Lodestar setup guide: work CMS, team and the contact form
NS. Studio · 2026-10-29
Lodestar is a free agency template: dark, bold, with a work CMS and a contact form with budget. This guide covers what to change after you remix it. Keep the live demo open in another tab to compare.
1. Hero and stats
- Change the studio name, the headline, the short pitch and the "Booking projects for…" line.
- Replace the showreel image with a still from your best project.
- Replace the four stats with numbers you can stand behind, and the client names with clients who are happy to be listed.
2. Services and process
Edit the four services, their tags and the four-week process on the canvas. Keep the list short: four things done properly reads better than ten.
3. Work in the CMS
Open the CMS from the left panel. The Work collection has 6 example projects; each is a card on the home page and its own page.
- Fill in client, services, year, the brief, the idea, the impact and the result banner, then add the cover and gallery images.
- Fill in the SEO title and description for each project.
- Delete the example projects you don't replace.
4. Studio, team and testimonial
Replace the team photos and names, the studio text and the testimonial. Use a real quote with the person's name and role, or remove the section.
5. Contact form
- The form on the Contact page uses Framer's form submissions. Select it and set where submissions go (your email, or a webhook or integration) in the right panel.
- Edit the service and budget options to match what you sell and the budgets you accept.
- Send yourself a test from the published site.
Publish and connect your domain
Click Publish to go live on a free framer.website address. To use your own domain, upgrade the project to a Framer site plan, open Site Settings, Domains, add the domain and copy the DNS records Framer shows into your domain registrar. It usually works within an hour.
Before you publish, open Site Settings, General and replace the title, description and social image with your own, so search results and link previews show your name and not the demo's.
Tools that help
- Cal.com for "Start a project": a free scheduling link synced with your calendar, so a lead can book an intro call right away. New users get 20% off for 12 months through our link.
- Fillout if you want a longer project brief form with logic and file uploads (brand assets, references). Link to it from the contact page.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up, NS. Studio may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Want more?
Parade is our paid template for studios and agencies, with 10 pages, a Journal CMS, a draggable project reel, pricing and open roles. If you'd rather not set Lodestar up yourself, template setup starts at $79.
