Squarespace Website Designer for Boutique Publishing Brand

I am the founder of NYClementine Publishing, a small independent U.S. publishing company creating thoughtfully designed books, journals, and keepsakes for families. I'm looking for an experienced Squarespace designer/developer to build a beautiful, polished website based on an established brand direction. The visual identity (logo, typography, colors, and overall creative direction) is being developed separately, so this project is focused on bringing that vision to life in Squarespace. The goal is a warm, editorial website that feels more like an independent publishing house than a traditional ecommerce store. Phase 1 Scope For this initial phase, I'm looking for someone to: Customize a Squarespace template into a polished, premium website Build a beautiful homepage based on the provided brand direction Set up the online shop for our current catalog of books Create reusable product page templates for future books and journals Improve navigation and overall user experience Configure Squarespace Commerce and basic checkout Ensure the site is fully responsive across desktop, tablet, and mobile Optimize the site for SEO and performance Make the website easy for me to update and expand myself This is intentionally a Phase 1 project. As NYClementine Publishing grows, additional pages, journals, collections, and features will be added in future phases. Brand Direction The creative direction will be provided, but the overall feel should be: Warm and editorial Timeless and elegant Calm and inviting Plenty of white space Beautiful typography Premium but approachable Inspirations include As Ever, Artipoppe, Papier, Bookshop.org, and Rifle Paper Co. (for their overall website experience and editorial feel—not the products themselves). Ideal Experience I'm looking for someone with strong Squarespace experience who enjoys implementing thoughtful designs and creating polished user experiences. Experience with publishing, authors, boutique ecommerce, lifestyle brands, or luxury brands is a plus. Please include examples of relevant Squarespace websites you've built. Collaboration I'd like to collaborate throughout the project with brief weekly video calls to review progress and refine the website together. When Applying Please include: Your portfolio Your estimated timeline Your recommended fixed-price budget for this Phase 1 scope Your favorite Squarespace template (if you have one) and why A brief explanation of why you think you'd be a good fit If we're a great fit, I'd love to continue working together as NYClementine Publishing grows.