Squarestylist

How do we instill a deep appreciation for web design and development as a chosen craft?

The art of coding

There’s still a place for coding in the world wide web of drag-and-drop or AI-generated builders.

Is learning CSS still worth it when there seems to be an endless variety of no-code website builders and templates to choose from?

We believe the answer is yes. Beneath all the layers of jargon, CSS is a language—and like any other language, we’re better able to translate our creative vision into reality when we truly understand its strengths and limitations. We work with our toolkit rather than against it.

Squarestylist advocates for best practices in modern sites: responsiveness, performance, browser compatibility, and accessibility, among others. These can be achieved with the care and consideration of one’s coding practice. The path to excellence is never paved with shortcuts.

Students tell us that the brand’s programs are pivotal to their design studio as it allowed them to push the envelope without losing their personal touch.

Weaving skills together

Set yourself apart by intertwining every thread of skill and interest you’ve held into the tapestry that is your expertise.

Many people say that you should choose a single line of work and stick to it. But this is far from the only way to succeed in your profession.

As a self-taught creative, Rache of Squarestylist is a woman of diverse abilities: a mother, a designer, a developer, an entrepreneur, a mentor. She founded her studio not because she identified with one role at the expense of the rest, but because she decided to be all that and more. Her curiosity allowed her to craft something unprecedented in the digital space.

We’re here to tell stories of minds like her who dared to venture beyond these limiting labels and beliefs to create the unexpected. At the end of the day, our goal is to instill a sense of fulfillment in the process of learning and doing, both of which run counter to perfectionism and self-doubt.

To tell the full story of my craft, I would have to start from the very beginning—with the hands that nurtured me.

My grandfather is a skilled carpenter. His hands are rough & leathered by time, but they remain tough as they cut, shape, and build their way through wood. As a child I would marvel at how he can take a humble block and reveal the ornate sculpture of a feathered fowl inside. He may be a man of few possessions, but I have him to thank for my artistry.

My father is an electrician by trade. There is nothing his calloused fingers cannot fix: a flickering light bulb, a sputtering fan, a wheezing air-conditioner. His steady hands do not crack under pressure, ever patient as they dismantle every machine to identify & solve the problem. He taught me ingenuity.

My mother is a saleswoman who invested her time & effort towards my dreams. Even when my family’s money was stretched thin, she never made me feel that my interests were out of reach, whether they be ballet, speech, or singing lessons. Her palms would peddle everything from Avon to Tupperware products—her hands would find a way. Her entrepreneurship always does.

These were the codes I lived by, even before the actual code.

These hands have shaped me into the person I am now: a self-taught designer with an appreciation for learning. I’d like to think I inherited calligraphy, papercutting, and leather crafting from my grandfather; engineering & web development from my father; business sense & risk taking from my mother.

My name is Rache, and I am the founder of Squarestylist. I hope my hands can impart to you these skills & values—my family’s most cherished possessions—so they can change your life the way they did mine.