What Is a CMS Model?
A CMS model in Studio.Design is a framework for grouping and managing similar types of content—like news articles, blog posts, or staff profiles. Think of a model as a container: you add items (such as individual articles or team members) to a model, and each item has its own set of properties, like text or images.
Key elements:
Model: The container for a specific type of content (e.g., “Press Releases”).
Item: An individual piece of content within a model (e.g., “New TV Campaign Announcement”).
Property: The information that makes up each item (e.g., title, body text, images).
You can also create “collections,” which are custom groups of items selected from a model.
Types of CMS Models
Studio.Design offers four model types, each tailored for different content needs:
Model Type | Best For | Key Features |
Article | Blog posts, news, or text-heavy content | Rich text editing, media embedding, built-in comments for team review |
User | Staff or contributor profiles | Default avatar property, great for listing and referencing people |
Category | Content categories (e.g., product types) | Simple structure, title only, ideal for organizing or filtering content |
Custom | Tags, labels, or any flexible classification | Title only, highly versatile for custom groupings or metadata |
How Models Work: Example
Unless you start your CMS with blank, the initial CMS dashboard had three models: articles, tags, and users, and by creating items for each of them, the basic operation is possible.
*Depending on the template, the number of contents and name may differ.
I want to make a "diary" apart from the "articles".
I'd like to use a group called "category" in addition to "tag".
As you can see, if you need items with different information and detail page layouts, create a different model.
Setting Up a CMS Model
You can customize each model with:
Model name
Icon
Property order and visibility in lists
RSS feed settings (for article models)
Changing the model name or icon helps keep your dashboard organized, especially if you manage multiple models.
Adding New Models
To add a new model in Studio.Design:
Open the CMS dashboard.
Click the [+] button in the top left.
Enter a model name (like “News” or “Events”).
Select the most suitable model type.
Click [Create]. Your new model will appear in the list on the left.
Note: Once you create a model, its type cannot be changed. If you need a different type, create a new model and move your data manually.
Editing a Model
You can update the following from the model settings screen:
Model name
Icon
Property order and visibility
To edit:
Open the CMS dashboard.
Hover over the model in the list and click the three-dot menu, then select [Model Settings].
Or, click [Model Settings] in the top right.
Changes are applied instantly.
Duplicating a Model
Duplicating a model creates a new copy, including all items and properties. Duplicated items start as drafts, and the model name will have “(Copy)” added.
Note: Some users with restricted permissions (such as certain Business plan editors or workspace guests) may not be able to duplicate models.
To duplicate:
Open the CMS dashboard.
Hover over the model, click the three-dot menu, and choose [Duplicate].
Or, open [Model Settings] and use the menu at the top to select [Duplicate].
Deleting a Model
Deleting a model will also remove all its items, properties, and any collections that reference it.
To delete:
Open the CMS dashboard.
Hover over the model, click the three-dot menu, and choose [Delete].
Or, open [Model Settings] and use the menu at the top to select [Delete].
Confirm the deletion in the dialog.