Acquia Site Studio (formerly known as Cohesion) is a powerful low-code tool that helps us build web applications driven by design systems. With Site Studio, you can assemble pages using a library of reusable branded components, all without needing any coding skills. Key elements like user experience and accessibility are already built into the platform, ensuring consistent, high-quality results.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to enhance an existing Drupal site, Site Studio offers flexibility. Here’s a breakdown of the two main approaches:
Re-platform: Starting Fresh with Site Studio
If you’re planning to migrate to Drupal 8+ —whether from Drupal 7 or another CMS entirely—we recommend integrating Site Studio from the ground up. This approach lets you fully leverage its capabilities to streamline your transition and ensure a smooth migration.
Why build Site Studio into a new Drupal site?
Pattern Library: Site Studio allows us to create a flexible library of reusable design patterns, stored as configuration rather than code. This means non-technical users can easily assemble pages using branded components that are pre-configured to follow your brand’s look and feel.
Configurable Components: Each component can be adjusted to meet various content needs. Whether it’s adjusting images, changing alignment, or deciding which elements to show or hide, components are adaptable and user-friendly.
Built-in Branding and Accessibility: Components include responsive behavior, accessibility features, semantic markup, and other key elements. This ensures that your site remains brand-consistent and enterprise-grade without needing ongoing developer input.
Key advantages of building Site Studio into your site:
Complete Integration: Site Studio is built into the base theme of Drupal, allowing it to control the responsiveness and layout of the entire site.
Component Flexibility: Everything on the site can be treated as a component, offering maximum flexibility except for native Drupal elements like content types (news stories, case studies, etc.).
Consistent Editor Experience: The Site Studio-powered CMS provides a unified editing experience across the entire site.
For any new Drupal project, we recommend building Site Studio into the core of your site to manage all responsive, styling, and layout behaviours from the outset.
Platform Enhancement: Adding Site Studio to Your Existing Drupal 8+ Site
If you already have a Drupal 8+ application and are not looking to completely rebuild it, you can still benefit from the advanced editing capabilities of Site Studio with minimal disruption to your current setup.
How does Site Studio enhance an existing site?**
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We can introduce branded design patterns within Site Studio that can be inserted into your existing Drupal Content Types by adding Site Studio fields. This effectively creates a layout canvas, allowing you to use Site Studio components within your existing structure.
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Site Studio can be configured to match your site’s existing responsive behaviour, typography, and colour palette, ensuring seamless integration with your current design system.
What you can do with Site Studio on an existing platform:**
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Bespoke Campaign Pages: Use the Site Studio pattern library to create customised campaign or landing pages quickly and efficiently.
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Flexible Content Sections: Insert component-driven content into existing Drupal Content Types for page takeovers, feature sections, and other adaptable configurations.
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Native Drupal Backbone: Continue to use native Drupal to manage the rest of your site, ensuring a smooth blend of new and existing capabilities.
This enhancement approach is ideal if you have an existing Drupal 8+ site and want to boost its capabilities without completely overhauling the core structure.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking to re-platform your site or enhance an existing one, Acquia Site Studio offers powerful tools to streamline your digital experience management. For new sites, integrating Site Studio from the start allows you to fully utilise its capabilities. If you’re working with an existing Drupal 8+ site, Site Studio can still bring significant value through enhanced page-building flexibility, all while keeping your core Drupal functionality intact.
Not sure which approach is right for you? We’re here to help guide you through the best solution based on your specific needs. Reach out to learn more!
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