Why the Brine Family in Squarespace Is Still My Jam
Earlier this year, Squarespace released version 7.1. Like everyone else, I was quick to jump in and try the new builder. The name implies that it will be somehow better than its predecessor.
After all, 7.1 is better than 7.0, right?
As of writing this blog, I’m going to have to say, “Not quite.”
In my opinion, while it may be simpler to use for a novice designer, Squarespace 7.1 is still lacking some functionality that I prefer to have as options when I’m building a new site for a client. So for now, I will be sticking with 7.0, and more specifically, the Brine Family of Templates.
When I was new to Squarespace, I would choose different templates for every website. After I had a few websites under my belt, I noticed that I consistently chose templates to start from that were part of the Brine family of templates. It was love from the beginning. (You can preview all of the templates in the Brine Family below.)
Oh, Brine. How I love thee…But why?
Of all the gorgeous templates available on Squarespace, and there are a lot of them, I keep coming back to Brine because it has virtually all of the features that I could want.
Cover pages…check.
Parallax…check.
Index Pages…check.
Mobile Breakpoints…check.
Primary and Secondary Navigation options…check.
For a list of all the built-in Brine family style tweaks, click here.
What can I say? I love me some Brine. It is my Jam.
Now is Brine perfect? Not quite. It’s still missing some features that I use regularly, like sticky/fixed headers.
But with some custom code (I love custom code), I can achieve the exact look and functionality that my client could need.
Additionally, since the Brine family has been around for a while, when you’re ready there is no shortage of amazing paid and free plugins for you to really customize your site.
Stay tuned for a blog about some of my fave places for plugins.