Aaron Rolston
@aarolston
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Framer & Webflow Dev • Squarespace Templates at @studio__mesa
Tampa, USA
Joined October 2011
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Every creative pro needs a portfolio website to showcase work, give context, and attract clients.
But after looking through hundreds of portfolios for
@stellar_work
, it’s become clear: Not all portfolios are created equal.
Here are my 15 “rules” for a killer portfolio site.
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@alexwidua
I thought you were blurring your face at first, then realized that clicking was making the "smudges". Freaking brilliant dude.
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Genuinely don’t understand why people are so angry about this kind of output from a robot, it’s unbelievably cool. I would legit frame this.
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Website templates are the wild west rn.
Blogger moms will build a *barely* customized Squarespace template and confidently charge $499
Then some guy will make a freaking masterpiece of a Framer site and be like "I hope it's worth the price 🥲👉👈" and it's only $22
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I’ve been selling Squarespace templates for a year and have made ~$70,000 in passive income.
Here’s how I got started, what I’ve learned, and why I think you can do it too (for any website platform).
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The richest man in the world wanting a new logo and crowd-sourcing it instead of paying a professional is peak "nevermind, I have a cousin who could do it for free" energy.
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Okay, I'll say it.
Pricing tables that show the annual fee as monthly, then have you switch to the real (more expensive) monthly fee are a freaking scam. I don't care about the psychology — don't try and trick me into something.
Show me the ACTUAL numbers!
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Not to stir the pot, but 🥣🥣🥣
Remember when this logo caused mayhem back in January for the same work-copying accusations? Just so happens to be by the same studio.
Inspiration ≠ License to copy
I'm not sure if I should be flattered or not that
@Glassdoor
ripped off our brand at
@careerpuck
.
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Genuinely don't know which portfolio route is better:
a) Painstakingly catalog every nuance of a new project with 27 images/mockups, client testimonials, and seven paragraphs about the methodology.
b) Couple of plain screenshots w/ taglines like "dis is website, look"
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Being a “design leader” sounds exhausting.
I’d 100% rather be a “design peasant” who quietly makes bank building specific, un-sexy tools for regular people that aren’t critiqued to hell by all the self-anointed “design leaders”.
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Maybe a spicy take: "Web design" is the same as "branding".
If there's an existing brand, you're simply creating an online expression of the identity. But if the brand isn't there (or it's lackluster), you are actively creating that core identity, but starting with the web!
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Tbh, all of the Framer + Webflow templates that exist are massively underpriced.
You get an entire, ready-to-launch website designed by a pro—with CMS, sick animations, grid layouts, curated typography, unique brand expressions... for like $24?!
I say add a zero to all of 'em.
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I’ve seen some killer Squarespace sites, and I’ve seen some garbage Webflow/Framer sites. The platform is 99% irrelevant, and being technically “better” means nothing.
People who practice, have good sense, and stick to the fundamentals of great design will crush on any platform.
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Unlimited Design Subscriptions™ have been around for like 12+ months now and everyone raves about the cash flow, but… WHERE IS THE WORK???
All I see are launch day graphics and Stripe screenshots. Is it all under NDA? Too boring to share? Not enough time to post (or breathe)?
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A few weekends of updating portfolio items later, and I'm stoked to share my new personal site! Super simple, to the point, and impossible to avoid seeing my work.
Built with
@webflow
🖤
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You just need 3-5 solid, consistent projects to have a killer portfolio.
10+ projects with random looks, involvement, style, and deliverables add chaos to the viewer's experience and make it hard to get an idea of your capabilities. Keep it simple!
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I'm always shocked when designers bad-mouth templates.
Like, do you enjoy spending more time & energy (read: losing money!) building something that's 90% the same as what you'd make with a template? It's just a launch pad, not the landing — let your pride go.
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@rileyj_s
Designer B is the client's sister's husband's best friend from college who saved their cat during a hurricane once—so he owes them a favor.
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✨ Updated my personal site ✨
You know the rule: When the "ugh I don't like my website…" dread sinks in, it's time to design the ick away (until next time).
• Dark mode
• New work (w/
@visualelectric
art)
• Tasty animations
• Consolidated pages
• Clear(er) services
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Overthinking is a disease. It only has one cure: Action.
