These days, people view websites on many different screen sizes and devices. Therefore, when it comes to companies trying to reach audiences, it’s essential that they tailor their website to accommodate all these different screens. That’s why every small business needs a responsive web design. If you haven’t yet embraced this trend, here’s what it is and why you should as soon as possible.
What is Responsive Web Design?
Although we’ve written about it before, responsive web design is a top priority for any brand with an internet presence. Between cell phones, laptop, PCs and tablets, people are consuming media in more forms than ever before.
So, to appeal to people across these devices, responsive web design adjusts and manipulates pages to appear correctly on a given device.
If you’re ever opened a site on mobile with skewed text and far-too-big images, you understand why businesses should use it. Since people will navigate away from websites they can’t consume or understand, this web design trend will ensure that your content is adaptable and can be accessed by the widest audience possible.
The Basic Principles of Responsive Web Design
Flow
In order to achieve the proper responsive web design, you need to format content correctly. And that’s where flow comes into play. Using flow on smaller screens, content will start to occupy more vertical space and push everything else further down the page.
Breakpoints
Since many websites utilize columns for their layout, how does a multi-column webpage display on a mobile device? Breakpoints are the answer. Breakpoints allow for change at predefined points. For instance, a three-column webpage might trim down to just one column on smaller screens.
Max and Min Values
Sometimes, content takes up the entire width of mobile device screens. However, on larger screens, it doesn’t exactly translate. By using max and min values for responsive web design, designers can ensure that content will fill the screen but not go over the allotted pixel size when viewed on larger devices.
Although these three principles of web design are very important, they don’t paint the full picture. The truth is that this kind of web design is complex and ever-changing. Therefore, if you’re ever interested in building or adapting your website for responsiveness, you know who to call.
