Responsive Design, The Future of Website Design

Many marketing thought leaders are saying that 2013 is the year of responsive design and I have to agree with them.  As we think about developing websites, apps and social media promotions for our clients we are challenged to understand how the user will experience our content.  If the content is extraordinary but is delivered in a format that is off putting or out-of-date—we fail as marketers.  However, with responsive design there’s now a solution to the overwhelming task of researching the thousands of unique PCs, Macs, tablets, iPhones, Androids and the million other devices consumers are using today.

The definition of this new approach according to Forrester Research is as follows, “Responsive design is a ‘write once, run everywhere’ style of designing websites.  Rather than building sites for each web and mobile device, responsive design uses CSS3 media queries to create a single website that intelligently adjusts its layout and features based on how it’s being viewed.”

Some of the key benefits of responsive web design include:

Focus is on the content: Device specific elements become secondary
Cross Platform: The site automatically responds to audience device and consumption habits
Cost-effective: There is less need for standalone sites and apps
Easy to manage: content editing can be done through a single Content Management System (CMS)
SEO Friendly: Links are cleaner and used across platforms
Future proof: Design that is fluid to adapt to new technology*

*I’m not sure if anything is future proof in regards to the web but, responsive design is thought to be.

So, what do you think? Are you or your clients looking at redesigning your brand’s website to be responsive? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Merlot Marketing Responsive Design Infographic

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