Squarespace 7.1: Back to the future with familiar template designs
If youβve been using Squarespace for a while, youβll remember when templates had real personality.
Iconic 7.0 templates like Avenue, Bedford, and Pacific werenβt just starting points. They each had their own personality that defined how your entire site worked, so choosing the right template really mattered.
Then Squarespace 7.1 arrived and changed everything.
Squarespace 7.1
From a technical point of view, Squarespace 7.1 is a much better platform.
Instead of templates controlling both design and functionality, Squarespace 7.1 introduced a single, consistent template where every design has access to the same features. No more choosing a template just to unlock (or avoid losing) specific functionality.
But that shift came with a trade-off.
Instead of a smaller set of distinct templates, Squarespace now offers hundreds of βtemplatesβ that are really just starting points. Different colours, fonts, and demo content, all built on the same underlying βtemplateβ.
And in that transition, something got lost. Those strong identities that templates like Bedford or Avenue had - the sense that each one had a clear structure and point of view - were replaced with something much more flexible, but also more neutral.
For new users, that flexibility is a huge advantage but, for long-time users, it can feel like the βromanceβ of those older templates has disappeared.
The new βVersion 7.0 styleβ templates for 7.1
To help bridge that gap, Squarespace quietly released a set of 7.1 templates that deliberately echo their 7.0 predecessors. Here they are!
As you will have seen, these newer templates are not direct copies, but theyβre clearly designed as a nod to the originals. They reuse the same imagery, similar layouts, and comparable font styles (where those fonts are still available). Here are the direct comparisons:
Nevins is inspired by Avenue
Auburn is inspired by Basil
Bailard is inspired by Bedford
Corrigan is inspired by Harris
Lusaka is inspired by Mentor
Euclid is inspired by Mojave
Atlantic is inspired by Pacific
Talva is inspired by Wexley
