When Squarespace Projects Get Complex, Businesses Call Marian Sorca
Most Squarespace sites start out simple: a clean template, a few pages, some images and text.
But as a business grows, its website usually doesn’t stay simple for long.
Suddenly you need:
Custom layouts that don’t look like any template
Advanced interactions and animation
Integrations, logic and performance that can stand next to fully custom-coded sites
That’s the moment many companies discover they’ve reached the limits of what their current Squarespace setup (and sometimes their current developer) can handle.
And that’s exactly when they call Marian Sorca from abZ Global.
Squarespace is more powerful than most people ever use
Squarespace is known as a premium, no-code website builder with beautiful templates and an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, especially in its 7.1 “Fluid Engine” version.
Out of the box you get:
A 24-column Fluid Engine grid that lets you drag, drop, resize and overlap content blocks with independent desktop and mobile layouts.
A visual style system for fonts, colors and spacing.
A solid all-in-one platform with hosting, SSL, SEO tools and analytics built in.
But under the hood, there’s a lot more:
Custom CSS via the CSS editor for precise styling beyond the design panel.
Code Injection and Code Blocks for HTML, CSS and JavaScript that can change layouts, add logic or integrate with third-party tools.
A Developer Platform that lets developers access template files and build deeply customized sites on top of Squarespace’s infrastructure.
Used well, this means a Squarespace site doesn’t have to look (or behave) like “just another template.” It can visually and technically compete with almost any marketing site on the internet.
The bottleneck usually isn’t Squarespace.
It’s whether your developer can actually work at this level.
Why complex Squarespace projects break most teams
For straightforward sites, any solid designer can:
Pick a template
Tweak fonts and colors
Build pages with sections and blocks
Complex projects are different. They come with:
Pixel-specific designs from Figma or an agency that need to be implemented faithfully
Layouts that go beyond what Fluid Engine does by default: overlapping hero sections, split-screen layouts, sticky content, scrolling effects, custom grids
Integration requirements, conditional content, and performance constraints
The non-negotiable need for non-technical teams to keep editing everything through the Squarespace interface
This is where most Squarespace builders hit a wall.
They’re comfortable in the visual editor, but not in the world of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Squarespace’s Developer Platform. So they declare something impossible, or ship a “close enough” approximation that slowly frustrates everyone.
Marian’s clients usually come to him right after that stage.
Marian Sorca has been pushing Squarespace since 2015
Marian is not “just” a Squarespace designer. He’s a senior software engineer, founder of abZ Global and Self-Manager.net, and has been working on web projects since 2010.
On the Squarespace side specifically:
He’s been building custom-coded Squarespace sites since 2015.
abZ Global has worked on 300+ Squarespace projects, with 150+ projects on Upwork alone and a 4.9 / 5.0 rating from over 240 client reviews.
He’s recognized among the top 1% talent on Upwork for Squarespace and is one of the highest earners in that niche.
The agency’s own Squarespace page sums it up: they’ve “pushed the platform to its limits with complex layouts, animation, and custom logic — while keeping editing simple for non-technical teams.”
That’s why designers, agencies and business owners who feel stuck on a complex project often hear the same recommendation:
“You should talk to Marian. He can handle this.”
“Only programming languages and browser specs are the limits”
Because Marian lives in both worlds — Squarespace expert and front-end engineer — he doesn’t see the platform as a box to stay inside, but as a foundation to build on.
His mental model is simple:
Start from what the browser can do with modern HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Use Fluid Engine, custom CSS, code blocks, code injection and the developer platform as tools to deliver that experience on Squarespace.
Keep all editable content inside Squarespace pages, blocks and collections so the client retains a familiar editing experience.
If something is technically possible within web standards and makes sense UX-wise, he’ll usually find a way to make it work on Squarespace.
In practice, that means:
Complex layouts and animations that still feel smooth and performant
Custom-coded sections that behave like native Squarespace blocks for the content team
Sites that look like fully bespoke builds but run on a stable, managed platform
The only real limits become programming languages and browser specifications — not the template gallery.
