Squarespace Web Designer Needed for Elevated Children's Party & Experience Brand

About the Project Children's party venue in looking to completely redesign our existing website to reflect the evolution of the brand. We are looking for a talented Squarespace designer/developer with a strong visual design eye who can help us create the new site and provide occasional ongoing support after launch. This is not a branding project from scratch. We already have a new logo/brand direction, color palette, existing website/content, and a clear vision for where we want. The Creative Direction We want to move away from the look of a traditional children's party venue and toward something that feels more like an: Elevated children's boutique + experience brand The overall feeling should be: • Sophisticated • Feminine • Whimsical • Romantic • Editorial • Warm and inviting • Premium, but not stuffy • Fun without feeling juvenile The site needs to appeal to both younger girls and tweens, while ultimately speaking to the parent who is making the booking decision. Inspiration We love different elements of: LoveShackFancy — feminine, romantic, aspirational and editorial Petite Keep — clean design, beautiful typography, whitespace and a premium feel while still being connected to childhood Le Petite Kids Tea & Spa — closest reference in terms of business model and how different children's experiences are presented These are references for overall direction only. We are not looking to copy these websites. Strong typography, beautiful spacing, thoughtful image placement and attention to small design details will be very important. ________________________________________ Website Scope We would like the selected designer to: • Redesign/rebuild our existing website in Squarespace • Create a beautiful, editorial-style homepage • Create a clear Parties/Experiences section • Design individual experience/party pages • Develop reusable page templates so we can add future experiences • Organize existing content into a simple, intuitive site structure • Create a strong customer journey from discovery through booking • Optimize the entire site for mobile • Implement basic on-page SEO • Optimize images and site performance • Use custom CSS where appropriate to create a more custom/premium look • Make the finished site easy for us to update ourselves • Provide training/handoff at the end of the project We are open to recommendations regarding the exact number of pages and site structure. ________________________________________ Booking Platform Selection & Integration We do not currently have a booking platform, so this will also be an important part of the project. We are currently considering: • HoneyBook • Bookeo • Acuity Scheduling We would like the selected designer to help us evaluate these options based on our business model and recommend the best solution before the website build is finalized. Our business is primarily open on weekends and has a limited number of party time slots each day. We offer different party/experience types, guest counts, upgrades and add-ons. Ideally, a parent should be able to move easily through a booking journey such as: Discover an Experience → Choose Party → Select Date/Time → Select Guest Count/Options → Choose Add-ons → Enter Party Details → Pay Deposit/Balance → Receive Confirmation Depending on the platform selected, we may also want the ability to collect agreements/waivers and send automated reminders or follow-up communications. On the administrative side, we need an easy way to: • Manage availability • Block dates and time slots • Prevent double bookings • Manage different experiences • Manage guest counts/capacity • Offer add-ons/upgrades • Collect customer and party information • Accept online payments/deposits • Track bookings and balances • Make changes to reservations The booking process should feel as seamless and visually consistent with the website as possible. We are looking for someone who can think about the entire customer experience, rather than simply adding a "Book Now" button. ________________________________________ What We Will Provide We already have: • Existing Sugarplum website/content • New logo and brand assets • Established color palette • Clear creative direction • Inspiration/reference websites • Existing photography • Party and experience information • Existing copy that can be reorganized/refined You will therefore have a strong starting point rather than developing the brand from scratch. ________________________________________ Who We're Looking For Visual design ability is extremely important for this project. The ideal designer: • Has significant Squarespace experience • Has an excellent eye for typography, spacing and visual hierarchy • Can make Squarespace feel custom rather than template-based • Understands responsive/mobile design • Can handle custom CSS when needed • Understands UX and conversion • Has experience integrating booking/scheduling systems • Communicates clearly • Can work collaboratively with an established creative direction • Is interested in providing occasional ongoing website support Experience with fashion, beauty, hospitality, lifestyle, luxury, children's boutique or other highly visual consumer brands would be especially relevant. ________________________________________ Please Include With Your Proposal Please begin your proposal with the word SUGARPLUM so we know you have read the entire description. Please also include: 1. Links to the three websites you personally designed that you feel are the closest fit for our aesthetic. 2. Please explain which portions of those sites you personally designed and/or built. 3. Your estimated timeline from kickoff to launch. 4. Whether your quote includes both design and Squarespace implementation. 5. Whether you handle custom CSS yourself. 6. Your experience integrating third-party booking/scheduling systems. 7. Of HoneyBook, Bookeo and Acuity, which would you initially recommend for our business and why? 8. Have you personally implemented that platform before? 9. Do you provide ongoing Squarespace support after launch? If so, please provide your hourly rate or support options. 10. Please let us know if there are any parts of this project you would need to outsource.