The myth of "finding clarity" is one that I believed for a long time, hoping that one day I'd simply know what to do with myself. What I know now is that clarity is earned, not found.
Death to overthinking in 2024.
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Mad respect if you're making like $20k MRR as an Unlimited Design biz. But personally... endless client revisions on projects, every day, until THEY decide to stop sounds like it would take 20 years off my life.
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Bad news: Got turned down for Webflow Experts.
Good news: I'd already decided to switch my portfolio to Framer.
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How on earth does someone pick which Unlimited Design Company™ to work with?
Literally every site I've seen has identical:
• Language + CTA's
• Delivery process (all use Trello?)
• FAQ (nobody's asking these)
• Packages (usually $4,999/mo)
• A stark lack of visible work
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📣 My new personal Framer site is live!
Took about a week of learning + messing with a new platform, but I'm stoked about how it turned out. Here's more context on the new direction and what drove the choice to switch from Webflow...
↓
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If you're ~STILL~ working on your portfolio after a few months (or years), let me help you out: Just stop. The energy suck isn't worth it anymore.
Make a Google Drive of your best work (3-5 projects), and spend your time reaching out to clients.
Getting paid > Looking cool
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I’m not usually one to insta-buy things, but… this new brewer from Fellow Coffee is the exception *chef kiss* — and comes with an exclusive coffee from
@OnyxCoffeeLab
? I mean, c’mon. ☕️
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@_TommyMason
“Just to let you know, I bill by the minute for extra phone calls—is that good with you?”
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Never ceases to amuse me that LinkedIn literally fabricates notifications to give users something to check. I only log in once a month, and don't post a single thing—and yet, there's always a pile of notifications lol.
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So like... has anyone made a Framer template that's NOT a portfolio site for designers? Cause I've literally only seen portfolio sites for designers.
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The unspoken reason designing a portfolio site is so challenging has nothing to do with design... it's a lack of clarity on the goal.
Are you trying to woo agencies? Connect with businesses? Get podcast listens? Collect email subs? Empower readers?
Clarity → Confidence
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Hear me out... MaaS: Mockups as a Service
I would GLADLY pay someone after each project to collect, curate, & organize assets... then make some slick mockups to share. Charge based on asset output, or make it a subscription!
Put that mockup collection to work, amirite?
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Misconception: Great designers have a special process for great work.
The truth is, there's no magic — they just slog through the messy iterations faster. Same creative exploration as anyone, they just power through obstacles.
Dedication to the gritty process is the difference.
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If you use a certain website builder enough, you can spot a site made with it from a mile away. All the little nuanced things stick out like a sore thumb after you've seen them a million times.
What's something that's a clear Webflow giveaway?
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New Framer site for
@thenickpattison
is live! ⚡️ Super fun build, quick 1-week turnaround, and a ridiculously clear new offering for Primary—featuring the biggest CTA you've ever seen (favorite button I've ever made).
Primary has a shiny new website!
Featuring tons of new work and a laser focus on Brand Sprints. Link below.
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Devil's advocate: What if you actually can do great creative work quicker than you think?
Have you tried it before? Maybe your current process is actually just wasteful/unfocused? Could a 2-month project be done in one highly-focused week, and maybe 90% as good?
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Reminder: 99% of clients don't care what platform their website is built on, just as long as they get a great site that helps make them money.
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Why on earth hasn't Shopify made a Framer-esque, no-code, visual designer to build commerce sites with? They already beat every other platform's commerce offerings by a mile... why require hiring a developer to build something half-decent looking? Seems so obvious.
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Nothing has improved my mental health more on this website than blocking people whose exclusive personality trait is making millions of dollars. They might be lovely people irl, and good for them! But relentless wealth-flexing content is just so exhausting, tacky, and unhealthy.
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Designers love to throw around HUGE numbers they charge for creative work... and I'm genuinely happy for them! But it needs to be said: Even if you're just barely able to pay the bills w/ your work, that's a win.
You're doing great, keep it up. 🖤
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📣 I've just launched my first Framer template!
Opaque is a minimalist personal / portfolio template designed for the multi-talented creative — giving ample space for expressing visuals, writing, and philosophy, all in a single, easily-updatable place online.
