded in real designer know-how is the key.
Common Pitfalls
When we speak to the Pixelhaze community, a few stories crop up again and again. Here are the top stumbling blocks:
- Getting lost in the interface: The newly reorganised menus confuse even returning users. Time melts away searching for basic controls.
- Over-customising or under-customising: Some spend hours fiddling with every button and font, only to realise the site looks worse. Others stick stubbornly to the default templates, ending with vanilla layouts that do nothing for their brand.
- Ignoring site responsiveness until launch day: You perfect your site on desktop, then discover the mobile version looks like a cubist painting.
- DIY CSS mistakes: Tinkering with code goes wrong, taking the site offline or creating bugs that won’t die.
- Misusing pre-made page layouts: Either ignoring these altogether, or thinking that “custom” means starting from the most difficult blank canvas.
If any of this sounds familiar, don’t worry—there are better systems and plenty of support available.
Step-by-Step Fix
Here's how to take control and finally make Squarespace 7.1 work for you. The steps below draw directly from course creator Becca Harpain’s acclaimed workshop, including some of the rarely-shared tricks she uses in her own client projects.
Step 1: Get Comfortable in the New Interface
Before you even pick colours or drop in your logo, get your bearings. Squarespace 7.1 has moved the furniture: page editing, section settings, and style tweaks all live in different places compared to previous versions.
How to do it:
- Log in and create a new site. Don’t worry about the finished product yet; this is about play, not perfection.
- Explore the Pages tab. Notice how main navigation, secondary nav, and not-linked pages are now all clearer. Hover over the “+” button—here’s where you’ll access pre-made layouts (more on that next).
- Open the Design panel. This is where global styles live: fonts, colours, buttons, and section themes.
- Preview your site in mobile/tablet/desktop views. The toggle is now much more accessible, making mobile previews easier than ever.
- Pin or favourite any controls you expect to use a lot. Use the browser’s bookmark bar if you need to find support docs quickly.
Build a “playground” site before you touch your real website. Break things, experiment, and delete fearlessly. Treat it as your private testing lab for learning and discovery.
Step 2: Make Pre-Made Layouts Do the Heavy Lifting
Every client asks for a “bespoke” site. But most content—About pages, contact info, blog feeds—follows similar patterns. Squarespace 7.1’s premade page layouts aren’t cookie-cutter; you can use these time-saving templates and adjust them to fit your needs.
How to do it:
- From the Pages menu, click the big “+” to add a new page. You’ll see a library of layout types: Portfolio, Contact, Blog, Store, and more.
- Click through each template and preview. Browse the layouts for one with a structure that suits your plan (e.g., image grid vs single column).
- Select one and add it to your site. Even if the images and text aren’t relevant, the structure is a shortcut.
- Use the included layout workbook (from Becca’s course) to note which templates work for your brand’s key pages. This makes future projects much quicker—you’ve already done the hard part.
When you add a layout, save it as a starting “master page” before adding your final content. You can duplicate it for consistency across multiple pages. Using this method means fewer mid-project overhauls and saves hours.
Step 3: Master Design Controls—Don't Get Stuck on Defaults
7.1 introduces sharper global design settings for fonts, colours, spacing, and animation effects. Many users stick with default options, creating sites that blend into the crowd.
How to do it:
- Open the Design panel, then choose “Fonts”. Explore the preset pairings, and experiment with “Advanced” for refining weights, letter spacing, and leading. Keep it simple—two well-chosen fonts are far better than several random ones.
- Switch to “Colours”. Try each palette. These affect buttons, backgrounds, and text. Override creatively for page sections that need more pop.
- Adjust Button and Form styles under the “Elements” tab. Here’s where you control radius, borders, and polish features.
- Test changes on several layouts. Your contact form should look distinct from your home page hero image. View your changes on tablet/mobile to catch any odd mismatches.
Pick one style element (for example, buttons) and focus on customising it across the site. Mastering small, visible items helps you learn the rest smoothly, so you’ll notice potential limitations before they matter.
Step 4: Use the Cheat Sheet to Customise Without Fear
CSS: three little letters that split designers into two camps—enthusiasts and avoiders. Becca Harpain’s workshop supports you step-by-step, providing a cheat sheet that breaks down the most useful Squarespace-specific CSS selectors.
How to do it:
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Access the cheat sheet PDF (included in the course). It lists selectors for key elements: headers, footers, widgets, buttons, forms, images. No more guessing at classes.
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Copy and paste sample CSS codes into Squarespace’s “Custom CSS” panel. Test one change at a time. If you feel nervous waiting for a mistake, know that many others share that feeling.
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Examples worth trying:
- Hide the site header/footer for landing pages.
- Create a unique button style for newsletter signups.
- Tweak form padding to match different backgrounds.
- Add your own font via Typekit or Google Fonts, using provided snippets.
