Paper and posters were designed to fixed sizes in the past. When aligning your design along constraints or naturally as it progresses, it gives a sense of “fixedness” that is different from the early-stage cobbled-togetherness.
The responsiveness of websites makes this cohesiveness difficult. Since the website was originally meant to display documents, what if there was a website designer interoperable with paper sizes and printing? Could it be possible to design to a grid, and have this grid proportional to the responsiveness?
Sometimes I find myself not starting projects because of wanting to be at a cohesive stage, but it’s good to remember that every project starts cobbled together. The structure emerges over time.
Having a cohesive stage represents the final stage of design. If something isn’t there, the question is: (1) do they not know how, (2) do they not have the perception to want better, (3) are they too busy, (4) they don’t care or know it isn’t relevant?
I think the problem with most web apps are that they do not consider the appearance relative to each screen size. People often just design for their screen (16” Macbook in SF, 24” business-style monitor in many German conglomerates, which is why SF websites look so un-dense and German conglomerate websites are square-like). Design is about having the right proportions, therefore responsive design must answer the question of how to ensure the right proportions in text and spacing for every single screen size, not just shrink or flex or become narrower.