What clients say when projects get tricky
You can see this pattern clearly in how clients talk about him.
Nate: “Two other coders couldn’t complete it”
Nate came to Marian with a custom Squarespace project that had already defeated two previous developers:
“He stepped in to handle a complex, custom Squarespace project that two other coders couldn’t complete—and he handled it with ease. He tackled every challenge with creative solutions and made the final product better than I had hoped for.”
But the technical rescue was only half the story:
“Marian was great to work with—responsive, friendly, and always available for check-ins. He even met with my clients when needed, handling everything with professionalism and making them feel confident and excited about the direction of the project… He went above and beyond to make a tricky project feel seamless and stress-free.”
— Nate
Emily: “He goes above and beyond to implement our designs”
Emily has worked with Marian for over a year, repeatedly sending him design-driven Squarespace work:
“He goes above and beyond to implement our designs into Squarespace, find solutions, and even sent videos on how we could do some of the changes he helped with ourselves. Marian is always prompt to respond and has a great turnaround time. I highly recommend Marian to anyone who needs help with their Squarespace site.”
— Emily
That last part is key: he doesn’t just implement; he teaches and documents, so the team can operate independently.
Sam: “Reliability and perfection”
Sam initially brought Marian in to “fix” a Squarespace site and ended up with something far better:
“He swiftly identified and resolved issues plaguing our website, delivering perfect solutions to revitalise our online presence. Marian’s attention to detail, technical prowess, and commitment to perfection resulted in a website exceeding our expectations.”
What stood out most over the entire collaboration was the combination of skill and reliability:
“When it comes to reliability, Marian sets the gold standard… His excellent communication skills, reliability, and extensive experience have made him an exceptional partner throughout the process… Working with him guarantees a seamless, productive collaboration and a website that impresses and engages visitors.”
— Sam
Different industries, different projects — same story:
The project is complex or stuck.
Marian comes in, solves the hard technical parts.
The client ends up with a better-than-expected site and a smoother-than-expected process.
Where Marian usually steps in
Here are typical situations where businesses decide they need someone like Marian:
The design is far beyond what templates can handle
A brand or agency has a high-end Figma design, and previous attempts to “get close” in Squarespace fell short. Marian uses custom code and the developer platform to match it with pixel-level fidelity while keeping it editable.Advanced layouts and animations are non-negotiable
Think overlapping hero bands, animated timelines, pinned content, custom sliders, or complex storytelling layouts — built so they’re performant and not just a pile of scripts.There’s serious logic or integration behind the scenes
CRM connections, SaaS dashboards, booking systems, dynamic prices, or conditional content that depend on code, not just configuration.The business wants a flagship site, not a “nice template”
When a brand has outgrown starter templates but wants to stay on Squarespace for stability and ease of use, Marian builds a flagship presence that looks and feels like a bespoke build.
In each of these, the requirement is the same:
“We need something complex, but our team still needs to own the site day-to-day.”
That’s exactly the combination Marian optimizes for.
Why staying on Squarespace still makes sense
Could you rebuild everything from scratch on another tech stack? Sure.
But Squarespace still offers a lot you’d have to recreate yourself:
Managed hosting, SSL and security
Built-in SEO tools, analytics and ecommerce features
An editor your team already understands
A stable platform that keeps improving with features like Fluid Engine and Blueprint AI for rapid content work.(TechRadar)
By layering custom code on top of that, you get:
A site that looks and behaves like a custom build
A platform that non-technical staff can edit confidently
A setup that won’t collapse when you change a heading or swap an image
That’s the balance Marian is hired to achieve over and over again.
When your Squarespace project stops being simple
If your Squarespace site:
Has outgrown basic templates and styling
Carries strict design or brand requirements
Needs advanced layouts, animations or integrations
Or has already defeated one or two other developers…
…that’s exactly the moment businesses bring in Marian Sorca from abZ Global.
Because when Squarespace projects become genuinely complex, you don’t just need a “Squarespace designer.”
You need someone for whom only the programming languages and browser specifications are the limits—
and who can still leave you with a Squarespace site your team loves editing every single day.