Please note that the contents of this offline web site may be out of date. To access the most recent documentation visit the online version .
Note that links that point to online resources are green in color and will open in a new window.
We would love it if you could give us feedback about this material by filling this form (You have to be online to fill it)



Multi-Device Layouts

Responsive Web Design Patterns

Responsive web design patterns are quickly evolving, but there are a handful of established patterns that work well across the desktop and mobile devices.

Most layouts used by responsive web pages can be categorized into one of five patterns: mostly fluid, column drop, layout shifter, tiny tweaks and off canvas. In some cases, a page may use a combination of patterns, for example column drop and off canvas. These patterns, originally identified by Luke Wroblewski , provide a solid starting point for any responsive page.

The patterns

To create simple, easy-to-understand samples, each the samples below were created with real markup using flexbox , typically with three content div ’s contained within a primary container div . Each sample was written starting with the smallest view first and breakpoints were added when necessary. The flexbox layout mode is well supported for modern browsers, though may still require vendor prefixing for optimal support.

Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License , and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License . For details, see our Site Policies .