(link below)
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So many Designer Cool Boi™ sites are literally just:
Werd Studio TW — IG
We cool and make stuff.
→ Hire us doodz
ㅤ
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@drmillybarker
Super informal, but: I made a locked Apple Note with instructions on how to run my online business, and added my wife's fingerprint to the Touch ID so she has access and all the passwords. Better than nothing, but definitely could use a more polished approach!
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Now THIS is how you use AI.
It’s like a coloring book that whips up exactly what you think of, perfectly draws in the lines (for all the pages in the book), then let’s you color it in however you want.
Easily cuts 40%+ of the annoying parts of building websites. Unreal. 👏🏼
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Had a moment of vulnerability + clarity as I wrote out tomorrow's daily email, and thought I'd share it here. Just felt like someone needed to hear this. It's hard to create from a place of love when you can't make peace within yourself. Hope you're well. 🖤
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Yeahhhh I dunno about this.
Arguably the ONLY ethical way to use this tool would be to copy/paste a site you have explicit permission to transfer to Framer (ex: your own site, client's site). Otherwise, it gets dicey fast. Stealing isn't cool, kids.
What do you think?
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@HarryStebbings
Sonicare toothbrush for $80-ish
Haven’t had a cavity in years. Seems silly to spend that much on a toothbrush, but it’s been such a worthwhile investment.
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I find most website builder marketing misleading.
They all paint this lovely picture of ANYONE being able to *effortlessly* build anything. When in reality, even the most cookie-cutter templates require a huge amount of understanding to make basic customizations.
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Replacing all "Lorem Ipsum" on my templates and just whipped up this banger for the flower shop design 404 page lol
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On creative income... the unspoken context of people's situations makes their advice biased. Things you won't see on Twitter:
• Spouse makes bank / is unemployed
• Has any number of kids
• 20 years of experience
• $100k+ of debt
• Inherited wealth
• Works 3 side jobs
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So does anybody actually use the new ✨AI tools✨ being implemented into... well, everything?
I'm stoked about the future of this tech, and I know things are just getting started—but the present applications feel mostly gimmicky and not-so-useful.
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@patrickc
1. Simple contract-builder within invoices.
2. Multi-payment invoice splitting + scheduling.
3. Fulfillment options for Payment Links.
Give me those three things, even as a paid upgrade, and I’d literally never use another commerce app ever again.
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Man, I dunno who hurt some of these Design Agency Veterans™ to make them so insufferably negative on this platform.
“Oh you’re excited about design? WRONG. Only I am allowed to decide what is interesting, peasant. Art is pain, and you hath not suffered as I have!”
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📣 Introducing: Template Shop
A curated directory of the best website templates from Squarespace, Webflow, & Framer... all in one place. No more endless searching for the right design, or trying to traverse messy marketplaces.
↓ 1/5
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You don't need to systematize everything.
A 17-layer Notion "second brain" with automated CRM intake, a Process Wiki, and sub-sub-sub-layers of tasks... won't help you get clients. It'll feel productive, but it's just complexity.
Keep it simple — do what works, optimize later.
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Tbh I'm never going to call this place X or replace the logo in social links.
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@florinpop1705
I’ve been designing websites on
@squarespace
for over 8 years and wanted to give selling templates a shot—noticed there was a lack of clean, modern styles and thought I could bridge the gap.
Six months later, and they bring in ~$2k-$5k per month. Y’never know unless you try!
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Anyone made a client site in
#Framer
yet?
Super curious about the platform, but feels like all I’ve seen are portfolio sites of Framer fanatics.
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Just curious: Are there ANY Squarespace designers on this platform?
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Web design pricing idea:
Charge a base project fee upfront—but after delivering the V1 (launch-ready), switch to hourly for any changes and add to the final invoice. The stability of project-based, without the insanity of revision purgatory eating up profit.
Anyone do this?
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Today's my birthday! 🥳 The big two-nine — so, here are 29 ideas that have stuck with me in my time on this big blue-green rock.
(Inspired by
@ugmonk
's latest b-day email)
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Framer feels like what Squarespace tried (and failed) to ship in their latest update, Fluid Engine: Core stability and easy page-building, blended with the fun of drag-and-drop functionality to make things feel less "boxy".
Now Framer just needs the scale of Webflow...
