Not Just Another Bootstrap Review
This isn’t just another Bootstrap review. This is the story about my love affair with one of the most awesome tools available to web designers today. Before I dive into the details of our torrid affair, let me take you back to the beginning when I was a lowly web designer delivering in WordPress and occasionally HTML/CSS.
Back to the Beginning
I wasn’t always a Bootstrap lover. It’s likely because I never completely understood the appeal. I could grab a WordPress theme (from my favorites: ElegantThemes, Envato) and create a fully functional, beautiful web experience fairly quickly. I became well versed in the ins and outs of theme customization – capable of customizing an existing theme 100% to make the site unique and enticing for my clients.
As I developed more sites, I began to feel that the customization of WordPress was a bit bulky. Sure, WordPress offers a great end-to-end solution that provides clients with an awesome CMS backend within a budget. I still develop in WordPress to this day. But, for sites with no CMS requirements, software UI design, rapid prototyping, etc. – I couldn’t help but think that there must be some tool out there that was a bit sexier, cleaner, natively responsive. Maybe a little younger…
Falling in Love
I went in search of a framework that would allow me to rapidly create sites and re-use the elements I created. Over time, I could build a library of elements to use in future projects. That’s when I stumbled upon the sleek and handsome Bootstrap. At first I was a bit scared of introducing myself. All this talk of grids kept me a bit timid. But, once I saw some of the beautiful experiences that Bootstrap was used to create, I began to fall.
I completed a course at Team Treehouse on using the Bootstrap framework to develop a website and from that point on I was hooked. Bootstrap truly satisfied all of my needs…
- Easy to call, pre-built HTML, CSS, and Javascript elements! Reusable items frees up more time to work on design and interactivity.
- Rapid Development! No more painfully slow prototyping processes.
- Responsive by Design! No starting from scratch when trying to develop for mobile phones.
- Browser Compatibility! No more lengthy cross-browser testing.
- FREE! (Can’t get much better than that.)
The grid system that first caused me anxiety turned out to be my favorite feature. I quickly fell head over heals in love with Bootstrap. It was that moment where you just know something is right, something clicks. And, I can’t imagine my life without Bootstrap in it.
Moving Forward
My love affair with Bootstrap hasn’t pulled me away from WordPress completely. I’m torn. One one side, I love the reliability that WordPress provides me. When I create a WordPress site, I know 100% from the start that it will work. And, it provides my clients with the structure that they need.
There’s just something about the flair of Bootstrap, with it’s smooth designs and easy to call on support for Javascript and CSS.
How does this affair benefit my clients?
All kidding aside, the most important thing is finding the right solution for my clients. So, how can my love affair and relationship with these 2 awesome platforms benefit my clients? That’s easy. Being an expert in both allows me to offer the best solution to my clients.
Which platform we work with can be decided on a case-by-case basis. For example, a client who wants the ability to manage the site and add content themselves – I’d clearly opt for a WordPress site. Developing a software UI or complete site without the requirements of a CMS, I would likely go the route of Bootstrap.
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