Responsive layout builder

Responsive Layout Builder

Instructions

When building responsive layouts:

1. Identify the layout pattern (grid, sidebar, cards, etc.)
2. Start mobile-first
3. Use appropriate CSS technique (Grid vs Flexbox)
4. Add breakpoints for larger screens
5. Test across viewports

Breakpoints

/* Tailwind defaults */
sm: 640px   /* Small devices */
md: 768px   /* Tablets */
lg: 1024px  /* Laptops */
xl: 1280px  /* Desktops */
2xl: 1536px /* Large screens */

/* Custom CSS */
@media (min-width: 640px) { }
@media (min-width: 768px) { }
@media (min-width: 1024px) { }

Common Layout Patterns

1. Holy Grail Layout

// Tailwind CSS
<div className="min-h-screen flex flex-col">
  <header className="h-16 bg-white border-b">Header</header>

  <div className="flex-1 flex">
    <aside className="hidden md:block w-64 bg-gray-50 border-r">
      Sidebar
    </aside>
    <main className="flex-1 p-6">
      Main Content
    </main>
  </div>

  <footer className="h-16 bg-white border-t">Footer</footer>
</div>

/* Plain CSS */
.layout {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr;
  min-height: 100vh;
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
  .layout {
    grid-template-columns: 250px 1fr;
  }

  .header, .footer {
    grid-column: 1 / -1;
  }
}

2. Responsive Card Grid

// Tailwind - Auto-fit cards
<div className="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 xl:grid-cols-4 gap-6">
  {items.map(item => (
    <Card key={item.id} {...item} />
  ))}
</div>

// Auto-fill with minimum width
<div className="grid grid-cols-[repeat(auto-fill,minmax(280px,1fr))] gap-6">
  {items.map(item => (
    <Card key={item.id} {...item} />
  ))}
</div>

/* Plain CSS */
.card-grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(280px, 1fr));
  gap: 1.5rem;
}

3. Sidebar Layout

// Fixed sidebar, scrollable content
<div className="flex h-screen">
  <aside className="w-64 flex-shrink-0 overflow-y-auto border-r bg-gray-50">
    <nav className="p-4">Sidebar Nav</nav>
  </aside>

  <main className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto">
    <div className="p-6">Main Content</div>
  </main>
</div>

// Collapsible sidebar
<div className="flex h-screen">
  <aside className={cn(
    "flex-shrink-0 overflow-y-auto border-r bg-gray-50 transition-all",
    isOpen ? "w-64" : "w-16"
  )}>
    <nav className="p-4">...</nav>
  </aside>
  <main className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto p-6">...</main>
</div>

4. Hero Section

<section className="relative min-h-[60vh] flex items-center justify-center px-4">
  {/* Background */}
  <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-gradient-to-br from-blue-600 to-purple-700" />

  {/* Content */}
  <div className="relative z-10 max-w-4xl mx-auto text-center text-white">
    <h1 className="text-4xl md:text-5xl lg:text-6xl font-bold">
      Headline Here
    </h1>
    <p className="mt-6 text-lg md:text-xl opacity-90 max-w-2xl mx-auto">
      Subheadline text goes here with more details.
    </p>
    <div className="mt-8 flex flex-col sm:flex-row gap-4 justify-center">
      <button className="px-8 py-3 bg-white text-blue-600 rounded-lg font-semibold">
        Primary CTA
      </button>
      <button className="px-8 py-3 border-2 border-white rounded-lg font-semibold">
        Secondary CTA
      </button>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

5. Masonry Grid

// CSS Columns approach
<div className="columns-1 sm:columns-2 lg:columns-3 gap-6 space-y-6">
  {items.map(item => (
    <div key={item.id} className="break-inside-avoid">
      <Card {...item} />
    </div>
  ))}
</div>

6. Sticky Header

<header className="sticky top-0 z-50 bg-white/80 backdrop-blur-md border-b">
  <nav className="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-4 h-16 flex items-center justify-between">
    <Logo />
    <NavLinks className="hidden md:flex" />
    <MobileMenuButton className="md:hidden" />
  </nav>
</header>

Container Queries (Modern)

/* Define container */
.card-container {
  container-type: inline-size;
}

/* Query the container */
@container (min-width: 400px) {
  .card {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: row;
  }
}

// Tailwind v3.2+
<div className="@container">
  <div className="flex flex-col @md:flex-row">
    <img className="w-full @md:w-48" />
    <div className="p-4">Content</div>
  </div>
</div>

Flexbox vs Grid Decision

Use Flexbox	Use Grid
Navigation bars	Page layouts
Card content alignment	Card grids
Centering content	Complex 2D layouts
Space distribution	Overlapping elements
Unknown item count	Defined structure

Responsive Typography

// Fluid typography with clamp
<h1 className="text-[clamp(2rem,5vw,4rem)]">
  Responsive Heading
</h1>

// Tailwind responsive
<h1 className="text-2xl sm:text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl">
  Responsive Heading
</h1>

Testing Checklist

• 320px (small phones)
• 375px (iPhone)
• 768px (tablet portrait)
• 1024px (tablet landscape / laptop)
• 1280px+ (desktop)
• Test with actual content (not lorem ipsum)
• Test with long/short content variations