Background
I recently learned how to optimize websites for modern wide-screen displays and decided to share this knowledge. For developers creating original designs rather than relying on templates, this guide outlines techniques and best practices to ensure websites look professional and function well on wide screens, such as desktop monitors or ultra-wide displays. These learnings are implemented on my portfolio website https://zeeofortech.vercel.app/ and will serve as the basis for this tutorial. Code examples will use TypeScript Syntax Extension (TSX) and Tailwind CSS.
Why Responsive Design Matters
Responsive web design is essential for modern web development. It ensures page structures adjust to various screen sizes dynamically, providing a consistent user experience across devices. With the wide variety of devices available today and no standardized dimensions, new developers often produce subpar results. This guide aims to address that issue.
Device Testing Techniques
In Google Chrome, the Zoom option in settings and the Toggle Device Toolbar are invaluable for testing your designs. These tools let you preview how your site appears on different screens, including desktop and mobile views.
Minimum and Maximum Widths
The smallest screen width a website should support is 375px, though supporting 320px can accommodate a small percentage of older devices. Use percentages for widths to allow content to resize dynamically and ensure a scrollbar appears when necessary.
The maximum screen width is often overlooked. Just as we account for the smallest width, it’s equally important to plan for the largest. As the screen width increases (which you can test by adjusting the Chrome zoom), the website content typically doesn't expand beyond a certain point. The Header may stretch to fill the available width, but the main content usually remains constrained.
Some websites use empty columns between content to make the layout appear fully expanded, but generally, the background color takes up the remaining space, while the main content remains centered and confined to a maximum width.
The maximum width varies by website but typically ranges from 1024px (older sites) to 1440px (modern sites). Here are some examples:
Nairaland: 1024px (https://www.nairaland.com/)
LinkedIn: 1128px (https://www.linkedin.com/)
GitHub: 1200px (https://github.com/)
BBC: 1248px (https://www.bbc.com/)
CNN: 1376px (https://edition.cnn.com/)
Setting a maximum width ensures that content remains polished and organized, even on wider screens. Without this constraint, websites may stretch unnaturally, causing content to appear disorganized.
For my projects, I use 375px as the minimum width and follow Tailwind's media query standard for the maximum width, setting it to 1280px. Next, I will demonstrate how to implement this in Next.js using TypeScript and Tailwind. Note that the core concept remains consistent, and the same approach can be applied to any tech stack.
Implementation
HTML Layout
In the layout file, define width: full and height: full for the <html> and <body> elements, or leave the width blank to let it adjust automatically. Set a background color to fill the space when the window expands.
Wrapper Element
Use a wrapper element to define shared styles across your website. Apply the following styles:
flex-grow: 1: Ensures child elements expand to fill available space.
max-width: 1280px: Constrains the content width regardless of the window size.
You can also apply a unique background color or image to this wrapper, knowing that the <html> and <body> background will fill the outer space.
<html
lang="en"
className="
font-trebuchetMs antialiased
flex flex-col justify-center items-center
h-full border-[10px] border-[#097969]"
>
<body className="flex flex-col h-full bg-[#097969]">
<Header />
<main
className="
flex-grow overflow-auto
max-w-[1280px]
border-x-[5px] border-black
bg-[url('/background-green-square-pattern.jpg')]
bg-contain bg-repeat bg-center
p-4
"
>
{children}
</main>
<Footer />
</body>
</html>
Header and Footer
For Header and Footer components that render across pages, define the same max-width: 1280px. This ensures consistency in appearance and layout.
export default function Header() {
return (
<nav className="max-w-[1280px]">
{/* max-w-[1280px] applied here, other code commented out */}
</nav>
);
}
export default function Footer() {
return (
<footer className="max-w-[1280px]">
{/* max-w-[1280px] applied here, other code commented out */}
</footer>
);
}
Mobile-First Strategy
I code my site with a mobile-first approach, ensuring that content is compact and well-suited for small screens, even those as narrow as 375px. I then use breakpoints and media queries to adjust the layout and structure for larger screen sizes. I always work with the understanding that the maximum width is set to 1280px. Knowing both the minimum and maximum widths helps me create inclusive websites that deliver a great user experience across all devices, increasing the likelihood of meeting conversion goals.
Alternative: Vanilla HTML and CSS
For those not using React, here’s how to implement the same logic with vanilla HTML and CSS:.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<style>
html, body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
width: 100%;
min-height: 100vh;
background-color: #f3f4f6;
}
.container {
max-width: 1280px;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 0 16px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<header class="container">Header Content</header>
<main class="container">Main Content</main>
<footer class="container">Footer Content</footer>
</body>
</html>
Conclusion
Adapting your website for wide-screen displays is crucial to delivering a professional and user-friendly experience across all devices. By understanding and implementing responsive design principles, especially considering both minimum and maximum widths, you can ensure your website remains organized and visually appealing on screens of all sizes. Testing, using media queries, and a mobile-first approach will help you build a flexible layout that caters to a diverse audience. With these strategies, you can confidently create websites that are ready for modern display standards and optimized for the future.
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