Svg on Give 'n' Go

When CSS Is Enough and When It Isn't

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There is a persistent bias in front-end creative circles toward doing everything in CSS. Pure-CSS art, CSS-only animations, CSS-only games. The constraint is the point, and the results are often impressive. But when the goal shifts from creative challenge to production quality, the “CSS-only” constraint can become a liability. Knowing when CSS is the right tool and when it is not saves time, reduces complexity, and often produces a better result.

Illustrations

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Drawing in the Browser

Browser-native illustration occupies a fascinating space between design and engineering. Every shape is a DOM element or SVG path. Every color is a computed value. Every shadow and gradient follows the browser’s rendering pipeline. The constraints are real, but they produce work with qualities that raster illustrations cannot match: resolution independence, interactivity, animatability, and the ability to be styled with CSS.

This collection features illustrations built entirely with HTML/CSS, SVG, or a combination of both. No embedded raster images, no canvas bitmaps. The pieces range from simple geometric compositions to detailed scenes with dozens of layered elements.

SVG Workflows for Interface Illustration

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

SVG sits at the heart of most serious browser-native illustration work. It scales without loss, it lives in the DOM, it responds to CSS, and it can be animated frame-by-frame or with smooth transitions. But the workflow between creating SVG in a design tool and shipping it in a production interface is full of friction that rarely gets discussed in beginner tutorials. This guide covers the full pipeline from tool export to browser delivery, with practical techniques drawn from years of illustration work for web interfaces. We address export cleanup, path optimization, accessibility labeling, CSS integration, and the structural decisions that determine whether your SVG is maintainable or becomes a liability.

Loaders

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Craft of Waiting Well

Loading indicators are one of the few UI elements that users stare at directly. That makes them disproportionately important to perceived performance. A smooth, well-timed loader communicates progress and competence. A janky or generic one communicates neglect.

The best loaders in this collection share a few qualities: they start instantly, they animate smoothly without layout recalculation, and they feel like they belong to the interface around them rather than being dropped in from a component library.

Clocks

Sat, 15 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Why Clocks Make Great Practice

Clock interfaces sit at a productive intersection of visual design and technical constraint. Every clock needs to solve the same core problems: circular layout, rotating elements, time-based state, and readable typography at multiple scales. But the number of ways you can approach those problems in the browser is enormous.

A pure CSS analog clock forces you to think about transform-origin, rotation math, and how transition-timing-function affects perceived smoothness. An SVG version opens up path-based tick marks, gradient fills, and more precise control over stroke rendering. Adding JavaScript for real-time updates introduces requestAnimationFrame patterns, timezone handling, and DOM update efficiency.