With its easy drag & drop editor, user-friendly backend and numerous built-in apps, Wix has always been my preferred website design platform. And then came Wix Studio.
HOT DANG. If I wasn’t already a convert, Wix Studio made me a total Wix die-hard. Like the hotter, younger sister, Wix Studio took all the goodness of Wix and dialled it up a notch. Now with the capability to design across all device sizes, immersive animation features, and the introduction of grid layouts, Wix Studio gives you complete control over how your site looks, flows and scales at every point.
Getting specific, it’s these features that really make Wix Studio something to sing about.
WIX STUDIO DOESN’T REQUIRE PAINFUL CODING TO CONTROL THE LOOK OF YOUR SITE
I’m a designer, not an IT developer. When I can design a site without needing to code anything, I’m one happy lass. With Wix Studio, you can basically achieve anything code-free.
When you design on sites like Squarespace and Shopify, a lot of the layout aspects are templated and “fixed”. While this is helpful for those who are new to website design and need an “unbreakable” system, it can be seriously frustrating and limiting when you want complete design control.
With builders like Squarespace, once you set certain elements and design features you’re locked into them unless you’re willing to code. For example, you can’t adjust the grid spacing or base size of text from desktop to mobile so things sit better on different screen sizes. You even need to code your own custom fonts, and assign them to every single attribute you want like headers, buttons and site navigation.
But with Wix Studio, you have complete control. As a designer who wants everything spaced perfectly, this is music to my soul. I can change text formatting whenever, wherever and however I need. I can change element padding (the space around objects) whenever, wherever and however I need. I can make my header different from desktop, to tablet, to mobile.
And I can do it all without coding.
WIX STUDIO’S RESPONSIVE GRID LAYOUTS ALLOW NEXT LEVEL CREATIVITY
Quite possibly the BEST thing to come from the upgrade of Wix to Wix Studio was the introduction of grid layouts.
With responsive grids I can slice and dice a section any way I like to create a completely unique content layout. Once sliced, the section is then broken into cells and within each cell I can set different background colours, different padding, add elements, add scroll effects, add animations - honestly, you name it and I can probably do it.
And then, to make life super fucking simple, when I design each section for tablet and mobile, I can change the layout of the grid to best suit the device. For example, I can turn columns on the desktop into rows on mobile with the click of a button. I can add or remove cells from desktop to mobile to ensure the best use of space across devices. I can even reorder cells simply by dragging and swapping.
WIX STUDIO’S DOCKING, MARGINS & PADDING MAKE DESIGNING FOR DEVICES A BREEZE
For my business owner readers who are thinking, “WTF is docking, margins and padding?” yeah I don’t blame you. The main thing to understand is that these features essentially help to control the position of elements on a page or within a section. They’re super important for ensuring your design looks schmick across different device sizes.
Docking is the ability to position elements like text boxes, photos, shapes, etc at exact positions on a page or within a cell. For example, I can tell my screen to always have my site header a certain number of pixels or a certain percentage from the left edge of the page. Then, regardless of how wide somebody’s screen is, my text will always sit exactly where I want it to for a slick looking site. I can even adjust the pixels or percentage from device to device.
Padding is the amount of clear space around elements. It helps to ensure elements are spaced evenly and don’t end up getting squished together. For example, if you have a text box within a square container, you can set a certain amount of padding around the text box so that there is always a certain amount of clear space between the text box and the container for a nice clean look.
Margins are the outer space around sections and cells. Setting these helps to ensure elements don’t trail off the edge of the screen (unless of course you want them too). They also help to ensure you don’t end up with miles of dead space around your content on super large screens.
So yea, they may sound complex, but they make all the difference when it comes to ensuring your site looks amazing, with everything beautifully spaced and positioned across devices.
WIX STUDIO HAS EPIC ANIMATION AND SCROLL EFFECT FEATURES TO KEEP VISITORS ENGAGED
Just when you thought entrance animations and scroll effects on images were cool, Wix Studio took it to the next level. They added hover, click, scroll, loop and mouse effects to the mix.
Want your icon to continuously spin? We can do that.
Want your pictures to change position on the screen as you scroll? We can do that too.
Want one cell in your grid to stay at the top of the page while the other cells scroll? Consider it done.
All of these features help to turn a static experience into an immersive one. When you’re constantly competing for eyes and attention across digital devices this is a game-changer. When used correctly these features can ensure your reader’s attention goes exactly where you want it to on the page. You can keep them interested, all while answering their questions. The longer they stay on your site and consume your content, the more they’ll remember your brand (and tell Google your site is one worth ranking in search results).
WIX STUDIO HAS BUILT-IN APPS THAT MAKE RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS EASIER
Running a business can be expensive AF, especially when you need software for this and an app for that. One of the things I love about Wix Studio is that there’s a lot built into the platform beyond the actual design interface. So much of it is there to help make running a small business easier (and cheaper).
From the obvious things like blogs and online stores to less obvious things like service booking software, event ticketing software and even proposals there’s something for just about every business type. Better yet, off the back of all of these apps are built-in workflows and automations to help ensure things are streamlined and connected. If you wanted to, you could run a large majority of your business from the backend portal. While the app capability in some areas might not be as extensive as purpose-built platforms like Xero or Flodesk or Dubsado, they’re still capable and sufficient for the majority of small business needs and the cost savings are worthwhile.
Everything can be also controlled within the one central dashboard. A space with a clean and clear user interface. A space that isn’t horrendous to look at or navigate, and it isn’t full of annoying ads (Wordpress I’m looking at you).
Best of all, you never have to update a bloody plug-in. Ever.
SOLD ON STUDIO? WANT A WIX WEBSITE FOR YOURSELF?
It would be my absolute pleasure to create you something epic! Check out my Website Design services to find out more.
With good vibes,