How to Change the Logo Color on Hover in Squarespace 7.1
Your website’s logo is more than just a graphic; it’s your brand signature. In Squarespace 7.1, integrating small interactions a color change on a logo, for example, can help to bring a sense of professionalism and user being to your site. Whether it’s a text-based logo or an image, you can use hover effects to emphasize it and to give it a little more life to inspire confidence and make sure your user is sufficiently intrigued.
In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process to modify your logo color when someone hovers over it in Squarespace 7.1 using minimal lines of CSS. Regardless of whether you’re a designer or a DIY website owner, this tutorial will give you everything from tools to live previews you need to transform your branding in a couple of minutes.
Why Change Your Logo Color on Hover?
Interactive branding components drive engagement and give that premium experience. Here's why you should have a hover color effect on your logo:
Improves user interaction by providing visual feedback
Enhances brand recall with color transitions
Adds polish to an otherwise static header
Matches hover effects on menus, buttons, or other elements
It's a small change, but it goes a long way to enhance your site's identity.
Understanding How Squarespace Handles Logo Styling
Squarespace 7.1 has a limited setting for logo appearance behavior. By default:
Text logos can be modified in the Site Styles (typeface, color, size)
Image logos are just treated as an image with no hover behavior
There are no default options for hover-specific logo styles
What this means is that if you have an image logo, to create a hover color effect, you’ll have to rely on Custom CSS.
Step-by-Step Implementation
Squarespace supports different types of logos. Choose the guide that fits your setup below:
Case 1: Site Title (Text Logo)
If you’re using the Site Title instead of an image logo, follow these steps:
➤ CSS for Text Logo Hover Color:
Go to Pages → Custom code → Custom CSS and paste the following:
/* Site Title Hover Color */
.header-title-text a:hover {
color: #FF6600; /* Replace with your brand color */
}
This approach requires no image uploads and offers full color control using CSS.
🔹 Case 2: SVG Logo (Recommended for Modern Brands)
SVG logos are vector-based and ideal for color manipulation.
➤ CSS for SVG Hover Color:
/* SVG Logo Fill Color on Hover */
.header-title-logo svg path:hover {
fill: #FF6600; /* Replace with your desired hover color */
Works best with logos created in Illustrator or exported as SVG with editable <path> data.
🔹 Case 3: PNG or JPG Image Logo
Raster images (PNG or JPG) don’t support direct color manipulation via CSS, but here are two proven alternatives:
Option A: CSS Filter Technique
/* Invert logo color on hover */
.header-title-logo a img {
transition: 0.3s ease;
}
.header-title-logo a img:hover {
filter: invert(75%) contrast(120%);
}
This mimics a color shift by inverting brightness and contrast — results depend on the original image color.
Option B: Logo Swap on Hover (Best Practice for Image Logos)
Upload two versions of your logo via Settings → Files:
Default logo
Hover logo (with alternate color)
Use this CSS to swap logos on hover:
/* Base logo styling */
.header-title-logo a {
position: relative;
display: inline-block;
width: 130px;
overflow: hidden;
}
.header-title-logo a img {
transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
}
/* Hide original logo on hover */
.header-title-logo a img:hover {
opacity: 0;
}
/* Hover-state logo overlay */
.header-title-logo a::after {
content: "";
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
width: 130px;
height: 100%;
background-image: url('https://yourdomain.com/hover-logo.png');
background-size: cover;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
opacity: 0;
transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
pointer-events: none;
}
.header-title-logo a:hover::after {
opacity: 1;
}
Replace the background-image URL with your uploaded hover logo link.
Responsive Adjustments
Add the following for mobile-specific sizing:
@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {
.header-title-logo a {
width: 80px !important;
}
.header-title-logo a img,
.header-title-logo a::after {
width: 80px;
}
}
Summary Table
| Logo Type | Recommended Method | CSS Required |
|---|---|---|
| Site Title (Text) | Simple CSS color hover | ✅ Yes |
| SVG Logo | Change fill color on hover | ✅ Yes |
| PNG/JPG Logo | Filter or image swap on hover | ✅ Yes |
Pro Tips for Best Results
| Tip | Reason |
|---|---|
| Use SVG wherever possible | Offers the best quality and full CSS styling flexibility |
| Include transition effects | Enhances smoothness and modern appeal |
| Optimize image file sizes | Prevents performance lags during hover transitions |
| Keep branding consistent | Use hover colors that align with your brand identity |
| Always test on mobile devices | Hover effects may behave differently or not at all on touchscreens |
Final Result
After applying one of the above methods, your logo will:
React dynamically when hovered
Blend seamlessly into your brand’s interactive theme
Deliver a professional, polished user experience
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How can I make my Squarespace logo's color change when I hover over it without using code?
Unfortunately, Squarespace 7.1 doesn't have built-in hover effects for logos. You’ll be able to change colors and styles for a text-based wordmark in Site Styles, but you’ll need Custom CSS to use hover effects for image and SVG logos.
2. What's the simplest way to get a hover-on color for my logo?
If you are using a text-based Site Title, you can just add a new CSS rule targeting. to change the color when hovered .header-title-text a: hover is The easiest and fastest way.
3. How do I create an image logo (PNG or JPG) that changes colour on hover?
You have two main options:
Use a CSS filter to simulate color changes using brightness and contrast.
Swap logos on hover by uploading two versions of your logo and using CSS to fade between them.
The other approach is more manual, but it puts you in control and gives you a lot more accuracy, especially for brand colors.
4. What's the best logo format for hover effects to use?
SVG logos are ideal because:
Best part: They’re vector-based (so no quality loss).
CSS can directly control fill colors.
They’re much faster to load and resolution-independent.
After all, if your brand permits it, SVG is the most versatile option.
5. Is the hover logo effect also applicable on mobile devices?
Hover effects don’t always play well with touchscreens: Tap devices don’t have a “hover” state. You should still use media queries for responsiveness and test your hover styles for fallback on mobile.
6. Where do I upload my hover-state logo image?
You can upload the alternate (hover) logo image under:
Settings → Files → Upload File, then copy the file URL and use it in your CSS:
background-image: url('https://yourdomain.com/hover-logo.png');
