How Do You Squarespace? UPPERCASE

UPPERCASE founder, Janine Vangool, does it all: graphic design, blogging, magazine & book publishing, and even some party-planning. And she does all of it with an impeccable eye for beauty, style, and whimsy. Though most people know her now as a magazine publisher and blogger, Janine began her career as a graphic designer, specializing in print design for arts and culture clients. It was in 2005 that she made a few key decisions that would ultimately land her where she is today.

The first of these was moving her business out of her home and into a studio space in downtown Calgary. The studio lease came with a hitch, which Janine remembers:

At the time, the mandate of the building was to promote the arts and each tenant was required to have a space open to the public in some way. So I started UPPERCASE as a side project—it began as a gallery, bookstore, and paper goods store. I was mostly selling products made by other companies, though I quickly started making things of my own to sell as well such as notebooks and greeting cards. Folks could wander in and see a graphic designer at work.

Opening a store would have been enough of a challenge, but 2005 also marked Janine's venture into blogging. While many of us now first associate Janine with her gorgeous magazine, her blog actually predates her entry into print publishing by several years. She's the reverse of many others who begin in print and transition to web to keep up with changing trends.

It was really the combination of opening a gallery/store alongside running an active blog that eventually led Janine to consider print publishing as well. For her, print was the logical outgrowth of online publishing: 

As my blog readership grew, so did the desire to develop my own products. I could see that I had a nice loyal following who loved print and paper as much as I did, and so in 2009, I launched UPPERCASE magazine. My hope was that if just a modest percentage of these people subscribed, the magazine could do alright.

Janine's gamble was a success and her readership has grown steadily in both media — she recently published issue #12 of UPPERCASE, and now has over 2000 subscribers worldwide. With growth in both arenas, she is a true believer that print and web are integral to one another. "I don't think you can have a periodically printed paper magazine or newspaper without supporting it online," she says.

Janine also believes that each type of publication fills a separate need. "Readers expect a lot," she says. "They want the immediacy of a blog to get a daily dose of inspiration but they also want the more sensual experience of holding a beautifully produced print production." By having a blog, Janine can also gauge readers' interests as she develops content for print—many issues of UPPERCASE have themes that emerged from trends she's seen online. For the next issue, she's even asking for reader contributions on a theme: the weather and how it impacts creativity.

Seeing everything she's done, we're so pleased that Squarespace has been Janine's platform since the very beginning. We're even happier the feeling is mutual. "One of the best things about Squarespace is how steady and robust it is," she told us. "My site contains an incredible amount of information from all these years, and yet Squarespace is always there... It has been great to be able to adapt the site configuration as my needs change, especially since my business has evolved so much."

We've also had the distinct pleasure of getting to know Janine personally over the last few months, after the Alt Design Summit wisely paired her up with us to plan a party at this past weekend's conference. Her work on the concept, decorations, activities, food and drinks for the party was simply phenomenal. (See for yourself in this gallery.) We're incredibly grateful, and if we've learned anything by working with her, it's how right she is when she says: "If you're making something special, there will always be people who take notice."

To find out more about Janine, read the UPPERCASE blog, subscribe to UPPERCASE magazine, or follow her on Twitter. 

How Do You Squarespace? fresh365

Erin Wolczik's delectable site blipped across our radar just days before she gave birth to her son, and somehow she still managed to find time to answer a few of our questions. In talking to her, it quickly became obvious that she's the type to tackle all kinds of interesting challenges. Her food and photography blog, fresh365, does just that, combining several of her loves into an elegant site.

A print designer by training, Erin was constantly at her computer looking for inspiration -- and also a way to organize all of her recipes. Add a passion for photography to her design and gustatory interests, and starting a food blog was the perfect way for her to get all of her hobbies into one format.

Since the food blogging world is known to be incredibly active but also one of high standards, Erin admits she has set her own bar rather high for what goes on her blog. Most important to her is making sure the recipes work and the photography keeps the food enticing. "This has been great for cataloging the recipes with images, which is so important to me as a visual person." She definitely gets the job done, as her photography makes every recipe look utterly delicious.

In a nutshell, what's your background and how did you get to where you are?

I graduated with a degree in graphic design in 2002, and have worked mainly in print since then, with a focus in the stationery industry for the past 6 years. Over the past 4 years I have become very interested in photography as well. Cooking has become a hobby of mine, as I love to be creative and play around with ingredients.

Are you and your family all vegetarian? What are some of the bigger challenges about that kind of cooking?

