hello, i’m am.
Squarespace website designer specializing in bold, custom designs, done quickly.
Hello!
My name is Amélie but you can call me Am if that’s easier.
I’ve been a professional graphic designer for over 18 years. Most of those years have been spent designing for print; while I still nerd out over different paper stocks and varnishes, my passion is now web design. Specifically Squarespace web design. Coming from the printing side of things, I’ve worked mostly with tradespeople, consultants, health practitioners and lawyers. Generally those are the industries that best fit my esthetic but I also love to push my design style so if you want to work with me but don’t fit in these categories, read on to see if we might be a good match.
Are we a good match?
YOU LIKE BOLD, CLEAN DESIGN. My style lends itself well, but not limited, to tradespeople, lawyers, consultants and health practitioners. We might still be a good fit even if you are not part of this group. Check out my portfolio; if you like what you see, chances are we are a good fit.
YOU ARE DECISIVE. In order for the design process to happen in a timely fashion, you will need to make decisions quickly. Download the step-by-step process sheet to see exactly how quickly I’m talking about.
YOU TRUST THE PRO. Listen, you are great at what you do and your clients don’t insist on which ABS fitting to put under the sink or what therapy will best cure their comparisonitis. The same applies here. The best designs happen when you let the creativity flow.
Don’t worry, it is still a collaboration and your input on the design is invaluable but if you are the type that needs to control every single decision, I am not the designer for you.
SPEAKING OF COMPARISONITIS. I want you to stand out from your competitors and not look like a carbon-copy (if you don’t know what a carbon-copy is, congratulations, you’ve made me feel very old!).
While it’s ok to take inspiration from what they do; mimicking your competitor’s website is a surefire way to make you blend-in rather than shine and show off your true awesomeness! If you are looking for an exact copy of something you’ve seen, we are not a good match.
YOU DON’T WANT WORDPRESS. I used to build websites from scratch. This did the job, but took soooo long. Then, I thought I’d offer the very popular Wordpress to speed up the process. Let me tell you, the stress of finding the right theme, building a child theme, choosing ALL of the plugins and doing the constant updates while hoping it doesn’t completely mess up your live website, it was just too much. The dashboard was constantly lit up like a Christmas tree with update notifications. It was so complicated and I just did not feel comfortable offering this to my clients. See below for more reasons why I chose Squarespace.
Me on a more personal level:
TRAVEL. While I call Ottawa, Canada home, I absolutely love to pack up and explore the world. Some of my more memorable trips have been a safari to Tanzania & Zanzibar, a yoga retreat in Goa, India and a campervan road trip through the Arizona, Utah and Nevada deserts.
VOLUNTEERING. I love dogs, like a lot. I’ve volunteered at many animal rescues; either on-site, cleaning cages, feeding and walking dogs, or off-site, fundraising and donating my design.
When my schedule allows, I also offer free graphic design to other deserving charities and non-profit organizations.
RANDOM FACTS. I used to play bass in a punk rock band. I’ve worked at Disneyland Paris for a Summer. I once got swallowed by the sea while admiring its beauty in Byron Bay, Australia. I have skydived. I have competed, and won, a VIP plowing competition. I love Seinfeld and could watch reruns on a loop. I prefer the Fall and I absolutely love camping.
Why Squarespace?
ALL IN ONE PLATFORM. Squarespace offers hosting, domains, email, online scheduling and e-commerce all from your account. Easy.
SECURE WEBSITE. All Squarespace plans some with an SSL certificate so your visitors can relax, knowing that your site is secure.
UPDATES. You never need to do a technical update on your site. Ever. The good people at Squarespace handle all of this for you.
SUPER CUSTOMIZABLE. You can achieve pretty much anything you want on your Squarespace website because it allows designers to add custom CSS, HTML and Javascript. While the DIY templates are a great start, custom-coding is what separates YOUR site from all of the others!
FREEBIES + DISCOUNTS. When you activate your Squarespace plan, you get a free .COM domain and a free professional email (ie: info@yourcompany.com) for 12 months. Also, because you are working with a Squarespace Circle Member, that’s me, you will get 20% off your first year of hosting.
CUSTOMER SERVICE. Squarespace has amazing customer service. This is great if you choose to manage your website yourself, instead of hiring me to make future changes.