So we’ve talked about HTML, but what about website builders?

Lets face it, although html and css are very valuable skills to have, almost nobody is going to code an entire website by hand. Doing so takes time, strong knowledge of browser compatibility and topics far beyond what we’ve covered in class, and prevents easy site rebranding / updates.

So it is 2016 and you need a website, where do you go? There are tons and tons of website builders out there, many I’m sure you’ve heard of. Wix, sqaurespace, wordpress, are a few of the more well known examples. Of course, the builder that is best for you ultimately depends on what you need the website for. Perhaps platform A has a better support for blogging, but platform B has better support for video galleries. A travel blogger would likely pick platform A, while a youtube personality might prefer B. When looking for a website builder for your needs, try adding the type of website onto your search. Instead of googling “website maker” try “best small store web builder” or “best visual blogging platform”.

If you are looking for a portfolio builder I have got one hell of a reccomendation for you: format

Format is a challenger to squarespace. They share similar characteristics and are marketed towards the creative community. I originally had chosen squarespace to host my website, but ultimately had to switch as I found their tools to be buggy and basically overall wouldn’t load on my computer. I then stumbled upon format by chance, I decided to give it a shot and engaged in a free trial of it and two other less well known builders. Format beat the others out by a landslide in options, ease of use, and the best customer support I’ve ever encountered.

Format somehow both extremely customizable and yet easy to understand. It has an expansive gallery of themes to choose from, each of which have their own styles and options to better fine tune your website to your needs. Additionally, pages are structured in a way where the skeleton of each page works the same across all themes, and only style and layout changes. So once you develop your content once, you can change the entire layout of your site in just a few clicks.

Below is what the page content editor looks like on format. Every page is structured into a dropdown list where you can select what area needs changed, edit specifics about each page, link pages together to direct your website’s flow, and organize the general layout

As far as design goes, there is a tab which lets you change the settings relevant to your theme such as font, image size, menu layouts, etc. If you do want to add your own code, there is also a panel for working with your own html / css.

Format is also constantly updating and adding new features. I get the impression that it is a newer company which is now taking off in a more serious direction. A few months ago I submitted a help ticket for a theme bug and after it was resolved I was asked what kind of features I hoped to see implemented in the future (again best customer service ever). I mentioned how an e-store platform would be extremely helpful and was told that I was in luck as one would be coming within the year. Sure enough, a few months later they released a very lovely paypal ready store platform you could add directly onto your site.

Along with their new store implementation, format already had extra support for a on-site blogging platform, instagram integration, and even client proofing which I hadn’t really expected but has proved to be very useful.

Of course, format isn’t free. Depending on what you need it can be a little pricey, but is very comparable to squarespace. Price is of course another factor to think about when looking for the best platform for you. For me, the fluidity, ease of change, and constant support format offers is worth the yearly subscription. For someone else, maybe not. For yet another person, maybe they need an even more expensive option to fulfill their needs. Either way, I would recommend doing some serious research before settling on any one website building platform. I found format by chance and now I would never use anything else.

To finish off here are some examples of websites made using format’s platform (including my own).

My Website 
Lara Zankoul
Maurice Heesen
Amani Alshaali