I became a vegetarian a few years ago, so all my recipes are vegetarian. While I am constantly playing with ingredients, my husband (and the rest of my family and friends) are not vegetarian, so I like to come up with dishes that will satisfy everyone. That is often a challenge -- but a tasty one!

Savory or sweet?

Both! But if I had to choose sides, I am more of a salt person.

What are your favorite inspiration sources?

Ooh everything! While I am inspired by many, many blogs and magazines I also find inspiration in day-to-day life. The changing seasons and the simplicity of a fresh ingredient are such great inspiration in my kitchen.

Why does Squarespace work for you? What's your favorite feature?

I have been using Squarespace for a year and half, after I followed a link from a blog I read (of course I can't remember which one now...). Squarespace was the perfect fit for me as I wanted total control over the look, but without the hassle of coding. Overall I love the interface, especially being able to see comments, traffic stats, etc., in such an organized space.

What's next for you (besides having a baby...)?

I have joined a CSA for the past four years, in which I receive a weekly harvest of fresh produce from a local farm. Which makes summer my favorite time of year. It is like someone is going shopping for me each week-- such a fun surprise! So, I am hoping to get back in the kitchen very soon and share some simple recipes. I am also looking to devote more time to photography in the coming months, as well.

How Do You Squarespace? The Order of St. Andrew

We’ve heard the expression "on-air personality," but what about "on-Internet personality?" If there was such a term, Andrew Shaffer would be it -- though you may have only heard of him if you run in book publishing circles. An author in his own right, Andrew made a bit of an Internet splash lampooning several publishing celebrities: infamous literary agent Andrew Wylie, and acclaimed novelist Jonathan Franzen. 

While these accounts may have started as parodies, they've actually evolved over time into alter-egos, and Andrew has no shame in continuing the charade. "Writers have used pseudonyms for years," he says. "Can you imagine tweeting back-and-forth with Stephen King's pseudonym Richard Bachman?" I’m not sure that I can, but I do love how Andrew uses these accounts to poke fun at the publishing industry. Evil Reads, the blog off-shoot of Evil Wylie, does just that.

Ironically, he didn’t start off as the funny man, but rather as the cliche aspiring writer, toiling over dreadfully serious short stories and novels. Eventually he switched gears and started writing and illustrating humorous greeting cards through his company, Order of St. Nick. Only when his cards were featured on "The Colbert Report" and FOX News did things click. "I thought, 'Hey, maybe I should try incorporating my sense of humor into my writing!'" he says.

Playing to his strengths finally gave Andrew his big break. Andrew's first book, Great Philosophers Who Failed At Love, was recently published by Harper Perennial. Just knowing that the book started its life as a series of Friedrich Nietzsche Valentine's Day cards pleases me greatly.

You've developed a bit of a reputation as having Twitter multiple-personality disorder. Which persona is closer to the real you? Evil Wylie, Emperor Franzen or Andrew Shaffer?

I would have to say Evil Wylie. The "Andrew Shaffer" account is a fictional construct for the most part, based on what I think a fine, upstanding young gentleman of a certain socioeconomic class would say online. Evil Wylie is unfiltered.

You seem to really understand social media and the Internet. How do you think the digital landscape impacts publishing and book promotion?

Social media allows me to tap into a network of writers, agents, editors, and other publishing professionals – but Twitter is the world's largest water cooler. Anyone who tweets or blogs with the goal to drive book sales is going to be disappointed. If that's all it took to sell books, John Green (@realjohngreen, who has over one million followers on Twitter) would be outselling Stephenie Meyer, who doesn't even have a Twitter account. For traditionally published books, mainstream press (reviews and interviews on TV, radio, and blogs) is still the most effective route to reaching potential readers.

If you weren't writing, is there anything you'd rather be doing?

I used to perform stand-up comedy. In an alternate universe, I like to think that I live in New York and perform weekly at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, where Lorne Michaels is about to recognize my talent at any moment and cast me as a featured player on Saturday Night Live.

How long have you been using Squarespace? How did you find us?

Up until a year or two ago, I had been using Blogger for my various websites. The upside was that it didn't cost me a dime. The downside was that my sites looked cheap. I asked the Twitterverse for recommendations, and that's how I learned about Squarespace. I've switched four of my sites over to Squarespace so far.

Why does Squarespace work for you? What's your favorite feature?

