How to Add Custom Fonts to Your Squarespace 7.1 Website: A Step-by-Step Guide for Designers

Your typography is one of the most powerful tools in your design arsenal. It sets the tone, communicates your brand personality, and creates that cohesive look that makes your work instantly recognizable. While Squarespace offers beautiful built-in fonts, sometimes you need that specific typeface that perfectly captures your brand essence—the one you've used across all your marketing materials, business cards, and client presentations.

Whether you're an interior designer wanting to match your website to your sophisticated brand aesthetic, or an architect needing that perfect modern serif for your portfolio, adding custom fonts to your Squarespace 7.1 site is easier than you might think. Let's walk through the process step by step.

➻ Visual Walkthrough

Prefer to see the process in action? This helpful video tutorial walks through the entire process step-by-step:

Check it here

➻ What You'll Need Before We Start

Before diving in, make sure you have:

• The right font files: Ideally in .TTF, .OTF, .WOFF, or .WOFF2 format

• Proper licensing: Ensure your font license covers web use (this is crucial!)

• Basic comfort with code: Don't worry—it's mostly copy and paste

• A Squarespace 7.1 website (this tutorial is specifically for 7.1)

Step 1: Prepare Your Font Files

Most fonts you purchase will come as .TTF or .OTF files, which work perfectly for this process. However, if you want to ensure maximum browser compatibility, you might want additional web-optimized formats.

The easiest solution: Use FontSquirrel's free Webfont Generator at fontsquirrel.com/tools/webfont-generator. Simply upload your .TTF or .OTF file, and it will generate .WOFF and .WOFF2 versions for you.

Pro tip for designers: Having multiple formats ensures your beautiful typography displays consistently across all browsers and devices—something your design-savvy clients will definitely notice and appreciate.

Step 2: Upload Your Fonts to Squarespace

Now let's get those font files into your Squarespace site:

1. Access your site backend and navigate to Pages in the main sidebar

2. Scroll to the bottom of your Pages panel

3. Click Custom Code > Custom CSS

4. Look for "Custom Files" at the top of the CSS window

5. Click "Custom Files" and select "Add Images or Fonts"

6. Upload your font files (you can upload multiple formats at once)

Your uploaded fonts will appear in a list, ready to be implemented with CSS.

Step 3: Create Your Font-Face Declaration

This is where the magic happens. In your Custom CSS window, add this code at the very top:

@font-face {
  font-family: 'YourFontName';
  src: url('font-file-url.woff2') format('woff2'),
       url('font-file-url.woff') format('woff'),
       url('font-file-url.ttf') format('truetype');
  font-display: swap;
}

To get the actual font URLs:

1. Click on "Custom Files" again

2. Click directly on each uploaded font file

3. The URL will automatically be copied—paste it in place of the placeholder URLs

4. Replace 'YourFontName' with something memorable (like 'MyBrandSerif' or 'StudioSans')

Example of completed code:

@font-face {
  font-family: 'StudioSerif';
  src: url('/s/playfair-display-v30-latin-regular.woff2') format('woff2'),
       url('/s/playfair-display-v30-latin-regular.woff') format('woff'),
       url('/s/playfair-display-v30-latin-regular.ttf') format('truetype');
  font-display: swap;
}

Step 4: Apply Your Custom Font

Now you need to tell Squarespace where to use your custom font. You have two main approaches:

➻ Option A: Replace All Heading or Body Text (Recommended for Brand Consistency)

For a cohesive brand look, you might want all your headings to use your custom font:

All Heading Text:

:root {
  --heading-font-font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

All Body Text:

:root {
  --body-font-font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

All Button Text:

:root {
  --primary-button-font-font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
  --secondary-button-font-font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
  --tertiary-button-font-font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

➻ Option B: Target Specific Elements

For more control over exactly where your font appears:

Site Title:

.header-title-text {
  font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

Main Navigation:

.header-nav *, nav.header-menu-nav-list * {
  font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

Project/Portfolio Titles:

.summary-title {
  font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

Blog Post Titles:

.blog-title {
  font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

Individual Blog Post Titles:

.entry-title {
  font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

All Form Text:

div.form-block * {
  font-family: 'StudioSerif' !important;
}

Step5: Fine-Tune With Site Styles

After applying your custom font via CSS, you can still use Squarespace's Site Styles to adjust:

• Font size

• Font weight

• Letter spacing

• Line height

• Text transformation

Simply click the paintbrush icon and navigate to the Fonts tab to make these adjustments.

➻ Creating a Custom Heading Style

Want to use your custom font alongside Squarespace's built-in options? Create a custom heading style:

h5 {
  font-family: 'StudioSerif';
  font-size: 2.5rem;
  font-weight: 300;
  line-height: 1.2;
  letter-spacing: -0.02em;
}

To use this custom heading, add a Code Block to your page and wrap your text like this:

<h5>Your custom styled heading</h5>

➻ Best Practices for Design Professionals

Typography Hierarchy: Use your custom font strategically. Consider using it for headings while keeping body text in a highly readable system font, or vice versa.

Performance Matters: Only upload the font weights and styles you actually use. Your clients (and their clients) will appreciate faster loading times.

Test Across Devices: Always preview your site on mobile devices to ensure your custom fonts remain legible at smaller sizes.

Brand Consistency: If you're using this font in your print materials and branding, make sure the web implementation maintains the same visual weight and character.

➻ Troubleshooting Common Issues

Font not displaying?

• Double-check that your font-family name in the CSS matches exactly what you defined in your @font-face declaration

• Ensure your font files uploaded successfully

• Clear your browser cache and check in an incognito window

Font looks different than expected?

• Some fonts have different weights or styles—make sure you've uploaded the correct variant

• Check your font-weight and font-style properties in the CSS

Slow loading?

• Consider using only .WOFF2 format for modern browsers, as it's the most efficient

• The font-display: swap property helps with loading performance

➻ Where to Find Professional Fonts

For Design Professionals, Consider These Resources:

• Adobe Fonts: Included with Creative Cloud, perfect for professional design work

• MyFonts: Professional-grade typefaces with clear web licensing

• Type Network: High-quality fonts from renowned type designers

• Google Fonts: Free options, great for client projects with tight budgets

• Creative Market: Curated selection with clear licensing information

➻ Final Thoughts

Custom typography is what transforms a good website into a memorable brand experience. By taking the time to implement your brand fonts properly, you're creating a cohesive visual identity that reinforces your professionalism and attention to detail—qualities your design clients value highly.

Remember to save your Custom CSS after making changes, and always test your site across different browsers and devices. Your beautiful custom typography should look perfect whether someone's viewing your portfolio on their laptop or browsing your services on their phone.

Ready to elevate your Squarespace site with custom fonts? Your brand deserves typography that's as thoughtfully designed as your spaces.

Looking for professionally designed Squarespace templates that make implementing custom fonts even easier?

Check out our collection of templates specifically created for interior designers, architects, and creative professionals at Square Flair Design.