How to create more polished tablet layouts in Squarespace with SquareKicker
Tablet design deserves more attention
Most Squarespace designers spend plenty of time refining desktop and mobile layouts. Tablet, however, often ends up sitting somewhere in the middle.
A layout that feels balanced on desktop can suddenly look cramped on tablet. Headings may wrap unexpectedly, buttons can break onto multiple lines, and carefully planned spacing can start to feel awkward.
In this tutorial, Nick walks through a practical workflow for improving tablet designs using SquareKicker. You’ll learn how to preview your tablet layout, make device-specific adjustments, and create content that only appears on tablet when a different layout makes more sense.
Start by previewing your tablet layout
The first step is simply seeing your design through the tablet view.
Using the device controls in the SquareKicker menu, you can switch directly into tablet preview mode and immediately see how your page responds at that screen size.
This makes it easier to spot issues that may not be obvious when working exclusively in desktop view, including:
Text wrapping across too many lines
Buttons becoming cramped
Spacing that feels uneven
Content that no longer fits the available width comfortably
Rather than guessing how a design behaves on tablet, you can review the layout and make adjustments with the tablet view visible.
Fix text wrapping with tablet-specific typography adjustments
One of the most common tablet design issues is text wrapping.
In the tutorial, a heading that sits comfortably across two lines on desktop wraps to three lines on tablet. While technically functional, it changes the visual rhythm of the section and makes the layout feel less intentional.
A simple adjustment to the heading size brings the text back to two lines while keeping the desktop design unchanged.
The same approach can be applied to buttons. If button text wraps across multiple lines on tablet, reducing the font size slightly can help maintain a cleaner appearance.
For professional Squarespace designers, these small responsive adjustments often make the difference between a layout that feels adapted for the device and one that feels like a scaled-down desktop design.
Customize styles specifically for tablet
Not every design treatment translates perfectly from desktop to touch devices.
The tutorial demonstrates this with a button that uses a hover effect on desktop. Since tablets don’t rely on hover interactions in the same way, the effect isn’t providing the same visual experience.
Instead of changing the desktop version, SquareKicker allows a tablet-specific style adjustment.
In this example:
The button background is changed to black for tablet
The text color is adjusted for contrast
The desktop hover effect remains unchanged
This approach gives you more control over how design elements appear on different devices while keeping the overall experience consistent.
Create tablet-specific content when needed
Sometimes a few styling adjustments are enough. Other times, a different layout simply works better on tablet.
In the above tutorial, a button is duplicated and redesigned specifically for tablet. Using visibility controls, one version is shown on desktop while the alternate version appears on tablet and mobile.
This allows each device to display the version that fits its layout best.
The same workflow can be applied to larger content structures as well.
Build dedicated sections for tablet layouts
Tablet layouts occasionally require more than a small adjustment to spacing or typography.
A section that looks balanced on desktop can become crowded when viewed at tablet widths. Buttons may wrap, content can feel compressed, and the overall composition may lose some of its clarity.
Instead of forcing a single layout to work everywhere, the tutorial demonstrates creating a completely separate section designed specifically for tablet.
Using the device toggle and visibility tool you can make adjustments so that:
The desktop section is shown only on desktop and laptop
The tablet section is shown only on tablet and mobile
This creates a more intentional experience for each device without compromising the design on either screen size.
For designers building client websites, this can be a useful approach when a section has very different layout requirements across devices.
A quick tip for managing grid spacing
One important thing to remember is that moving blocks around in tablet view can affect the underlying grid structure.
When content is repositioned, Squarespace may introduce additional rows or spacing to accommodate the new layout.
If you notice unexpected gaps appearing after making tablet adjustments, check the desktop layout and review the grid structure.
In the tutorial, Nick demonstrates two simple ways to tidy things up:
Manually move blocks back into position to remove unnecessary spacing.
Double-click the blue grid handle to automatically clean up extra space.
It’s a quick fix that can help keep layouts aligned across different screen sizes.
Better tablet experiences with a few focused adjustments
Tablet layouts don’t always need a complete redesign. Often, a handful of targeted changes can make a page feel significantly more polished.
Using SquareKicker, you can:
Preview your design in tablet view
Adjust typography specifically for tablet screens
Apply device-specific styling
Show or hide content based on device type
Create dedicated sections for tablet layouts
For professional Squarespace designers, these responsive refinements help create websites that feel considered across every screen size, not just desktop and mobile.
When each device receives the attention it needs, the final result feels more intentional, more polished, and better suited to the way visitors actually experience the site.