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If you break something, hit “Undo”. No harm done.
Save a copy of every chunk of CSS you use in a document, and tag them by page or element. This way, you can quickly bring back a past design if something goes wrong, or reuse your best work on future sites.
Step 5: Get Responsive Design Right for Every Device
Many sites suffer from layouts that work perfectly on desktop but fall apart on mobile. Squarespace 7.1 streamlines responsiveness, but it's important to check and adjust responsive settings as you build.
How to do it:
- Switch constantly between device previews as you build. Use Squarespace’s built-in toggles rather than relying only on your imagination.
- Pay close attention to “Section Height”, “Padding”, and “Mobile Styles” in every layout. What appears well-spaced on desktop may look like a giant block or disappear on mobile.
- Edit images and text blocks for different viewports if needed. Move or hide elements on mobile devices using style tweaks (see cheat sheet).
- Test breakpoints on an actual phone and tablet, not just the browser emulator. Smooth performance on screen does not always translate to touch devices.
- Check site performance and load time. Fast performance is essential on mobile, where extra bloat can slow your site down.
After making changes, ask a friend (or even someone with a critical eye) to review your site on their own device. A fresh look will reveal missing text, broken menus, and awkward scaling much better than a late-night review by yourself.
Step 6: Make the Most Of The Workshop Experience
You can get through Squarespace 7.1 much more easily when you have the right guidance. Becca Harpain’s course at Pixelhaze Academy runs live, with Q&A sessions and a packed workbook for ongoing reference.
How to do it:
- Sign up for the next available workshop. Sessions fill up quickly, so secure your spot early rather than waiting until the last minute.
- Download the included workbook and bring it to the workshop. Use it to jot notes, copy down CSS codes, and sketch new layout ideas as you go.
- Ask questions during the live Q&A, especially on topics that have stumped you before. Any question you have is likely shared by others.
- Join the Pixelhaze community area for follow-ups and peer support. Sharing what works and what doesn’t helps everyone.
Keep the workbook as a “design recipe book” for all future projects. With time, you’ll accumulate your own playbook, which will turn each site project into a stress-free and repeatable process.
What Most People Miss
There is a real difference between a website that is simply functional and one that stands out. Familiarity with the tools does not always result in a standout site. The best designers combine technical skills with a habit of treating each new version of Squarespace—or any platform—as an opportunity to build effective systems.
That means:
- Building up reusable resources, like layout notes, favourite CSS tweaks, and visual references
- Deciding intentionally when to use a template or depart from it
- Checking responsiveness throughout the build, not just at the end
- Seeking outside feedback before you become too attached to your own design
Approach each session as another opportunity to improve your workflow and save time long-term.
The Bigger Picture
Learning Squarespace 7.1 prepares you to make more than just a single attractive website. It helps you deliver results for clients quickly, build a polished online presence, and keep your site updated as your needs change.
Investing a few hours in mastering the platform’s unique features means:
- Faster setup on every new website, blog, or portfolio
- Fewer late-night mistakes before a launch
- More time to develop your content and strengthen your brand, without panicky searches
If you freelance or serve clients, having strong Squarespace skills enables you to answer “can we do this?” with confidence or find a solution quickly. You gain more time for creativity, and less gets spent troubleshooting avoidable problems.
Wrap-Up
Squarespace 7.1 is more than a “new version”. It’s a collection of tools and shortcuts, both obvious and hidden, that can be leveraged by anyone who learns where to look. By getting comfortable with the interface, using layouts strategically, customising as needed, and prioritising responsiveness, you progress from feeling lost to working confidently.
For those wanting to develop their skills even further, learning from mentors like Becca Harpain and joining an active community leads to consistent, repeatable success.
Looking for practical training, real support, and expert guidance?
Want clear systems that make site-building intuitive?
Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.
Jargon Buster
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): A code language used to style how a website looks, such as fonts or spacing.
- Responsive breakpoints: Specific screen sizes where a website adjusts its layout for mobile phones, tablets, or desktops.
- Pre-made page layouts: Ready-to-go templates built into Squarespace 7.1 for common page types.
Quick FAQ
Q: Where do I find pre-made layouts in Squarespace 7.1?
A: In the Pages panel, click the "+" and browse new page types. Select a layout to preview and add it instantly.
Q: Why do fonts and buttons look different on mobile?
A: Because global and section-level style settings can show up differently on each screen size. Always check your design in every preview mode.
Q: I’m scared of adding CSS—is it safe?
A: Yes, as long as you copy from trusted sources (like Becca’s cheat sheet) and save a backup of your code. You can undo changes anytime.
Q: Can I make my site look unique even if I use templates?
A: Absolutely. Think of templates as blueprints—you adjust the colour, content, images, and structure. Every project can look different.
Ready to access workshops, a full library of guides, and practical answers for your toughest web design challenges? Join Pixelhaze Academy for your next best step.