Our newest set of layouts are constrained. If your site was migrated to Responsive with constrained layouts this section is for you.
What does "constrained" mean?
The idea behind constrained layouts is that the content areas within the layouts are constrained to a specific width, meaning they cannot exceed that specific width on a very wide screen.
With the use of very large, very wide screens (iMacs and TV monitors) we found the need for setting a limit to the width of the content within our pages.
We also made the decision with our constrained layouts to eliminate the right sidebar. Therefore, in sites with constrained layouts, the default layout for new pages is the Two Column layout.
Eliminating right sidebars
As web design has evolved over the last few years, right sidebars have been eliminated for a number of reasons. In an effort to follow the most up-to-date standards and best practices we made the decision to go this route too. Eliminating the right sidebar allows for an overall cleaner look and feel. It also discourages what is known as "banner blindness" which is a phenomenon on the web where users completely ignore content in right sidebars because they assume that it will be an advertisement.
Instead of putting content such as a call-to-action in the right sidebar, we recommend putting it in the main content area. Either find a place within the content to put it contextually, or put it at the end of the page. This is a better experience at mobile viewports as well, as it often gives users an action or next step at the end of a page of content.
Constrained layouts going forward
We may eventually roll your site into our constrained layouts. Colleges will be the first to receive this layout package.