Austin Belisle on building luxury brands with Squarespace

From creative kid to luxury brand designer

Austin Belisle's path to web design started long before he touched his first computer. Growing up surrounded by creativity, from Power Rangers action figures to watercolors and Sega Genesis, his parents made sure he was always immersed in a world of artistic exploration.

"My parents, my siblings, I was always surrounded by anything artsy," Austin explains. "They always made sure that I was just immersed in a world of fun and creativity. Like there was no downtime, there was never a dull moment."

This early foundation evolved through middle school projects and high school Photoshop experimentation during the MySpace era. By college, Austin knew graphic and web design was his calling. But the real turning point came through an unexpected source: his mother.

"My mom could sell water to a whale," Austin laughs. While getting her hair done one day, his mother's hairdresser mentioned needing new business cards and promotional materials. Austin's mom immediately pitched her son's design services, leading to his first professional business transaction.

The hairdresser's response changed everything. "About two days later I get a personal call from her and she's like, 'You know how many clients have just reached out to me? New clients, clients I don't even know,' just because they saw my work or somebody gave them a flyer."

Learning the agency ropes

After graduating art school in 2016, Austin joined two agencies before one made him an offer he couldn't refuse. There, he learned the entire spectrum of design and business operations from a founder who never discouraged his ultimate goal of running his own agency.

"I always went in and let the founder know my goal was always to have one of the top design agencies in Los Angeles, and he never shied away from that," Austin recalls. "He actually encouraged it. He took me under his wing and was like, 'I'm going to show you how this runs.'"

This experience threw Austin into high-level work from day one. "There was no time for the handholding or the baby talk. It was like, 'Listen, your first meeting is going to be with this client,' and it kind of forced me to just dive in and be serious from the beginning."

Austin rose through the ranks from junior designer to senior designer, then creative director and executive creative director. What set him apart was his insistence on asking the right questions and meeting clients face-to-face.

"I need to see the client. I would like to hug the client. What do they smell like? What are they wearing?" Austin explains. "All of those little things, they sound crazy, but they make a difference to me."

Discovering Squarespace and SquareKicker

Austin's introduction to Squarespace came through his agency work in 2016-2017. While the platform wasn't as evolved as it is today, the agency was already tweaking it at a high level with custom code.

"They were already at such a high level, tweaking Squarespace, coding, doing all the bells and whistles," Austin says. "So it kind of just fell in my lap."

Working across multiple platforms, Austin learned to make the best experience for clients wherever they were. But he knew higher quality websites were possible if he could bypass the extensive learning curve of custom coding.

Then he discovered SquareKicker.

"SquareKicker was just amazing to me because it was like the answer to my prayers. It allowed me to do the things that I saw in my head," Austin explains. "I have a bookmark folder with all of my favorite websites categorized by what I like about them—the opening, the transition, how things fade in and out. SquareKicker allowed me to start doing some amazing things and still produce at a high caliber."

The tool set gave Austin creative freedom without the coding barrier. "Being able to produce quicker, right? Because in this creative world, everyone needs everything yesterday. How am I going to even have the time if this is due already and they want this effect?"

Building brands that scale on any budget

Austin's approach to brand building starts with understanding the why behind each business. Money can't be the motivator.

"I make that very clear in the meeting—yes, we're all going to make money, but that can't be your why," he states. "There has to be a reason why you're doing this."

For some clients, the stories are deeply personal. For others, it's about creating something they don't see in the world. Either way, Austin digs deep into background and DNA, asking questions about target markets, long-term vision, and expansion plans.

"I have to be thinking about those things as well. That's my job, not the client's job," Austin explains. "And I'm talking to them just like this. The tone is always going to be conversational. This is always going to be a safe space for you to speak and to learn."

He uses what he calls "bento boxes"—collections showing minimal design, high-end, feminine, masculine approaches—alongside color palettes and mood boards tailored to each client's industry, whether real estate, food and beverage, or skincare.