First, I was able to import all of my old blog entries from Blogger. Second, and most importantly, Squarespace's templates are very professional and endlessly customizable. I know just enough HTML to be dangerous, but Squarespace's point-and-click interface allows me to spend my time designing my website instead of punching in code. Another favorite feature is the integrated visitor statistics. I've relied on Google Analytics for years, but it's so much easier to view visitor information from within Squarespace's menu that I hardly visit Google Analytics anymore. Oh, and did I mention the form builder, which has allowed me to collect data from customers and readers without the use of a separate survey website? I could go on and on.

What's next for you?

I'm writing some essays for Wiley-Blackwell's pop culture and philosophy anthologies. I'm also working on a second book for Harper Perennial.

Where can we find you online?

My main hangout is www.orderofstandrew.com, which has links to my other websites, such as my greeting card site and Evil Reads. You can also find me on Twitter @andrewtshaffer, @evilwylie, and @emperorfranzen.

How Do You Squarespace? Enter the House of Brinson

They say that work life and home life should be kept separate, but for Susan and William Brinson work is all about what goes on at home. Susan is an art director and designer into all things crafty: sewing, paper crafts, letterpress printing. William is a still life and food photographer, who is always thinking about the next meal. Together they run House of Brinson, which merges both of their talents into one beautiful blog.

Susan describes this joint venture as having been a natural evolution: "Our relationship as husband and wife, and photographer and art director team, has always been there, however the blog is a visual manifestation of our collaboration." The end result is a mixture of elegance and simplicity, comfort foods and new discoveries. 

But mostly the blog is just about what Susan and William are interested in at the moment, and that's what keeps it fun and interesting. It's also a great excuse for them to keep doing what they already enjoy: "We love entertaining and having people over just to hang out." You can bet that the beautifully decorated tables topped with delicious recipes get thoroughly test-marketed on their guests. After perusing their blog, it seems like an invitation to the House of Brinson would be a real treat.

Where do you find your design inspirations, especially in and around New York City? 

The number one place for me right now is the grocery store. We will often browse the grocery store for in-season produce that inspires us in some way. In the warmer weather, we move to the farmers market. I also like to go antique shopping, and am in constant awe of the different types of objects that were considered average and yet were beautifully designed.

What have been some of your favorite discoveries over the years?

I am always into something new. Canning would have to be my favorite discovery. I am amazed what you can do if you put your mind to it and try something outside of your comfort zone. 

I love that your new obsession is canning. What's the best tip you'd have for a novice canner?

Clean the rim of the jar before sealing and processing! If you put a lid on a sticky or food covered surface it will not seal, then you have to start all over again. I learned the hard way! 

There's a world of wonderful design on the web, which is somewhat overwhelming. What are some of your favorite sites?

The list is long! But here is a short list: Design Sponge, The Scout, and Kanye West.

How long have you been using Squarespace? 

About 6 months. Before we started our blog I was on Twitter and asked what everyone used. A fellow blogger suggested Squarespace, so I checked it out. 

Why does Squarespace work for you? 

Squarespace was a perfect fit for us because we wanted a low initial investment and I could adjust a template to make it look the way I wanted. We avoided paying a developer to code our blog. Because I have a design background I knew what I wanted our blog to 'look' like, and Squarespace allowed me to make visual changes without having to know how to code. 

What's your favorite feature?

The iPhone app all the way. I can maintain our blog and check stats on the go. It makes monitoring comments a breeze.

What's next for you?

We are going to focus on collaborations with the blog. We love to share lifestyle tips from cooking to design tips. We would like to invite fellow bloggers and friends to share their experiences. 

New Release: SEO Friendly URL Shortcuts!

After announcing our updated blog importer back in September, we got a lot of positive feeback about our ability to  seamlessly (301) redirect requests for existing URLs of imported content to their new home on Squarespace. This practice ensured that all the Google link juice users had acquired over time was transferred directly to their Squarespace site in a SEO friendly way. Until today, this feature only lived in the deep recesses of our back-end routing code, but we're excited to now bring this feature out of the dark, and allow our users to create their own SEO friendly shortcuts.

Before this new release, users were only able to create URL shortcuts to their site's content via a simple URL rewriting method. Unfortunately, this method made the same content show up at multiple locations, thereby splitting the page rank and other measures of link value between the URLs. From an SEO perspective, this was obviously a bad thing.

We're particularly excited about this new release because it was 100% user-driven. This feature is something our users have been requesting on the forums and in support tickets in ever-increasing numbers (you know who you are, ticket #167141!). So, in the spirit of the season: users, consider this your present from the Squarespace Santa :)

For more information on how to use this new feature as well as more technical information on 301 and 302 redirects, please see this tutorial in our manual.