Most template shops sell layouts. Studio Founded sells a point of view. Founder Hannah Shaw trained in graphic design, took a Master's degree in art history and museum curating, and spent years designing interactive, immersive exhibitions for museums, galleries and heritage sites before opening her own studio. That background runs through everything the studio releases: editorial layouts, analogue textures, and imagery that looks chosen rather than filled in.
We stock nine Studio Founded templates here on SquareLocator, and two of them, Liren and Lucera, are among the strongest performers in our Squarespace template collection. So we asked Hannah about her route from museum curating to template design, what separates a template that performs from one that just looks good, and where Squarespace design is heading next.
Studio Founded templates are sold through SquareLocator. If you buy through the links below we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and how Studio Founded began?
During my undergraduate degree I specialised in graphic design. I enjoyed studying visual culture, narratives, and experiences in all their creative forms, and continued to study a Master's degree in art history and museum curating. I spent a few years designing interactive, immersive exhibitions for museums, galleries, and heritage sites. The overlap between design, curating, narrative, experience, and interactivity was the basis for my approach to brand and web design.
I worked as a designer in London before starting my full-service studio, where I offer brand strategy, identity design, digital experience, and print and packaging. We're intentionally small and founder-led, but I bring in other creatives as needed, and have a number of trusted writers, artists, and photographers who I love to collaborate with.
Our Template Library started around the time of the pandemic. I was meeting so many incredible founders who, with the pressures of Covid, couldn't invest in bespoke brand and web design. The Library became a way for me to open the studio to more people, and brought a more fluid way of working. I now move between bespoke, semi-custom designs, and templates.
Your templates have a very refined, premium feel to them. How would you describe your design philosophy?
It's always been important to me that our templates feel as close as possible to the visual style and quality of our bespoke work.
In terms of my wider design philosophy, I think art and wider visual culture are always in my mind, having come from an art historical background. I like to create design that feels timeless and able to hold value for a long time. I'm drawn to analogue and tactile elements inspired by archives, editorial layouts, paper, art, architecture, and interiors, and enjoy translating them to digital experiences.
What separates a high-performing Squarespace template from an average one?
I think a high-performing template should give a business space to grow into different offers. More businesses are multi-passionate, blending services with things like courses, digital products, and paid memberships. So I don't want to create a portfolio template that's just a portfolio template, for example. I always make sure every template includes a full suite of pages (about, contact, service, shop, sales page, portfolio, blog, etc), so customers are never limited by the template's content and feel they can stretch into other avenues.
Modularity is also important to me. Squarespace templates work well when they have sections that are re-usable across different pages, so customers can customise and build new content without being limited to a strictly rigid template.
So for me, the difference is a template that's strategic, modular, and built for brands that have (or plan to have) a range of offers.
When creating a new template, where do you normally start: strategy, layout, branding, or the user journey?
I start by imagining the person who I think the template belongs to. For example, if I'm designing a template for photographers, I start by pinning down a photography niche, what kind of content this specific type of photographer would offer, what visual style would fit them best, what their audience might be like, and so on. Templates need to be flexible but they also need a point of view: if it's too neutral, it's hard for customers to imagine their brand inside it, so I start by imagining exactly who it's for.
From there, I plan the strategy and design. This means considering the calls-to-action, the pathways to purchase or booking, how to present the products and services, and what the user journey will look like.
Have you noticed any major shifts in what clients are looking for from Squarespace websites over the last few years?
Definitely! I'd say clients are more visually literate. They curate website designs on Instagram and Pinterest so they have a very clear idea of what they want, and they've also seen sites made with Framer, Cargo, and Shopify, as well as bespoke development. So the expectations for Squarespace have grown, and they don't want a website that looks templated or clearly 'Squarespace'.
I actually really like this, because it means I am able to work on ambitious builds that push what's possible in Squarespace. CSS, JavaScript, hover effects, animations, interactive and immersive content all extend the platform's native capabilities, while giving clients a website that's easy for them to self-manage.
Liren and Lucera are currently performing really well for you. Why do you think those templates resonate so strongly with customers?
I think they're our most ambitious templates yet, feeling close to a bespoke site out of the box. They're bold and editorial, with a contemporary minimalist feel and interactive features. They're also art-directed with carefully chosen imagery, fonts, and colours. So I think my customers love that sense of art direction combined with the ease of Squarespace.
What are some of the biggest mistakes people make when choosing or customising a Squarespace template?
Choosing a design based on visuals over strategy. It's important for a template to be a good visual fit, but it's also important to consider the types and range of content included, the user journey, and calls-to-action.
