Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Fixed Versus Liquid Web Pages

Closely related to the issue of varying monitor resolutions is the question of whether web pages should be designed to be liquid (resizing and adapting to various window sizes, also called “fluid” design) or fixed at a particular size (giving the designer more control of the page’s dimensions). There are very strong opinions on both sides, and there are good reasons for and against each approach, naturally.

You may find that you choose a fixed structure for some sites and allow others to be liquid, or you may have strong convictions that one or the other approach is the only way to go. Either way, it is useful to be familiar with the whole picture and the current opinions of professional web designers (see "The Layout Debate" sidebar). This section attempts to present a balanced overview of the possibilities and the pitfalls.

The Layout Debate

The question of whether fixed or liquid page layouts are most appropriate for web pages has sparked impassioned debate among professionals in the web design community. There is an undeniable trend toward fixed-width layouts (presumably due to the desire to control line lengths), but there are still staunch proponents of liquid designs as best for a medium where the canvas size is unknown. To get caught up with both sides of the debate, start with these articles and blog entries (they all have links to additional points of view):

• “On Fixed vs. Liquid Design,” by Doug Bowman (experimenting with fixed-width design at ...