A Responsive Approach to Web Design and Development

In the past 18 months, GEM’s growing Digital Department has restructured itself for a mobile-first (otherwise known as responsive) approach to web design and development. If we look at web browser mobile usage trends, the movement is staggering, worldwide, and accelerating.

It is the nature of any digital department to be constantly in flux as new technologies emerge and fade, but the mobile trend is one that has massive repercussions for every vertical. In everything from retail to B2B, key decisions are being made from tablets and smartphones that impact business daily.

So, what does it mean to be mobile-first? To us, it starts with column design, easy and logical user interfaces, and a great user experience with clarity and ease-of-use. The logic of web design, particularly now, is that visitors should expect a clear, quick path to the desired information without any clutter of confusion. Where Adobe Flash presented sizzle and fluff, today’s great UI/UX is spartan and specific.

Design by column means designing in a Lego-like fashion with elements arranged in blocks and blocks arranged by screen size. Although there are algorithmic models available like Twitter Bootstrap, GEM custom designs its mobile-to-desktop responsive themes because it allows for much more design flexibility. Sure, it takes longer, but we believe no site should look like any other.

To see an example of this in action, check out our newest launch, Posture6.com. View it on your desktop and then on your smartphone, and you’ll see what we mean – an optimized design for each device.

Mobile is here to stay! If you need help making your website mobile and tablet-friendly, don’t hesitate to reach out to us (on any device you choose, of course!).

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• Mobile
• Web Development
• Digital