How to Create CSS Ribbon Shapes with a Single Element

On this article, I’ll present you find out how to use fashionable CSS tips to create fancy CSS ribbon shapes with minimal code. As an additional bonus, our ribbons can have hover animations!

CSS ribbons are all over the place, and you will discover a ton of articles about them, however the ones we’ll create listed here are a bit particular. We’re going to depend on a single aspect to create every of the shapes, and CSS variables to simply management them. We aren’t going to depend on mounted dimensions or magic numbers. The shapes will match their content material so that you don’t have to fret concerning the textual content inside.

I’ve made a collection of CSS ribbon shapes with lots of cool examples, and on this article, we’re going to check two kinds of them, pictured under.

I’ll be calling the left one the “folded ribbon” and the fitting one the “rotated ribbon”.

Making a CSS Folded Ribbon Form

Step one in creating our folded CSS ribbon is to outline the variables of our form.

.ribbon {
  --r: 20px; 
  --s: 20px; 
  --c: #d81a14;
}

Two variables will management the form, and one variable will management the colour.

Now let’s transfer to the code. We’re primarily going to depend on clip-path. The picture under illustrates the polygon form we’re going to make use of.

We add some padding to keep away from chopping the textual content, then we apply the clip-path:

.ribbon {
  --r: 20px; 
  --s: 20px; 
  --c: #d81a14;

  line-height: 1.6; 
  padding-inline: 1.2lh calc(var(--r) + .2lh);
  background: var(--c);
  clip-path: polygon(1lh 0,100% 0,calc(100% - var(--r)) 50%,100% 100%,100% 100%, 0 100%,0 100%); 
}

Utilizing the CSS lh unit

You could be questioning what’s occurring with the lh unit. It’s a brand new unit that corresponds to the line-height worth. Since we’re utilizing one line of textual content, the line-height setting is what controls the peak, so 1lh is equal to the peak of the aspect, which is tremendous helpful. (You’ll be able to learn extra concerning the lh unit in An Overview of CSS Sizing Units.)

In clip-path, I want to chop the form of an isosceles triangle, and to do that I have to know the peak of the aspect. 1lh is the same as that peak.

Now, to create the folded half, we’re nonetheless going to make use of clip-path and replace the earlier polygon. The cool factor about clip-path is that it may possibly lower “exterior” the boundaries of the aspect. It could sound shocking or perhaps ineffective, provided that we have now nothing exterior, however it means we are able to embody issues like box-shadow, define, pseudo-elements, and so forth.

In our case, we’ll depend on box-shadow. The picture under illustrates the trick.

Be aware how I’m updating the clip-path to incorporate 4 new factors, three of that are exterior the aspect. For the reason that half we’re chopping is exterior, it’s not seen, but when we add an enormous box-shadow we make if seen. I’ve used a blue coloration for example the thought above, however within the code we’ll use the identical coloration because the background:

.ribbon {
  --r: 20px; 
  --s: 20px; 
  --c: #d81a14;

  line-height: 1.6; 
  padding-inline: 1.2lh calc(var(--r) + .2lh);
  background: var(--c);
  clip-path: polygon(1lh 0,100% 0,calc(100% - var(--r)) 50%,100% 100%,1lh 100%,1lh calc(100% + var(--s)),.5lh calc(100% + var(--s) + var(--r)),0 calc(100% + var(--s)),0 100%);
  box-shadow: 0 0 0 999px var(--c); 
}

Lastly, we add a contact of shadow impact by introducing a gradient and one other box-shadow and we’re carried out. Our CSS ribbon form is ideal!

You’re in all probability questioning find out how to create the second ribbon (the inexperienced one). We do the identical factor however with a unique polygon. We take the primary polygon and we invert it.

A polygon may be written like so:

clip-path: polygon(X1 Y1, X2 Y2, ..., Xn Yn)

To get the alternative form, you alter all Xi by 100% - Xi. So simple as that! Earlier than checking my code, attempt to do it alone utilizing the polygon of the primary ribbon.

Within the demo above, hover the shapes to note a pleasant animation. To attain it, we have to replace the polygon on hover by offsetting some factors. I received’t re-write the entire polygon on hover, however I’ll outline a CSS variable that can management the offset.

If you happen to give attention to the animation, you’ll discover that we have now three factors transferring to the left and three factors transferring down and to the left as nicely.

We replace the Xi of the factors transferring to left with Xi + d and we replace the Yi of the factors transferring doing with Yi + d. Then we merely replace the variable d to regulate the motion:

.ribbon {
  --d: 0px; 
  clip-path: polygon(calc(1lh + var(--d)) 0,100% 0,calc(100% - var(--r)) 50%,100% 100%,calc(1lh + var(--d)) 100%,calc(1lh + var(--d)) calc(100% + var(--s) + var(--d)),calc(.5lh + var(--d)) calc(100% + var(--s) + var(--r) + var(--d)),var(--d) calc(100% + var(--s) + var(--d)),var(--d) 100%);
}
.ribbon:hover {
  --d: .2lh;
}

If you happen to see such a polygon for the primary time, you could get confused, because it seems to be a bit scary. However in actuality, it’s not that complicated. We began with a easy polygon and we slowly added extra factors and extra calculations till we reached this complicated one.

