Custom Squarespace Design For A Leadership Coach

Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes of the website design project I completed recently for my client Tanya Raheel.

Tanya is a leadership coach for software engineers. When she first reached out to me, she was considering buying the Rachel template from my shop.

However, after some more considerations, she decided she'd much rather invest in my VIP Design Day package. Tanya had a long history of working in the tech industry as well as coaching but all she had in terms of her online presence was her LinkedIn profile.

In her own words, she was “a well-kept secret”. Tanya was ready for a website that puts her neck and neck with established experts in her industry and also shows what's unique about her.

Let’s dive in.

Tanya Raheel is a leadership coach for software engineers that wanted a website that showcases her unique strengths and puts her neck and neck with established experts in her industry. Learn more about how we brought her website vision to life with …

Step 1: Client Homework

As with any design project, we started out with Tanya filling out her client homework. This included a workbook to help her gain clarity on her style and aesthetic, a Pinterest inspiration board, and in-depth website questionnaire about her ideal client and website goals.

Tanya was super-detailed in her answers which gave us an awesome foundation to go from.

Step 2: Visuals

Tanya expressed her preference for blue, green, and silver tones for her color palette and this was visible in the Pinterest inspiration board she put together. To make this even better, rich deep blues and greens position her website as trustworthy and reflect her niche while the silver adds a dose of elegance.

To create a warm but empowering look for her website, I opted for Poppins and Futura font paif. The sans-serif font pair is a combination of modern and geometric fonts.

Here’s her final moodboard and color palette:

*Final moodboard design for my client, Tanya Raheel.*

In addition to colors and fonts, I’ve put together a simple logo that included her tagline. The logo uses a round font in regular weight which stands out from the fonts used on her website.

Step 3: Website Design

Tanya wanted a website that looked professional, warm, empowering, and trustworthy. Lots of white space paired with unique photos for the website that not only stand out from the typical stock photos but also position her as the expert and guide.

Tanya also had plenty of testimonials that needed to be included throughout the website and I absolutely loved using the new Squarespace sections for this functionality:

*Testimonial section on Tanya’s website*

She also had a set of FAQs that she initially wanted to include as a separate page. However, after going through them, we opted to include them as blog posts to boost her SEO.

My favorite part of the website are fun facts that Tanya shared on her about page paired with unique photos:

*Random facts section on Tanya’s website*

Step 4: Website Launch

Once the design was complete, I transferred the ownership to Tanya and connected her domain name with her website. Tanya then upgraded her Squarespace plan and we set her website to Public.

Here’s what Tanya had to say about working with me:

Were there any fears or concerns you had before working with me? How did those compare to your experience?

Quite the contrary! Initially, I had been referred to another web designer by a business acquaintance. This person came highly recommended so I was hopeful; plus she is located in the same city as I am. My hopes were soon dashed because I wasn't impressed with her work, and didn't really "gel" with her. And yet, it was because of feeling defeated, googling DIY for Squarespace that I came across you - magic and serendipity! Right from the get-go I had a good feeling about you. And after our intro call on Zoom, I was 100% certain that you were the right expert to help me....even though you were multiple time zones away :)

What are 2-5 results or benefits you experienced during our work together? What did you like most about working with me?

1. Ana, you have created a website for me that surpasses my wildest expectations. I absolutely LOVE my new website!!!

2. Guidance - I love that I didn't have to figure all this out on my own, and that you guided me through it every step of the way. And the mood workbook, other templates, and the ease of collaboration were an absolute godsend in helping me put together all the content which was such a massive undertaking.

3. Communication and response time is phenomenal - I can't believe how incredibly responsive you are.

4. Expertise - Your vision for my site is something I could never have done on my own - the colours, layout, the way the layout and experience brings the content to life, how it conveys my personality, tells a story, and helps me stand out in a great way in a very crowded market etc I could go on!

5. Vision - I love the ideas you've brought to the table around establishing my "brand" online. You are an incredible artist.

6. Execution - You are a genius at making it happen!!!

7. Professionalism and Experience - You are a consummate professional and my experience as a client is truly exceptional on every level. I was navigating unforeseen delays at my end - several times, and your incredible flexibility and kindness in the face of those delays was greatly appreciated.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about hiring someone like me but isn't quite ready yet?

One of the biggest misconceptions about running your own business is thinking that you have to do it ALL by yourself. 99% of the time that's a huge and costly mistake. My advice is to focus on what you're great at. Period. That's where your genius lies and that's what's going to a) serve your clients well, and b) help grow your business and bring in revenue; c) Not have you lose your mind.

Do not waste your time on things that you are lousy at, drain you, make you miserable etc. In my case, one of those things is building a website, developing my online brand, doing anything related to web and graphic design etc.

And if you want someone you can 100% count on, someone who will be an incredible collaboration partner; and someone who is an expert in their field in every sense of the word, hire Ana and Ley Design!!