The Challenge

Studio Chartreuse is a 20+ year strategic design studio specializing in branding, print, packaging, and content.

Their previous website no longer reflected the sophistication of their work. It suffered from:

• An outdated visual presentation

• No structured SEO foundation

• Limited portfolio organization

• Weak mobile experience

• Friction in the inquiry process

As a design studio, their digital presence needed to feel as intentional and refined as their client work.

The challenge: rebuild and modernize their site within the limitations of Squarespace, while preserving ease of use for their internal team.

What I Did

Full Visual Redesign

I overhauled the site architecture and layout system to align with their premium positioning.

• Rebuilt homepage hierarchy

• Introduced structured section-based storytelling

• Refined typography and spacing system

• Elevated visual balance and whitespace

• Created custom layout sections beyond native Squarespace blocks

The result was a cleaner, more strategic presentation of their brand authority.

Custom Portfolio System

Squarespace’s default portfolio tools are limited — so I engineered a more structured solution.

• Built custom portfolio architecture

• Created filtering functionality via custom JavaScript

• Structured portfolio entries for easier content management

• Improved project discoverability

This allowed users to browse work by category and better understand the studio’s depth of capabilities.

SEO Infrastructure Buildout

Previously, the site lacked a keyword strategy and structured targeting.

I implemented:

• Targeted landing structure for “Cleveland Graphic Design”

• SEO-focused content expansion

• A “hidden” blog structure used strategically for ranking

• Structured metadata and on-page optimization

This positioned the studio to compete locally for high-intent search terms without disrupting their visual-first brand presentation.

Performance Optimization

Design studios rely heavily on imagery — but large files were slowing the site down.

I implemented:

• Image compression optimization

• Performance-focused layout adjustments

• Cleaned CSS overrides to reduce bloat

• Improved mobile responsiveness

Result: noticeably faster load times and improved user experience.

Inquiry Flow Improvements

The original contact process lacked clarity and frictionless UX.

I:

• Simplified the contact form

• Improved CTA placement

• Streamlined inquiry routing

• Reduced cognitive friction

The result was a cleaner onboarding path for prospective clients.

The Outcome

The new site delivered:

• A fully modernized visual presence

• Custom portfolio filtering inside Squarespace

• Structured SEO foundation targeting local design searches

• Faster load performance

• Improved inquiry flow

Most importantly, the website now reflects the level of thinking and sophistication behind studio Chartreuse’s design work.