CSS Frameworks : First Step to a Responsive Designs

As an aware consumer one always looks for products or services which offer best possible solutions at a reasonable price. The more he/she digs the better are his/her probabilities of making the right decision at the time of a judgment call. Hence the blog, my reason to impart whatever knowledge I have gained with time, an insight helpful if you are a web designer or a curious onlooker, to help you make an informed decision.

I present you CSS Framework, a set of codes meant to ease your work and give you the best of both the worlds. Aesthetics and performance embedded with responsive web design. Unlike the myth that ready made objects lack the substance of beauty and elegance a CSS Framework offers both, a simple front-end design codes which enables the developers to imbibe them into their main program and an aesthetic appeal, as relevant in generating leads as a responsive web design.

A CSS framework in short is:-

• An intelligent set of codes to incorporate HTML, CSS and JavaScript in compliance with the standards of the industry.
• They are used by front end developers to invoke the code of the framework into their main HTML code via classes.
• Commonly known as Front-end framework it is divided into two categories- Simple frameworks and complete frameworks.
• Simple frameworks consist of grid layouts and designs whereas a complete framework contains all the tools required to make a responsive web design.
• A complete framework has many tools and widgets-
  • Typography
  • Grid Styles
  • Iconography, pagination, breadcrumbs, etc.
  • Type of forms, and styling tools.
  • Generate equal height with equalizer
  • GUI widgets, video or sideshow, modal dialogs, tabs, etc.
• SASS or Syntactically Awesome Style-sheets and LESS are used by complete frameworks.

Granted, a CSS Framework is not the absolute authority on beautiful and sturdy websites with crisp code and high performance. One may argue when a back end programer can make a complete website out of scratch with all the above qualities then what is the relevance of CSS Framework over conventional Back-end programming?

• Lets me put it like this, "If you wanna go hunting, there is no reason to make a spear."
• If you do think about the necessity to make a unique spear for yourself mind you, this hunting trip is gonna cost you more than your camp gear and boots.
• Okay, too much metaphors. It is cost effective to a large degree and the output is simply impressive.
• Responsive web design made easy.
• The code is well arranged and simple.
• Cross browser comparability.
• Saves a lot of time for both the designer and the customer.

Responsive Web Design is the need of the hour, I believe on this we all are on the same page . Having established the versatility of CSS Frameworks, let me offer you an insight on the best possible responsive frameworks available today.

• Bootstrap: There is no such list of CSS framework around which does not talk about this versatile invention by Twitter.
• HTML5 Boilerplate: An HTML5 framework that provides a solid ground to build your website and the ability to combine it with other frameworks.
• Toast: It is literally a toast to simplicity be it responsive grids and box sizing the complete process feels like playing with a toy.
• Gumby: Another soldier in the unit of responsive frameworks. With Gumby 2.6 build your websites with ease and agility.
• Yaml: Build on SASS, Yaml is another marvel in the field of CSS Frameworks that make a responsive web design feel like another trivial code.
• Foundation: No list can be complete with this product of Zurb built with SASS preprocessor is one of the most advanced responsive framework that present today.

Believe me, you will fall in love with your website once it is completed. One of the most satisfactory feeling in this world is to see the outcome of your own blood and sweat built into a beautiful and responsive website.