Add Dimension with Text Box Backgrounds on Squarespace
Squarespace Design Tips: Adding Dimension with Text Block Color Backgrounds
The visual appeal of your website can make or break the user experience, every detail counts. Beyond the realm of mere functionality, there's a powerful tool at your disposal: text block color backgrounds. In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to incorporate these vibrant additions to your Squarespace 7.1 site to enhance the design and user experience.
There are many clever ways to customize Squarespace themes with the tools available in 2024. Let's look at how text block color backgrounds can easily transform your site from ordinary to extraordinary. Rather than thinking of your website in a more static sense, only changing the primary page background color or image, you can add small hits of color to spruce up a page with the use of text boxes.
The Power of First Impressions
In an era where your online presence is vitally important, first impressions matter more than ever. Your website is often the first interaction a potential visitor has with your brand or content. As a Squarespace website designer, I’m a big fan of leveraging as many user-friendly, code-free design tricks to elevate my clients’ sites.
Using color backgrounds in text blocks can add an extra layer of sophistication, instantly capturing attention and conveying a sense of purpose. This feature levels up the design of these pages by highlighting the text and making it stand apart from the rest of the content.
The Houston Committee on Foreign Relations
In the example above, a subtle background color brings this text box forward against a white background, drawing the viewer’s eye to the text.
SAFETO
I used this feature to differentiate this accordion list of features. On a busy page, this darker background creates visual weight and keeps the viewer engaged with the information that is highlighted there.
Why Text Block Color Backgrounds?
Create Dimension and Depth: Text blocks with color backgrounds introduce a visual hierarchy to your content. By adding layers and contrast, you guide the viewer's eye and create a more dynamic browsing experience. This is particularly effective on pages with a lot of text, as it prevents information overload and makes your content more digestible.
Enhance Readability: Choosing the right color for your text block background can significantly improve the readability of your content. A well-chosen background color can provide a subtle contrast, making text pop and ensuring that your message is clear and easily absorbed.
Establish Visual Cohesion: Unifying your site's color palette through text block backgrounds creates a cohesive visual identity. This not only looks polished but also reinforces your brand aesthetics, making your site more memorable to visitors.
Highlight Calls-to-Action: Use color backgrounds strategically to draw attention to important elements such as buttons or calls-to-action. This subtle yet effective design choice can guide users toward the actions you want them to take, increasing engagement and conversions.
YouTube Video Tutorial on Text Block Color Backgrounds coming soon!
Implementing Text Block Color Backgrounds on Squarespace
Next, let's walk through the steps of adding color backgrounds to text blocks:
Choose the Right Squarespace Theme: Before diving into text block customization, select a Squarespace theme that complements your brand and allows for easy text block adjustments. Themes with customizable style options and flexible design features will give you more control over the overall look of your site.
Access the Style Editor: Navigate to the Style Editor within your dashboard. Look for the specific section that controls the style of text blocks. This can usually be found under the 'Design' or 'Style' tab, depending on your chosen theme.
Select the Text Block: Identify the text block you want to enhance with a color background. Click on the text block to access the customization options.
Adjust Background Color: Within the text block customization menu, locate the 'Background Color' option. Choose a color that complements your overall design and enhances the visual appeal of your content. Consider your brand colors and the mood you want to convey.
Experiment with Opacity: Squarespace allows you to adjust the opacity of the background color. Experiment with different opacity levels to find the perfect balance between a vibrant background and readability.
Optimize on Mobile: Finally, you’ll want to check the mobile version of your website to ensure the placement of your text block is correct. It’s important to also consider that the readability of any text isn’t compromised by the colors.
Example of text block backgrounds with images attached in a table view on Vertical Payments website
Creative Ways to Utilize Text Block Backgrounds
Section Dividers: Use text block color backgrounds to create stylish section dividers on long pages. This not only breaks up the content but adds a touch of flair to your site's navigation.
Quote Boxes: Frame impactful quotes or testimonials with color backgrounds to make them stand out. This draws attention to key messages and adds a visual punch to your content.
Highlighting Features: When showcasing product features or service offerings, apply color backgrounds to text blocks to emphasize the benefits. This can help users quickly identify the value you provide.
Interactive Tabs: Combine text blocks with color backgrounds and accordion blocks to create interactive tabs. This not only adds a modern touch but also organizes information in an engaging way.
There you have it - a handful of examples of how adding colors behind text boxes can add visual interest and clarity to websites across many different industries and aesthetics. Adding text block color backgrounds is a subtle yet powerful way to elevate your site's aesthetic and functionality.
Whether you're a seasoned designer or a DIY enthusiast, these tricks will help you make the most of Squarespace themes in 2024. By creating dimension, enhancing readability, and establishing visual cohesion, text block color backgrounds are your secret weapon for crafting a memorable online presence.
I look forward to exploring the application of this new technique for more websites in 2024!
Your Designer
Hi friends! I'm Justin Mabee, a veteran Squarespace website designer with over 12 years of experience building websites. As a top-rated Squarespace web designer, I build rich, interactive sites that don’t look like anyone else’s out there – and they’re intuitive enough for you to pick up and run with after we publish. Need some help customizing your Squarespace website? Let’s grab some live support time.