For smaller budgets, Austin phases projects strategically. Phase one covers consultation, mood boarding, and branding. Phase two handles website construction, architecture, and integrations. Phase three might include brand photo shoots or product photography. Phase four brings everything together for launch.

"I find that doing that makes them feel good, like a sense of accomplishment, like we're moving the needle a little bit," Austin explains. Weekly check-ins maintain momentum and prevent burnout on either side.

Maintaining boutique quality at scale

Despite having additional team members, Austin intentionally limits his agency to three to four clients per month. This might seem counterintuitive, but it allows for the boutique experience he's known for.

"I want to make sure that we maintain this sort of boutique experience," he says. "It allows us to not be stretched so thinly and be able to serve and take care of every client."

Projects move at different speeds depending on the client relationship. Close friends move through the process faster because the foundation of understanding already exists. Referrals often want similar experiences, so Austin can leverage existing workflows and move more efficiently.

To prepare clients, Austin provides a welcome packet and detailed case studies that walk through his entire process. "I want to walk you through this entire process so you understand how we got there," he explains. "That really helps them prepare because the clients are coming in with their own set of notes, their own mini presentation."

Handling the "I want that brand" conversation

One of Austin's most common challenges is clients who want their brand to look exactly like another successful business he's designed.

"It's a form of flattery, right? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Austin acknowledges. "It's a testament to quality design, to longevity, and building something timeless."

His approach is educational rather than dismissive. "I get them to understand that the things you're loving about brand A or B or C—we took the time to develop a brand that suits them. They're in their own lane successfully because we're doing what works for them."

Austin emphasizes that design isn't formulaic. "This is not cookie cutter. This is not anything produced on an assembly line. Every single project requires its own TLC."

He helps clients understand why they're drawn to certain brands, picking apart specific components while explaining the disconnect between different brand identities. "If your branding is like a Nike fitness girl, but in your head it's a Chanel girly, that's two different audiences."

One of his favorite tools for brand differentiation? Color. "When I think of Starbucks, that beautiful green, or Sprint with that beautiful yellow, T-Mobile with that beautiful pink—dominate a color for brand awareness."

When projects don't go as planned

Not every project runs smoothly. Austin recalls working on a rebrand for a large company where leadership was on board but higher-ups resisted change.

"From the beginning, they're already not seeing the value of branding in general. They're like, 'We're already doing numbers as is, why would we change this?'" Austin remembers.

What should have been a two to three month project stretched over a year. Leadership became Austin's biggest support system, working together to sell the vision to resistant executives through additional mock-ups and presentations.

The solution? Meeting in the middle and phasing the rollout. "Some things can happen now and some things can happen later," Austin explains. The updated color palette, fresh fonts, and website changes could roll out immediately, while the logo—the biggest change—would take more time.

"We had to agree that we can use the updated color palette, go with the fresh airy vibe, change the fonts, plan out social media and slowly roll those components out. But the logo, the big heavy hitter, that's going to take some time."

Staying creative outside of work

Despite his passion for design, Austin fights to maintain balance. He embraces nostalgia, rewatching TGIF Friday night lineups from the late 90s with the same snacks he enjoyed as a kid.

"I will watch Boy Meets World, Family Matters—I like to relive that same Friday night," he says. "Saturday mornings, I'll sit and watch Pepper Ann and Animaniacs and X-Men. I watch it the same way that I used to watch it as a kid."

Austin also finds inspiration in behind-the-scenes documentaries and a day in the life content. "I love watching those behind the scenes of fellow creatives, entrepreneurs in other arenas, because it's interesting to see even though we're so different, we're all the same."

Family time is sacred, especially Sunday cooking with his parents. "The joy of being able to set down a plate of food for them that they absolutely love—cooking does make me happy."

Most importantly, Austin has learned the value of quiet weekends at home. "It's a foreign and new concept to me, I'm still trying to embrace it," he admits. "But every once in a while, it's nice to just sit and do nothing. Not have nowhere to be, not being rushed anywhere, leave the emails, put the phone on do not disturb, and just sit."

Visit Austin: https://www.austinbelisledesign.com/
Follow: @abdagency.la