Visual Web Design Guide

This visual guide will walk you through important responsive web design concepts and how to implement them visually inside Webflow.

#2 LAYOUT ELEMENTS

Basic layout elements

Add elements to your website by clicking on the [ + ] icon in the upper left hand corner. Below are some of the most basic structure elements in web design - sections, containers and columns.

A Section takes up 100% of the width of the browser window if you add it to the Body (the canvas of a website).
It’s great for the big horizontal sections of a website.

Section Element

A Container is a 960px block centered in the middle of the browser. Usually most website content is added inside of a Container so that it’s centered. Containers are usually added to the Body or a Section element.

Container Element

Adding Columns are the fastest way to build a unique website layout. To edit how many columns you want in different devices, just click on the Gear Icon in the top right corner to access element settings.

Responsive Columns

#3 Designing with CSS

Styling your elements

Select an element and add a class in the right style panel (Brush Icon). In this panel you can add text and graphic styles like font color, line height, gradients, borders, shadows, and more. Visual web design is way more fun than coding right?

button design example

Add to Cart ➜

Style it yourself

Button Text ➜

TIP: This button already has a class ”Button” with some basic styles. Select the button and try to add the gradient, border, rounded corners, inside/outside shadows, hover state styles, and transition for the hover styles – all using the style panel.

What you created

Button Text ➜

apply the ‘button’ class

Button Text

TIP: In web design you can apply a class to many elements to make them look the same. Apply the “Button” class that you styled to the link above by clicking the [+] at the top of the Style panel and typing “Button” to find that class.

Form Design example

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Your rock my socks!

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Style it yourself

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TIP: First create classes for the text fields and button (apply the same class to both fields). Then change border styles, background color, and add styles for the hover & pressed states. Don’t forget to style the “Success” state for the Form element, found in the settings panel (Gear Icon in top right).

(You can click on the links above by going into Preview Mode – the eye icon in the top left corner)