You're probably either researching Squarespace as blog/web design platform or are already a happy Squarespace customer. And by now, you've also probably already seen some examples of beautiful Squarespace sites and have thought to yourself, "Can I build a site that looks that great?" Chances are, the answer to that question is yes. But it's not going to happen over night. Today, we'll take a look at four advanced Squarespace design resources that will help you take your Squarespace skills to the next level.

The amazing Squarespace web publishing system allows you to modify most design details without requiring you to know any HTML or CSS code. Their design editing layer provides you with a set of WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") tools that enables you to intuitively modify the look and feel of your site. But it doesn't stop there.

While many website publishers will be able to produce beautiful sites without any knowledge of cascading style sheets, or CSS, you may want complete control over the look and design of your site. For extreme design enthusiasts, Squarespace also provides advanced CSS access, allowing you to tweak even the smallest of details. Learning CSS isn't hard but takes a little time, knowledge and patience. (Note: if you don't have the patience to learn CSS and need a professional design, check out the Big Picture Web Squarespace Designer Directory.)

If you're ready to start dabbling with advanced CSS on your Squarespace blog or website, don't go it alone. I've brought together four excellent design resources for Squarespace designers and developers anxious to start taking their blog and website design to the next level:

1. The Squarespace Manual - Sometimes the most effective solution is also the simplest. Before you look to tweak how certain elements are presented, check the manual to see if there are configuration options available to avoid the need for custom CSS in the first place.
2. The Squarespace Developer Community - Squarespacers are, in general, a helpful lot. The Squarespace Community page is a place for developers to post questions and answers on all sorts of development and design tasks. Be sure to check out their most featured posts section.
3. The Squarespace Code Site - Brand-spankin' new, the Squarespace code snippet library is chalk-full with common HTML and CSS snippets necessary to meet common design objectives. Become a web design pro, one tactic at a time. I really hope this site takes off because it's super cool.
4. SquareFam - Dubbed a "Social Network for Squarespacers," Squarefam is a Ning social network dedicated to Squarespace designers. While still relatively small, the membership is beginning to swell along with the Squarespace community in general. 

What tutorials, guides or other Squarespace design resources would you like to see from a part-timeSquarespace developer? Is there a resource you've used that I haven't listed here? What's the first thing you'll research using the Squarespace design resources listed here today? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. 

Sign up for FREE tips via Email