Blaque Rock is the artistic extension of Cheryl Rock’s mission to present joy as a form of resilience through the use of papercutting. Each work explores themes of community, ancestry and empowerment, Presenting joyous stories of marginalised identities through the beauty of a subtractive medium. Rock employs papercutting to draw attention to what is unseen, forming parallels between the beautiful absent forms that characterises the medium’s unique appearance and the importance of sharing stories that reaffirm the joy and beauty of marginalised communities throughout history.

We love bringing a brand to life, and BlaqueRock was an excellent opportunity to do just that.  In partnership with Sequence.Productions, our team was tasked with showcasing the unique works created by a well known artist based in Toronto, as well as providing an e-commerce platform for her to sell specific works and merchandise.  How did we decide to tackle this? With Squarespace of course!

Squarespace has recently been our go-to for projects of this nature recently.  As much as we love custom code, it's worth taking advantage of this platform’s user-friendly configuration.  Our UI/UX design lead was able to drag and drop components onto each page without needing to know code, giving them more freedom to be meticulous about the positioning of written content, how to cleverly use images, and change the entire colour scheme on the fly. 

We also like this platform for its ease of use for clients once the website is finished.  With just a small handful of short youtube videos, and the right links to Squarespace’s broader documentation, we’re able to give new clients a crash course on how to add products to their site, how to process orders, and how to perform basic online marketing functions that the system supports.  Quick turnover and we can hand off the keys without breaking a sweat? Gotta love it.  

Are you deciding whether or not squarespace is the right platform to use for your website? Here are some factors to consider:

Ease of Use: Squarespace offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, making it suitable for both beginners and those with limited technical expertise. This can save clients time and frustration during the website building process.

Templates: Squarespace provides a wide range of professionally designed templates that can be customised to suit various industries and styles. Clients can choose a template that aligns with their brand image and customise it to create a unique website.

Mobile Responsiveness: All Squarespace templates are designed to be mobile-responsive, ensuring that the website looks and functions well on various devices, including smartphones and tablets. This is crucial for reaching a broader audience.

Design Flexibility: While templates offer a starting point, clients can customise layouts, fonts, colours, and other design elements to match their branding and preferences. The built-in style editor provides creative freedom without requiring extensive coding knowledge.

Integrated Features: Squarespace offers a wide range of integrated features like e-commerce capabilities, blogging tools, image galleries, social media integration, and more. Clients can build complex websites with various functionalities without relying on external plugins.

Security and Hosting: Squarespace provides reliable hosting and security, handling technical aspects like updates, backups, and SSL certificates. Clients can focus on content creation and business growth without worrying about server management.

SEO Friendliness: Squarespace offers SEO tools and features that help clients optimise their websites for search engines. From customizable page titles to clean URL structures, these built-in features can enhance a site's search visibility.

Customer Support: Squarespace offers customer support through various channels, including live chat and email. This can be helpful for troubleshooting issues, getting guidance, or resolving technical difficulties promptly.

Scalability: Squarespace can accommodate both small and large websites, making it suitable for businesses that plan to expand their online presence over time. The platform offers various subscription tiers to cater to different needs.

E-Commerce Capabilities: For clients looking to sell products online, Squarespace provides a user-friendly e-commerce platform with features like inventory management, secure checkout, and payment gateways.

Analytics: Squarespace offers built-in website analytics that provide insights into visitor behaviour, popular content, referral sources, and more. This data can help clients refine their website strategy.

Cost-Effectiveness: Squarespace's pricing plans are transparent, including hosting and security costs. While there are subscription fees, they often eliminate the need for separate hosting expenses and reduce the initial investment compared to custom-built websites.

Updates and Maintenance: Squarespace handles updates and maintenance on the backend, ensuring that the website stays up-to-date with the latest features and security patches without requiring clients to manage these technical aspects.