News and insights • Posted on 12 June 2014

What is responsive web design?

Ahoy!

With the internet and technology moving at great pace, things certainly do change. It’s amazing to think that 20 years ago there was no Google and the internet was largely in its infancy. However fast forward to the present day and it’s all around us – in our pockets, in our homes and in our offices.

A fantastic quote from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reads: “You used to ask a smart person a question. Now, who do you ask? It starts with g-o, and it’s not God.”

The internet has changed the way we live, and as it has developed so has web design. As a rough rule of thumb us web designers have around 10 seconds to grab your attention and give you what you want before you leave our page – let’s hope you’ll stick this one out until the end! This is ever more apparent in a world where people can use the internet on the move, consuming large amounts of content in small chunks on their mobile phones and tablets, and I’m sure you’ll agree 10 seconds isn’t a large amount of time.

With mobiles and tablets becoming cleverer by the day, more and more people use them for consuming tons of content. It’s incredible to think how many devices have been squeezed into one small, palm-sized computer. In fact, in 2013 The Guardian reported that half of us Brits consume news on the move – talk about hot off the press!

With that in mind, it presented the web-based architects of the world with a problem. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I view a web page on my mobile, it comes up with the desktop version which is so small it’s unreadable! That’s because the website hasn’t been built responsively, so it can only show you the desktop version even on your small mobile phone screen. That 10-second rule I mentioned earlier? It’s out of the window because no-one can even see your content.

To counteract this web designer created something called ‘responsive design’, which in short does what it says on the tin. The website’s layout (or design) will ‘respond’ to whatever screen size it is being displayed on. This means that whether your users are using their mobile phone, tablet or desktop computer, they will be able to see all your content clearly. We’ll create designs for desktop, tablet and mobile sizes, and then implement those designs into the final build. It involves a bit of extra work at our end to make sure it looks the business but trust us, it’s worth it!

Here at TBB Towers we’ve got a wealth of experience in designing and delivering quality responsive designs that have helped our clients achieve fantastic results. Some of our latest projects featuring responsive design include The Light and Untha, so why not head over to our latest projects page and check out all that responsive design goodness!

If you want to keep up to date with the crew, don't forget to sign up to our newsletter to benefit from digital marketing expertise, as well as exciting opportunities to improve your business' performance.

Back to the news hub

Written by Andy McCaul

Co-founder and digital marketing guru Andy ensures all projects are shipshape, and that we generate the best return on investment for clients.

News and insights

Insights from below deck: March 2024

Content that ‘takes pressure off’, social media consumer secrets, and 2023’s most successful digital PR campaigns are some topics that got the team talking this month.

Read more
News and insights

How to make the most of a corporate event

There’s more to showcasing than simply buying a stand. Here, we outline how to get the most from your budget, from planning to exhibiting to marketing.

Read more
View more in the hub

Ready to start your next big project?

Let's talk

Contact

The Bigger Boat
Suite 7, The Watermill
Wheatley Park
Mirfield, West Yorkshire
WF14 8HE

Talk to us