Sketchbook: Embracing Artistic Authenticity in Web Design
In a digital landscape often dominated by clean grids, polished aesthetics, and hyper-optimized templates, a particular trend is drawing attention—Sketchbook. Rooted in hand-drawn elements, expressive typography, and raw creativity, this approach is a refreshing antidote to the perfectionism of modern web design, according to artist, illustrator, and art director, Stephen Smith. The founder of Neasden Control Centre helped Squarespace Circle identify and explore the Sketchbook aesthetic as part of Squarespace’s partnership with It’s Nice That. Stephen also collaborated with us on an original Sketchbook template design.
Understanding the Sketchbook aesthetic
The Sketchbook trend represents an opportunity to push boundaries and embrace a more human, unfiltered style. It’s a design philosophy that champions imperfection and individuality, helping brands connect with audiences on a deeply emotional level. By incorporating playful details, asymmetry, and personalized elements, you can deliver websites that tell compelling stories—even at a glance.
Bring the pen-and-paper style online through thoughtfully designed and strategically placed elements. Here are the key pillars of the aesthetic:
Hand-drawn elements
Doodles, hand-drawn icons, illustrations, and line art are the focal points of the Sketchbook aesthetic. These elements create a playful, personalized visual experience that feels human. Doodles and hand drawings offer vulnerability and authenticity to the digital world. Their imperfect, handcrafted nature feels unrepeatable, showcasing one-of-a-kind elements that can’t be replicated.
Take pen to paper and let your imagination run wild. Whether you’re drawing elements for your own website or a client’s, create small illustrations that emulate the trend yet are rooted in brand identity. This may involve drawing shapes on paper and uploading them to a site’s background, hand drawing social media icons or logos, or incorporating subtle animations.
If you’re not keen on drawing, you can incorporate elements that mimic the illustrated technique. Format text using text highlights, which you can animate to really draw visitors’ attention. Text highlight options that best emulate the Sketchbook trend include Underline, Freehand, Circle, and Scribble.
Pro tip: When showing project spotlights and case studies in your portfolio, show sketched wireframes and the process that got you to the final product. Include handwritten captions or annotations throughout the build, giving visitors an intimate look at your approach and unique perspective.
Script typography
Use hand-lettered or imperfect, free-form typefaces to mimic handwriting or sketchbook annotations. This adds charm and breaks from the rigidity of standard web typography, offering a sense of personality and approachability. Head to the Site Styles panel to explore handwritten fonts, such as Dancing Script, Pacifico, Yellowtail, and Allura.
Pro tip: Lean into typography best practices when making your font selections. Pair script fonts with sans-serif fonts to maintain readability. Reserve script for headers, quotes, or accent elements to avoid overwhelming designs.
Layered textures and backgrounds
Analog textures and visible background sketches create a deliberately DIY style that feels highly personal. Use paper-like textures, brush strokes, or gridlines to mimic the physical attributes of a sketchbook. This adds depth, warmth, and a tactile quality to the digital experience.
Add your chosen texture as a section background image. A crinkled paper background mimics a well-used sketchbook page, and grid or lined paper resembles graphic paper or a notebook. Linen or canvas textures replicate the surface of an artist’s workspace, while burlap or rough fabrics offer a rustic feel.
An alternative to textured backgrounds is moving background art. Squarespace offers animated patterns, like brushstrokes, or you can customize shapes and sizes to more closely match your brand. Subtle smudges or strokes create a hand-sketched aesthetic, and chalk-like textures resemble blackboard designs.
Site background art is also a fun opportunity to experiment with color. Use soft gradient tones to embody watercolor washes, or choose bold colors to achieve acrylic or oil paint strokes.
When it comes to your site’s layout, use overlapping textures like torn paper edges, tape, or picture frames to create a mixed-media look. You can achieve a layered collage style by incorporating your own scanned notebook or sketchpad backgrounds.
The Sketchbook template, available in the template store
Embracing unfiltered creativity with the Sketchbook aesthetic
Whether you implement all or some of the elements of the Sketchbook aesthetic, the trend has many practical applications in asymmetrical layouts, experimental and expressive color combinations, and unexpected design choices. Most importantly, it reflects originality and uniqueness, prioritizing standing out in a digital world filled with polished designs.
Striking the right balance of intentional imperfection takes skill, uninhibited creativity, and an openness to sharing your most authentic self. Check out the Sketchbook template to see this approach in practice.
Explore more 2025 design trends:
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