Introduction – What is responsive web design?

Responsive design became a buzz word a couple years ago in web design circles. In short I would define it as one website for all devices. The website automatically scales to suit the screen-size that the visitor is using. This scaling is both in terms of layout and in controls such as the nav menu. Usually this is accomplished by utilising CSS @media queries and using % and em instead of fixed widths and px in the code.

The opposite of “responsive design” is “device experiences” that designs for touch screens or tablets specifically. Boards.ie is a great example of device experience as they have both a mobile site (m.boards.ie) a touch-friendly site (touch.boards.ie) to complement their main site. There are also a number of unofficial Android and iOS apps which provide a more tailored … Read More »

Responsive themes will definitely become a mainstay of the internet in 2012 after becoming a buzzword in design circles during 2011. They certainly are at least considered for any projects that I undertake. Although it is not without its critics, the ease of creating one website that serves all devices is a strong lure for any web designer who may want to avoid creating multiple designs for different devices and screen widths.

This is especially important with the plethora of devices that are available these days such as tablets, smart phones, laptops, large monitors, e-readers of all shapes and sizes as well as devices not even thought of yet.

A lot of the themes and links I have provided below come from Themeforest. I have purchased a number of themes and other things from here before and it has always been a great … Read More »