| If you have worked long enough for your web design | | | | - Elements such as images and graphics will not tend |
| company, or if you have tried designing a site on your | | | | to overpower the text contents especially in smaller |
| own, you should already know by now that there are | | | | monitors. |
| two kinds of web page layouts that you can choose | | | | - No matter how wide the visitor's browser is, the scan |
| from. Fixed width layouts are those wherein the width | | | | length will not be affected when there are large |
| of the entire web page is set at a specific value, while | | | | segments of text. |
| liquid layouts are those wherein the width is flexible | | | | The web design Drawbacks |
| depending on how wide the online visitor's browser is. | | | | - They will cause horizontal scrolling in small browser |
| Choosing between these two layout methods can be | | | | windows. Users generally dislike having to scroll |
| a little difficult for a web designer, as each has its own | | | | horizontally. |
| benefits and deficiencies. Let us look through each and | | | | - Fixed width layouts usually result to large coverage |
| discover everything you need to know for you to | | | | of whitespace in large monitors such that there is a |
| make the right choice. | | | | waste of unused space, and further vertical scrolling |
| Fixed width layouts allow you to start with a specific | | | | may be needed than necessary. |
| size that you set. This allows you better and direct | | | | - This layout can not deal with font size changes quite |
| control so that you know how your page will look like, | | | | well. A small increase in the font may be tolerated, but |
| at least most of the time. They work best if you work | | | | larger increases can not be handled well that your |
| with print backgrounds, as they allow for minute | | | | overall layout may become compromised. |
| adjustments in the layout without inconsistencies | | | | Liquid Width Layouts |
| across browsers and operating systems. On the other | | | | The Web Design Benefits |
| hand, with a liquid layout, you base the layout on a | | | | - This layout can contract and expand to fill in all |
| percentage of the browser's current window size. | | | | available space on the page. |
| Liquid layouts allows for an efficient use of space | | | | - All available space is used up, thereby allowing you to |
| given by any browser window or screen resolution. | | | | display as much content as you need to in larger |
| They are often used by web designers who want to | | | | monitors, yet still remain viewable on smaller ones. |
| get as much information across in a very limited space. | | | | - This layout can provide you consistency in relative |
| Your web design company may ask you to choose | | | | widths, therefore allowing your page to respond |
| one from the other depending on the needs of your | | | | dynamically to restrictions and specifications that may |
| client. | | | | be imposed by your client, such as larger font sizes. |
| What is at stake for you and for your web design | | | | The Web Design Drawbacks |
| company when you choose between these two | | | | - Liquid layouts do not offer precise control over the |
| windows? Well, the method you choose has a large | | | | page width and the elements on the page. |
| bearing not only on the final site design and aesthetics, | | | | - This layout may result to columns in the text which |
| but will also affect the ability of your online visitors to | | | | are either too wide for comfortable scanning, or too |
| scan through the contents of your site. Furthermore, | | | | small for the text to show up very clearly. |
| the layout can affect the ease, by which readers will | | | | - Liquid layouts tend to have problems when dealing |
| find what they are looking for in the page, and can also | | | | with elements in the page which has fixed width (i.e. |
| reinforce or ruin your marketing efforts in the website. | | | | image and graphics). If the column does not have |
| Thus, your web design company may stress the | | | | enough space, some browsers may increase the |
| importance of choosing the right one depending on the | | | | column width, and all other elements in your page may |
| message that the client wants to communicate across. | | | | not be in the proper order. |
| The Web Design Benefits and the Drawbacks To help | | | | Many designers usually go for the mixed approach. |
| you and your web design company to decide on | | | | You web design company may also suggest you to |
| which to use, I will present the benefits and the | | | | use both layouts depending on the page and the part |
| drawbacks for each type of layout. | | | | of the site you are making. You can, for example, set |
| Fixed Width Layout | | | | your main columns to fixed width but make your side |
| The web design Benefits | | | | columns, headers and footers more flexible. With time |
| - Allows you to come up with pages that look entirely | | | | and experience, you will eventually learn how to make |
| identical no matter who is browsing and what type of | | | | the most out of the features of each layout type to |
| browser is being used. | | | | come up with an optimized site. |