Making a Rotated CSS Ribbon Form

Let’s deal with the second form. For this one, we’ll use the brand new trigonometric capabilities together with CSS variables and calc() just like the earlier one. To grasp the logic behind this form, let’s rotate it and preserve the textual content in a straight line.

I’m including a little bit of transparency to see the components behind the principle aspect. I’ll be utilizing pseudo-elements to create them. I’ve additionally added the blue define for example the world of the aspect. This form will likely be managed with two variables:

.ribbon {
  --r: 30px;  
  --a: 15deg; 
}

The r is doing the identical job as with the earlier form. The a will management the rotation of the principle aspect and lots of different issues.

Let’s begin with the principle aspect. We will see from the determine that we have to lower it from all sides, so you could logically consider using clip-path, however not this time. We’ll depend on a gradient coloration, the place the half we have to lower can have a clear coloration:

.ribbon {
  --r: 30px;  
  --a: 15deg; 

  background:
    linear-gradient(calc(90deg + var(--a)),
      #0000 calc(1lh*sin(var(--a))),
      var(--c) 0 calc(100% - 1lh*sin(var(--a))),
      #0000 0
    );
}

Right here comes the geometry.

The a is the angle variable we outlined. Contemplating this, the gradient must have an angle equal to 90deg + a, and the clear coloration ought to begin at 0 and cease at d. Doing a little math, d is the same as 1lh*sin(a). If we apply the identical logic on the opposite facet, we get the next code:

background:
  linear-gradient(calc(90deg + var(--a)),
    #0000 0% calc(1lh*sin(var(--a))),
    var(--c) calc(1lh*sin(var(--a))) calc(100% - 1lh*sin(var(--a))),
    #0000 calc(100% - 1lh*sin(var(--a))) 100%
  );

We do some optimization by eradicating the 0% and 100% (they’re implicit), and when we have now two consecutive coloration stops which might be equal, we are able to change the second with 0:

background:
  linear-gradient(calc(90deg + var(--a)),
    #0000 calc(1lh*sin(var(--a))),
    var(--c) 0 calc(100% - 1lh*sin(var(--a))),
    #0000 0
  );

We’re carried out with the principle aspect, so let’s transfer to the pseudo-elements. Right here as nicely, we’d like some geometry tips to establish the dimensions.

We will simply discover the peak H from the earlier determine we used to establish the gradient configuration. It’s equal to 1lh/cos(a). For the width W, it’s equal to (100% - x)*cos(a), the place 100% is the width of the principle aspect and x is that small half the place we have now the transparency. It’s equal to 1lh*tan(a).

Each pseudo-elements have the identical dimension, so our code is as follows:

.ribbon:earlier than,
.ribbon:after {
  content material: "";
  place: absolute;
  peak: calc(1lh/cos(var(--a)));
  width: calc(100%*cos(var(--a)) - 1lh*sin(var(--a)));
}

If you happen to’re not comfy with the maths and also you’re a bit misplaced with the system, it’s effective. You don’t have to precisely perceive them. The aim is to have the ability to regulate the form utilizing CSS variables. The formulation are right here to make issues simpler and keep away from us coping with hard-coded values and magic numbers.

After the dimension, we must always accurately place every pseudo-element, rotate it, and use clip-path for the cutout half:

.ribbon:earlier than,
.ribbon:after {
  content material: "";
  place: absolute;
  remodel: translate3d(0,0,-1px);
  rotate: var(--a);
  peak: calc(1lh/cos(var(--a)));
  width: calc(100%*cos(var(--a)) - 1lh*sin(var(--a)));
  background: color-mix(in srgb,var(--c),#000 40%);
}
h1:earlier than {
  proper: 0;
  high: 0;
  transform-origin: high proper;
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,100% 100%,0 100%,var(--r) 50%);
}
h1:after {
  left: 0;
  backside: 0;
  transform-origin: backside left;
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,calc(100% - var(--r)) 50%,100% 100%,0 100%);
}

The code needs to be self-explanatory and the clip-path worth needs to be straightforward to know. We used extra complicated polygons with the primary form.

Be aware the usage of color-mix(), which permits me to create a darkish model of the principle coloration. I’m additionally utilizing a 3D translate with a damaging worth on the z-axis to convey the pseudo-elements behind the principle aspect. You would possibly suppose that that is the job of z-index, however it received’t work as a result of some stacking context points that I’ve detailed in this Stack Overflow thread.

Now, if we rotate the aspect in the wrong way, we get our CSS ribbon form.

As with the earlier instance, I’ll allow you to dissect the code of the inexperienced ribbon and see what modifications I made to get the alternative form.

Conclusion

It was a enjoyable train, don’t you suppose? We explored some fashionable CSS options like CSS variables, calc(), and trigonometric capabilities, and we mixed them to create fancy ribbon shapes.

If you need extra, go try my full collection of ribbon shapes. Attempt to construct a few of them alone earlier than checking the code. It is going to be an excellent train to follow what you’ve realized right here.