Navigating a puzzle menu in web design can be simplified with a few easy steps

When it comes to executing my design ideas, I have 2 options in mind. My main concern is which one will offer more flexibility for adding animations and tinkering with CSS later on.

The first idea involves a navigation menu where hovering over an item makes it expand in size.


Here are the two concepts:

  1. Using CSS clip-path with polygon tool. The downside of this approach is lack of support on IE and older versions of Firefox

  2. Creating the 'puzzle' pieces in Illustrator. This may be more challenging to work with in terms of CSS. Each piece would need its own color, requiring multiple images to be created.


PS. Any additional tips or hints related to implementing these designs would be highly appreciated.

Answer №1

An effective method would involve utilizing SVG files for this task. By creating just one in Illustrator, you can easily adjust its size, color, and other attributes using CSS.

I suggest using inline SVG (as opposed to importing it as a regular image) because it provides more control over individual components, making them easier to animate.

The overall browser support for SVG is quite solid.

For those looking to get started with SVG's, here is a helpful guide: https://css-tricks.com/using-svg/

Answer №2

If you're looking to create a unique shape using CSS, I would suggest utilizing CSS transforms. By combining the skew transform with pseudo-elements like before and after, you can achieve interesting shapes without the need for complex clipping paths or graphics.

Check out this working example:

ul,
li {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    list-style: none;
}

ul {
    margin: 50px;
}

li a {
    display: block;
    width: 75px;
    height: 125px;
    line-height: 100px;
    text-align: center;
    position: relative;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
    color: white;
    text-decoration: none;
}

li a:before,
li a:after {
    content: '';
    display: block;
    width: 50%;
    height: 100%;
    background: grey;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    z-index: -1;
    border: 1px solid black;
    -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
       -moz-box-sizing: border-box;
            box-sizing: border-box;
}
li a:before {
    left: 0;
    border-right: 0;
    -webkit-transform: skewY(-45deg);
       -moz-transform: skewY(-45deg);
        -ms-transform: skewY(-45deg);
         -o-transform: skewY(-45deg);
            transform: skewY(-45deg);
}
li a:after {
    right: 0;
    border-left: 0;
    -webkit-transform: skewY(45deg);
       -moz-transform: skewY(45deg);
        -ms-transform: skewY(45deg);
         -o-transform: skewY(45deg);
            transform: skewY(45deg);
}
<ul>
    <li>
        <a href="#">text1</a>
    </li>
    <li>
        <a href="#">text2</a>
    </li>
    <li>
        <a href="#">text3</a>
    </li>
</ul>

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