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@ianzelbo
I completely forget who made this, but this is the machine I want. Unbelievably clean.
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Hey
@webflow
crowd—what's your take on the current state of selling WF Templates? Do you think it's mega-saturated, or is there still room for newcomers?
Also would love to get financial perspective from anyone who's already there... is it worth it for the money?
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Number one thing missing from most website templates (on all platforms): Practicality.
No amount of animations, bentos, gradients, or dark mode sparkles can replace the need for stable, flexible, and consistent design that real-life customers have.
Useful > Cool
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Corey Moen’s (
@CoreyGMoen
) new portfolio is a masterclass in clear communication about services that feels natural & approachable.
The Availability & Hire Me sections give potential clients immediate clarity, without feeling sold to or ambiguous about when they'll work together.
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Absolutely blows my mind that people still think having a mobile responsive website is a luxury.
Literally HALF of all browsing is on mobile.
The bar is extremely low: Sites don’t have to look incredible or win awards! Just not be broken, janky, or annoying to use on a phone.
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Fun fact: I used to shoot wedding videos full-time before the pandemic.
I got pretty good, but it was stressful work that I didn't enjoy. At the start of 2020 (when the world shut down), I sold all my gear and started doing design work.
Drawing rectangles > insane pressure
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Everyone low-key knows LinkedIn COULD be great for building an audience, getting jobs, making money… too bad spending just 12 seconds on that website makes you feel dead inside.
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@mkobach
Allowing algorithms to essentially control our emotions (and lives) via social, ads, etc.
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Jordan Gilroy (
@JordanGilroy
) knocks this one out.
The experience is immediately injected with type-driven personality, moving straight into a powerful statement with clear details, and into a work carousel.
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Look, I get it: Filling the screen with your website content and having no max-width can be cool. But unless you set your fonts to scale up too, paragraphs are gonna be like 5,000 characters per line on big screens and basically unreadable.
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@heyeaslo
Genuine question: Can you name three people who are "high-income" Notion people who don't make their money from selling courses, templates, etc?
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The guy who shot this series needs like a "Lifetime Achievement Award" for how many agency websites his work is featured on.
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Breaking ground on my first Framer template (👀), and already feeling the compulsion to componentize EVERYTHING. This platform is sick.
For context, my 30-page Squarespace templates have ~2,000 lines of CSS and JS customization. Stoked to have approximately ZERO here.
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Freelancing is trading time for money, full stop.
No time traded, no money earned. The variables (price, commitment, output, etc) can flex, but the requirement is inevitable.
Your options:
a) Make peace w/ this & optimize your time
b) Productize & build things to earn for you
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New SQSP Template → Learnable
Learnable is the most exciting + ambitious website I've ever built on Squarespace (30 pages).
Most templates aim to be "a template for X person". Learnable is meant to be the starting point for ANY Squarespace project.
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Quick tip I've just discovered: When taking screenshots for mockups, use the
@opera
mobile app instead of Chrome or Safari. The top bar is like half the height (more visible site!) and it fully removes the bottom "swipe up" bar that sometimes blends in awkwardly.
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Huge congrats to the legend
@kevintwohy
on launching his new design venture today! ✨
Honored to have collaborated on the site in Webflow, implementing
@mikesmith187
's visual identity in a fun, narrative-style site that tells Kevin's story with design.
Also, the video slaps.
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If your work isn't moving you toward the life you want, then your work isn't... working.
Of course — enjoy your craft, collaborate with others, and make great things! But don't fool yourself: What you tolerate is what will continue to happen. Beware mediocrity-building habits.
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A huge lesson I've been learning: When a client's budget doesn't match the work required, it's not my responsibility to work a miracle.
They'll either:
a) Find someone cheaper
b) Reduce the scope
c) Raise the budget
Don't internalize the scarcity. Trust yourself / the process.
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Never understood people who are like "I'm a total foodie, I LOVE to eat".
Like hello there — I'm a total "breathie", breathing is my JAM. I also dabble in being a "sleepie" and "drinkie" when I'm feeling inspired.
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It's so sad when a brand's website you love—timeless, masterpiece-level work—gets replaced with a trendy, overly silly art direction that's totally forgettable.
I guess if the client's happy... 😢
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