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When I talk about this, it’s almost as if I’m beating a dead horse, but it’s true. Mobile Responsive Design completely changed everything about web design.
Before responsive design, web designers had to create separate websites for desktop and mobile devices, resulting in increased workload and maintenance costs. With the advent of responsive design, designers can now create a single website that can adapt to any screen size and device orientation.
There’s always going to be nit-picking about what was the turning moment for the industry, but for me it was clearly when Twitter released Bootstrap. Suddenly designers had toolkit to build quick websites that looked great on every device, and all it needed was one or two lines of code.
With these tools, suddenly designers could provide a seamless user experience across devices. This means that the same website can be viewed on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device with equal ease, without compromising the overall design and functionality.
The Money Stuff
There is a reason why I keep talking about dishonest designers and agencies price-gouging their clients. The financial impact of responsive design on web design has been significant.
First, it has made web design more accessible and affordable. Web designers no longer have to create multiple versions of the same website for different devices, which saves time and resources.
Secondly, it has improved the user experience by providing a consistent and optimized website for all users, regardless of the device they are using. Users can now easily browse, navigate, and interact with websites on any device.
Why There’s no Such Thing as Custom
If you’ve heard me talk about web design, you’ve heard me say the phrase “there is no such thing as custom anymore.” There isn’t, at least not for anyone who’s budget is less than $30,000. Really. This is why:
Responsive design changed the way websites are designed. Website designs are modular now. Just about every website has all of the exact same components. They are styled and look different, but they are all the same.
Designers have to think more critically about how the website will appear on different devices and optimize the design for each one. This has led to more minimalist and streamlined designs that prioritize simplicity, speed, and usability over flashy graphics and complex layouts.
That’s it. That’s why I’m so adamant about there’s being no such thing as a custom website site, because they are all tailored. The technology itself has forced them to be simple. Since it must look correct on every device, then the design must conform to the technology. 15 years ago it was the other way around, you had to bend the technology to the design.
So What’s Actually Expensive Then?
Content, custom application programming, and design elements. These are usually things that don’t come out of the box and just require assembly. These are the things someone has to actually make, whether it’s writing all of your website copy in an SEO-friendly way, making all the graphics for your website, or writing a custom integration between your website and some other application.
