What does it look like to refactor your own code? John Rhea picks apart an old CSS animation he wrote and walks through the thought process of optimizing it.
Orbital Mechanics (or How I Optimized a CSS Keyframes Animation) originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
The Penpot team is not slowing down on its mission to build a free design tool that not only offers powerful design features but is also well-integrated with code and modern development practices. In its latest release, Penpot, as the first design tool ever, introduces support for native design tokens. Let’s take a closer look at this concept and how you can employ it in your process.
Okay, nobody is an exaggeration, but have you seen the stats for hwb()? They show a steep decline, and after working a lot on color in the CSS-Tricks almanac, I’ve just been wondering why that is.
Why is Nobody Using the hwb() Color Function? originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
Have you ever thought about how the limitations of early cartoon animations might relate to web design today? From looping backgrounds to minimal frame changes, these retro animation techniques have surprising parallels to modern CSS. In this article, pioneering author and web designer [Andy Clarke](https://stuffandnonsense.co.uk) shows how he applied these principles to Emmy-winning composer Mike Worth’s new website, using CSS to craft engaging and fun animations that bring his world to life.
Along with the version 3.13 release, GSAP, and all its awesome plugins, are now freely available to everyone.
GSAP is Now Completely Free, Even for Commercial Use! originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
There were duelling proposals floating around for adding support for masonry-style layouts in CSS. In one corner is a proposal that extends the existing CSS Grid specification. In the other corner is a second proposal that sets up masonry as a standalone module. Well, not until recently. Now, there are three proposals with Apple WebKit’s “Item Flow” as the third option. The first two sides make strong points, and the third one merges them into one, all of which you will learn about in this article.
Using scroll shadows, especially for mobile devices, is a subtle bit of UX that Chris has covered before. Geoff covered a newer approach that uses the animation-timeline property. Here’s yet another way.
Modern Scroll Shadows Using Scroll-Driven Animations originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
When was the last time your project wrapped up smoothly — no delays, no surprises, no last-minute compromises? In reality, most UX projects drift as timelines slip, budgets stretch, and features morph. How do we get better at navigating the chaos? An upcoming part of
How To Measure UX and Design Impact by yours truly.
The CSS shape() function recently gained support in both Chromium and WebKit browsers. It's a way of drawing complex shapes when clipping elements with the clip-path property.
CSS shape() Commands originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
WCAG is evolving. Since 1999, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines have defined accessibility in binary terms: either a success criterion is met or not. But real user experience is rarely that simple. WCAG 3.0 rethinks the model — prioritizing usability over compliance and shifting the focus toward the quality of access rather than the mere presence of features. Could this be the start of a new era in accessibility?
The State of Devs survey is now open to participation, and unlike previous surveys it covers everything except code: career, workplace, but also health, hobbies, and more.
State of Devs: A Survey for Every Developer originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
Let’s run through a quick refresher. Image maps date all the way back to HTML 3.2, where, first, server-side maps and then client-side maps defined clickable regions over an image using map and area elements.
Revisiting Image Maps originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
The new month is just around the corner, and that means: It’s time for some new desktop wallpapers! All of them are designed with love by the community for the community and can be downloaded for free. Enjoy!
Brad Frost is running this new little podcast called Open Up. Folks write in with questions about the “other” side of web design and front-end development — not so much about tools and best practices as it is about …
Open Up With Brad Frost, Episode 2 originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
As designers, it’s important to be able to transform visual ideas into concepts within minutes and into fully functional products within hours. Well, today we’re bringing you closer to AnimaApp, an app designed to make your life easier — whether you’re a designer, developer, product team member or entrepreneur.
Lost in a sea of UX files, docs, PDFs, and scattered decisions across Slack, Dropbox, Notion, and Figma? We talk a lot about organizing Figma, but what about a sensible folder structure for all UX assets? Let’s fix that. Kindly powered by [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com).
The fact that anchor positioning eschews HTML source order is so CSS-y because it's another separation of concerns between content and presentation.
Anchor Positioning Just Don’t Care About Source Order originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
It starts with good intentions — a quick fix here, a shiny feature there — and suddenly, your product portfolio’s bursting at the seams. In this guide, Talke Hoppmann-Walton walks you through a “Product Kondo” exercise to declutter, realign, and spark some serious product joy for both your business and your customers.
In this post, Blackle Mori shows you a few of the hacks found while trying to push the limits of Cohost’s HTML support. Use these if you dare, lest you too get labelled a CSS criminal.
The Lost CSS Tricks of Cohost.org originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
While it is clear that creativity is driven by both the left and right hemispheres, an important question remains: how can we boost creativity while keeping the process enjoyable? It may not be obvious, but non-design-related activities can, in fact, be an opportunity to enhance creativity.
Poor internet connectivity doesn’t have to mean poor UX. With PWA technologies like `IndexedDB`, service workers, and the Background Sync API, you can build an offline-friendly image upload system that queues uploads and retries them automatically — so your users can upload stress-free, even when offline.
Keyboard navigation is a vital aspect of accessible web design, and a detail-oriented approach is crucial. Prioritizing keyboard navigation prioritizes the user experience for a diverse audience, extending your reach while simultaneously fostering a more inclusive web environment.
Yay, let's jump for text-wrap: pretty landing in Safari Technology Preview! But beware that it's different from how it works in Chromium browsers.
“Pretty” is in the eye of the beholder originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
There was once upon a time when native CSS lacked many essential features, leaving developers to come up with all sorts of ways to make CSS easier to write over the years.
So, You Want to Give Up CSS Pre- and Post-Processors… originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
While there’s no definitive playbook for building an accessibility culture, Dani shares lessons from his experience in shaping it through habits rather than mandates.
Tips and tricks on utilizing the CSS backdrop-filter property to style user interfaces. You’ll learn how to layer backdrop filters among multiple elements, and integrate them with other CSS graphical effects to create elaborate designs.
Using CSS backdrop-filter for UI Effects originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
Dark mode isn’t just a trendy aesthetic. It’s a gateway to more inclusive digital experiences, but only if designed thoughtfully. Discover how to craft dark modes that don’t just look good but work for everyone, from those with light sensitivity to machine learning algorithms.
Custom cursors with CSS are great, but we can take things to the next level with JavaScript. Using JavaScript, we can transition between cursor states, place dynamic text within the cursor, apply complex animations, and apply filters.
Next Level CSS Styling for Cursors originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
This CSS-Tricks update highlights significant progress in the Almanac, recent podcast appearances, a new CSS counters guide, and the addition of several new authors contributing valuable content.
CSS-Tricks Chronicles XLIII originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.
“Gilding the lily” isn’t always bad. In design, a touch of metaphorical gold — a subtle animated transition, a hint of color, or added depth in a drop shadow — can help communicate a level of care and attention that builds trust. But first? You need a lily. Nail the fundamentals. Then, gild it carefully.
Animation makes things clearer, especially for designers and front-end developers working on UI, prototypes, or interactive visuals. Manim is a tool that lets you create smooth and dynamic animations, not just for the design field but also in math, coding, and beyond, to explain complex ideas or simply make everything a little bit more interactive.