looking back: Snappy Casual over the years

If you've been around for a while, you know that Snappy Casual has had a few different looks over the years. I've also switched platforms three times but am happy to say that this new design (launched late last week!) and platform (Squarespace) are definitely my favorite so far. I thought it would be fun to explain a few things and take a look back at where I've been.

Tumblr

I originally chose Tumblr in 2009 when I started my blog because I liked Jessica's posts on What I Wore. She was one of the original fashion bloggers, and I figured if it was good enough for her, it was good enough for me.

I liked it at first. Tumblr is very basic. It's not really meant for blogging (more photo sharing and microblogging) and I had a lot of issues with my site randomly being stripped down to the basic template and having to re-upload my blog logo and background image and input my brand colors. It just seemed... unstable. My site was down for an extended period of time at one point (a couple days maybe?), but the breaking point for me was when I couldn't even do something as basic as center a block of text within a post. I knew it was time to change.

Wordpress

I switched to Wordpress in 2012 because it was what my husband was using and because it seemed like the most robust option. (Blogspot was never attractive to me, even though there are so many great sites on there!) My design stayed mostly the same as before and I was happy with how it turned out, even though it was a little choppy (Wordpress is very widget-focused). However, the back-end is quite efficient in my opinion. Previewing posts opens in a new tab and it's also easy to link to old content in posts using the search feature. These will be things I miss (and the editorial calendar widget was a God-send), but overall it felt very serious and business-y to me, which doesn't align with my personality. I'm such a free spirit.

Squarespace

My main reason for switching to Squarespace this year was because my designer prefers it. So, I knew that my design would look the best using this platform. I also have a lot more control over the design than ever before because I understand how it works way more than the theme I was using on Wordpress (which had to be hard-coded by a designer). I am more committed to creating a visually appealing blog than ever before, so this just made sense to me.

After a couple weeks of playing around with Squarespace, I think it is such an inspiring place to create. My site is simple and beautiful. My voice seems to come more naturally. There is a slight learning curve, of course, but it is more robust than I thought, and even more-so than Wordpress in some ways. In my opinion it is easier to create beautifully designed posts (like arranging my outfit details in a left column like I did here, inserting my social media icons like I've done below, and inserting thumbnail images like I've done in this post). The writing pane acts more like a drag-and-drop play zone than a Word document.

I will say some things aren't as intuitive or efficient on the back-end (it took me a while to figure out how to schedule a post, preview a post and also how to insert an image into a post) but now that I get it, I mostly love how it's set up. Also, the support is awesome and I know they are working on known bugs. I used the Live Chat when I was switching over my URL, and it was quite helpful. I've also done my share of searching their site for tips when I can't seem to figure it out on my own.

That said, please let me know if you see something that doesn't look right or have trouble with any part of my site, or if I can change anything to make it easier for you to navigate. I'm still working out a few kinks and also want to make it easier to view past popular posts!

I would love for you to follow me on social media (links below) or subscribe to my RSS feed or follow my blog with Bloglovin so you can make sure you don't miss a post!

My brand and sites have all been created by Joa Jean. She is brilliant. A lot of the things you see here were her idea. We've known each other since 2nd grade and in high school I sat next to her in our first graphic design class and immediately knew she was super talented at this stuff. Her style is simple and clean. If you need ANY design work (print, or Web design using Squarespace) and like her style, shoot her an email. She is just coming off maternity leave (check out this photo of her cute baby, Ida, but please disregard the fact that I have somehow forgotten how to hold a baby?) and is currently accepting new clients for June.

xo! Kelsey