Responsive Design

 

As the fresh new year begins, I wanted to talk a bit about a design trend I experimented with in 2011 and one that will become more important in 2012. With the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets (like iPad and Kindle Fire) people will be searching and surfing the internet on many different devices and screen sizes.

Basically, responsive web design refers to a website that adjusts its elements to the particular screen size it is being viewed on. Whether it's on a widescreen monitor or a mobile phone, it’s important that a website looks right and functions easily. With a responsive design images will resize based on the screen size, buttons will be larger for those using a small screen and the layout will easily change based on the screen size. Responsive design can take the place of having a traditional website design and a mobile version because it is both in one design. You can see an example in action here. You can resize the browser window or simply view it on different screen sizes to see how it adapts.

 

An example of how a responsive design adapts to screen sizes

In the past, website designers were able to make fluid website designs that stretched to larger screen sizes but they did not resize images, move around elements and most fluid designs break down on smartphone sized screens. Responsive design allows the website to not only resize its layout but adapt to a smaller screen to allow for a better user experience.

 

Another example of how responsive design moves elements of the website around to adapt to the screen size.

So how does this apply to you? More than likely your current website works fine on any mobile device. However, on smaller screens the visitor may have to pinch and zoom to click buttons better and view content and scroll around to find what they are looking for. I'm not saying everyone now needs to switch to a responsive design, but if you are thinking of a new website or redesigning your current site than you might as well think of responsive design. Simply take a look at your current website on different devices to see how other people may view your website.

As technology moves forward and design trends continue to change I also keep up with changing trends to better help you stand out amongst the crowd. I felt it important to mention this trend on the website in an article as I have been seeing it spoken and written about more than any other current and future trend. Some online sources go so far as saying... "Currently, Responsive Website Design is the talk of the neighborhood." and "Responsive Design (RD) is a concept that will eventually become the standard for the web."

If you have any questions or concerns about your current website or future website thoughts, feel free to contact me. I started experimenting with responsive design in 2011 and currently there are not too many designers offering responsive design solutions.

 

You can see some responsive design ideas I can customize for your business Here.

You can also see other design ideas that I can customize for you that incorporate modern design trends and practices Here.

I'll be adding new design ideas to both sections regularly.

 

Source quotes :

Igor Ovsyannykov - Inspiration Feed

Annabelle - Dzine Blog 360