Black and white photograph of a steel circular staircase, shot from below

Like HTML, CSS, and design itself, responsive design is an ever-expanding set of technologies, techniques and best practices. This reading list is intended to provide an overview and introduction to RWD, while understanding that the field is constantly evolving and changing. Checking back frequently for new links and content and resources is strongly recommended.

First, we explore the fundamentals of responsive design, followed by specific problem areas in RWD, including videos, tables, and SVG, and the mobile and handheld world in general, and look at its attendant technological and design challenges.

Goals: Understand the mobile space; apply responsive methodologies and techniques to site development

Prerequisites: HTML & CSS

Total Time: (including exercises) 30 hours

  1. Introduction
  2. Images
  3. Tables, Navigation & Video

SVG

  1. Making SVG Responsive
  2. Adaptive Branding Module
  3. Advanced Adaptive Branding Module

Round-up

  1. Detecting & Controlling Touch Events
  2. Responsive Design Testing Tools
  3. matchMedia
  4. Triggering Media Queries with JS

When You’re Done

Explore responsive design with these use-cases and tutorials:

  1. Responsive Shapes
  2. Hero Text
  3. Adaptive Illustrations
  4. Responsive Résumé

While it’s rarely directly referenced in the articles above, CSS flexbox layout works wonderfully with responsive design practices, and should be a part of every designer/developer’s skillset. If you’re unfamiliar with the module, I’d recommend starting with the Designers Guide To Flexbox series; I also have a number of flexbox examples around the site.

Photograph by Henar Lopez, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license

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