Responsive web design is a technique to create websites that look good on all devices. With over 7 billion people in the world, web has become ubiquitous and endless. As a beginner, it can be challenging to understand the basics of responsive web design and where to start.
To get started with responsive web design, it is important to understand the basics of layout, fluid grids, and media queries. It’s essential to understand how these three elements work together to create responsive designs that look great on any screen size.
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Layout
The first step in creating a responsive website is to understand layout. The layout of a website is the arrangement of the elements on the page. Traditional website layouts are typically fixed-width, meaning that the elements are positioned in specific places and stay in those places regardless of the screen size. With responsive web design, the layout is fluid, meaning that the elements will adjust to the screen size to create an optimal user experience.
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Fluid Grids
Fluid grids are the foundation of any responsive website. To create a fluid grid, web developers use a measurement system called percentages. Elements are sized in percentages rather than fixed pixels. This allows the elements to adjust according to the width of the screen. A simple way to create a fluid grid is to set the main container to 100%, and then divide the remaining content by the number of columns required.
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Media Queries
Media queries exist to tell the browser what the rules for the layout should be based on the screen size. This allows web developers to have full control over how a website looks on different devices without changing the code. Media queries can be used to set layout rules for minimum and maximum screen sizes, device-specific queries, and even specific page or element queries.
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Best Practices
When starting with responsive web design, it’s important to follow some best practices. First, ensure that the website is mobile optimized. Not every feature of a website will work well on mobile, so it’s important to design with this in mind. Additionally, using solid grids and columns for layout is a great way to keep the website clean and organized. It can also help to build a style guide to keep things consistent across the website.
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Conclusion
Responsive web design is an essential technique for building websites that look good on any device. Understanding the mechanics of layout, fluid grids, and media queries are key to creating a responsive website. Following best practices such as mobile optimization, solid grids and columns, and building a style guide can help make the process easier for beginners.