15 Free HTML5-CSS3 Templates to Start the Future of Web Design

HTML5 is a technology developed by the WHATWG, an open community started by three of the four major browser vendors: Mozilla, Opera, and Apple. HTML5 is not so much a replacement for HTML 4.01 or XHTML 1.0 as it is an upgrade or evolution. Some of the new features in HTML5 are functions for embedding video , audio, graphics, client-side data storage, and interactive documents. HTML5 improves interoperability, and reduces development cost. More and more of websites developed in HTML5, but is it really the future of web design? And are we ready for it?

In today’s post, I would like to present 15 free and high quality HTML5+CSS3 Templates that you can use for your next project , some of these templates include detailed a step by step tutorials to teach you how to start create your HTML5+CSS3 powered website.

1. Coding A HTML 5 Layout From Scratch

A very basic layout brilliantly named Smashing HTML5 which covers most of the elements we can start coding using HTML5. Basically: the page’s name and it’s slogan, a menu, a highlighted (featured) area, a post listing, an extras section with some external links, an about box and finally a copyright statement.

2. Coding a CSS3 & HTML5 One-Page Website Template

HTML5 web template created by tutorialzine, using some of the new features brought by CSS3 and jQuery, with the scrollTo plug-in.

3. Code a Backwards Compatible, One Page Portfolio with HTML5 and CSS3

This is a run through of the basics of HTML5 and CSS3 while still paying attention to older browsers.

4. Free HTML5 template

Free 2 column layout and another 3 column free HTML5 templates with a little contact box. In both versions included the PSD so you can edit the sprites file if you wish to play around with it.

5. Touch The Future: Create An Elegant Website With HTML 5 And CSS3

The aim of this tutorial is to create an elegant blog/portfolio for an efficient professional (graphic and web designer or photographer). It is coded through two new great technologies, HTML 5 and CSS3.

6. A free HTML5 and CSS3 theme

A free HTML5 and CSS3 theme created by Jay from jayj.dk. This themes Fully working Ajax PHP contact form. The theme looks best in Safari, Chrome and Firefox because of the CSS3 which IE doesn’t like yet.

7. Gotta’ love HTML5 & CSS3

Excellent Tutorial how to create a tabbed image gallery but animated using some CSS transitions. All of this is going to be built with HTML5 & CSS3, there is going to be NO use of flash or javascript for this example (that’s the cool part!).

8. HTML 5 and CSS 3: The Techniques You’ll Soon Be Using

In this tutorial, we are going to build a blog page using next-generation techniques from HTML 5 and CSS 3. The tutorial aims to demonstrate how we will be building websites when the specifications are finalized and the browser vendors have implemented them. If you already know HTML and CSS, it should be easy to follow along.

9. Design & Code a Cool iPhone App Website in HTML5

In this tutorial we’ll get a taste of what’s to come by building a cool iPhone app website using a HTML5 structure, and visual styling with some CSS3 effects.

10. OWMX 1 two-column HTML5 CSS3 Template

OWMX 1 is a two-column blog template made purely with HTML5 & CSS3. All images are royalty free. Feel free to use it.

11. HTML5 Starter Pack

It’s a very basic HTML5 starter pack with a clean & ordered directory structure fit for most projects, a few of the most common files (html, css, js), as well as a basic Photoshop web design template, again with an groups structure fit for most projects.