Another is skipping the guidance that comes with our templates. We include a lot of supporting resources, from website strategy to SEO guides, and always recommend that our template customers explore these resources and note down their positioning, offers, content, and user journey before they begin customising.
Lastly, not asking for help. I'm always happy to offer guidance and want to support customers to make the most of their template!
How do you balance aesthetics with SEO, performance, and conversion when designing templates?
I think they're intertwined and need to be considered simultaneously.
Sometimes a design would look beautiful, but if it slows the site or doesn't function well on mobile, it isn't the right solution. I always keep technical SEO in mind, and include pages in the templates designed to support SEO, like FAQs, blogs, and sales pages. Similarly, all the design and content needs to support the website's goal, whether that's to book calls or sell a product.
What advice would you give to designers wanting to start selling Squarespace templates themselves?
I'd advise learning the ins and outs of web design, from visuals to the Squarespace platform, SEO, performance, user journeys, conversions, and content structure, so it can truly serve your customers.
I also recommend starting small and curated. It can be tempting to create a big collection of templates, but Squarespace templates do require some maintenance as the platform updates, and you don't want to feel overwhelmed by too many designs needing upkeep.
Finally, remember to include supporting resources. Tutorials, strategy resources, SEO guides and so on all support the final website that your customers are able to create with the template.
Are there any upcoming trends in web design or Squarespace specifically that you're excited about?
I'd say it's less a trend and more of a shift, where websites are becoming more immersive and expressive. There's a lot of scrollytelling and interactivity. Users want motion, interaction, layered content, and moments of surprise. As such, I've been loving Squarespace's Finish Layer. It gives designers so much more control over transforms, layering, and rotation. It also introduced built-in animations, which has been wonderful to build with. I think we'll continue to see Squarespace and web design moving in this direction.
What's next for Studio Founded over the next 12 months?
I've just launched our refreshed website and more bespoke offerings like Studio Day and Studio Week. I plan to keep growing the Template Library with more high-end, art-directed Squarespace templates, and to extend into a wider collection of templates for project proposals, brand decks, and newsletters, which feels like the natural next chapter for us.
Explore Studio Founded Templates
All nine Studio Founded templates are available on SquareLocator, each built on Squarespace 7.1 with the full page suite Hannah describes above:
- Liren: consultants and service providers
- Lucera: photographers and portfolios
- Kalina: professionals and personal brands
- Elara: photographers and small businesses
- Margot: visual storytellers and events
- Narina: professionals and creatives
- Olena: food and drink businesses
- Paloma: coaches and course creators
- Luchia: retail and online shops
Or browse the full Squarespace template collection. If you already know your niche, the Squarespace templates for photographers and Squarespace templates for consultants collections are where Lucera and Liren sit alongside the closest alternatives from other designers, and our guide to choosing the right Squarespace template covers the strategy questions Hannah raises above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Studio Founded?
Studio Founded is a brand and web design studio founded by Hannah Shaw, a London-trained designer with a Master's in art history and museum curating. Alongside bespoke brand and web design, the studio runs a Template Library of premium, art-directed Squarespace templates.
Which Squarespace templates has Studio Founded designed?
Nine Studio Founded templates are available on SquareLocator: Liren, Lucera, Kalina, Elara, Margot, Narina, Olena, Paloma and Luchia. They span photography, consulting, coaching, retail, food and drink, education, and personal brands.
Do Studio Founded templates work with Squarespace 7.1?
Yes. All Studio Founded templates are built for Squarespace 7.1, the current version of the platform, so they support Fluid Engine editing and Squarespace's newest design features.
What is included with a Studio Founded template?
Every template includes a full suite of pages (about, contact, services, shop, sales page, portfolio and blog) plus supporting resources covering website strategy and SEO, so you can plan your positioning, offers and user journey before you start customising.
Can a Studio Founded template grow with my business?
That is the design intention. The templates are modular, with sections that can be reused across pages, and every one includes pages for services, shops, sales pages and blogs, so you can add courses, digital products or memberships later without changing template.
Where can I buy Studio Founded templates?
You can buy all nine Studio Founded templates through SquareLocator's Squarespace template collection, where each product page includes previews, features and pricing.
Related SquareLocator Guides
- Best Squarespace Template Shops in 2026: The Designers Worth Buying From
- How to Choose the Right Squarespace Template
- Best Squarespace Templates for Photographers in 2026
- Best Squarespace Templates for Consultants in 2026
- Why I Build Industry-Specific Squarespace Templates
Studio Founded templates are sold through SquareLocator. If you buy through the links in this article we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All template imagery is courtesy of Studio Founded.
