The adoption of the CSS3 media queries specification by most major browsers has been a great thing for the web. More designers are paying attention to mobile design than ever before, and not only that: they're figuring out how to make the most of large screens while still catering to smaller resolutions, freeing themselves from the constraints of 960 pixel design.
Before you embark on your own media query experiments, check out these 41 inspirational responsive web designs.
Personal
The majority of the very first sites that cropped up using media queries were the personal sites of designers experimenting with the new technology. Check out these sites for unique, individual takes on responsive design.1. Stephen Caver
2. Naomi Atkinson
3. Azeem Azeez
4. Brad Dielman
5. Thomas Prior
6. Andy Chung
7. Bastian Allgeier
8. Zachary Miller
9. Jeremy Madrid
10. Steff.me
11. Marcelino Llano
12. Ryan Merrill
Businesses & Events
Since individual designers got comfortable with media queries, we've seen sites from design agencies and for design events start adopting responsive design techniques - and even a few more traditional businesses, such as - unexpectedly enough - St Paul's School.
13. Information Architects
14. Design made in Germany
15. SimpleBits
16. Think Vitamin
17. Caleb Acuity
18. Edge of My Seat
19. Mobilism
20. Clearleft
21. Yiibu
22. Winston Design
23. Salter Cane
24. St Paul's School
25. UX London
26. Sparkbox
Tools, Products & CSS3 Demos
One wouldn't expect it to take long before demo sites showing off the power of media queries and frameworks making them easier to work with started showing up. Check out these sites for more great responsive designs, and then take a look at some of these tools so you can get started with your own.
27. Less Framework
28. 320 and Up
29. 1140 CSS Grid
30. Lanyrd
31. Tileables
32. Little Pea Bakery
33. Robot or Not
Content Sites, Blogs & Magazines
Blogs and content-driven sites are perfect candidates for a responsive web design approach, and not just to make them better suited for mobile: when blog designs respond to the width of the window, visitors can choose the size and line length they're most comfortable with for extensive reading sessions.
34. CSS-Tricks
35. The Modern Gentleman
36. 3200 Tigres
37. About
38. The Sweet Hat Club
39. Chicago Tribune Election Center
40. Cognition
41. Walk Indianapolis
In conclusion
This is by no means a comprehensive list of the best responsive web designs out there. We've skipped over some that are so often showcased as champions of responsive web designs as you've probably already seen them, and there are doubtless many more new designs worthy of our attention. Let us know about your own favorites in the comments.