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Styling & Typography

Typography and color are the foundation of great visual design. Let's master them.

Colors​

Color Systems​

RGB Colors​

Red, Green, Blue values (0-255 each)

color: rgb(255, 0, 0);        /* Red */
color: rgb(0, 255, 0);        /* Green */
color: rgb(0, 0, 255);        /* Blue */
color: rgb(128, 128, 128);    /* Gray */

Hex Colors​

Hexadecimal notation (#RRGGBB)

color: #FF0000;   /* Red */
color: #00FF00;   /* Green */
color: #0000FF;   /* Blue */
color: #808080;   /* Gray */
color: #FFF;      /* White (shorthand) */
color: #000;      /* Black (shorthand) */

HSL Colors​

Hue, Saturation, Lightness

color: hsl(0, 100%, 50%);     /* Red */
color: hsl(120, 100%, 50%);   /* Green */
color: hsl(240, 100%, 50%);   /* Blue */
color: hsl(0, 0%, 50%);       /* Gray */

HSL is great for:

  • Creating color schemes
  • Adjusting brightness
  • Finding complementary colors

RGBA & HSLA​

With transparency (alpha 0-1)

color: rgba(255, 0, 0, 0.5);     /* Red with 50% opacity */
color: hsla(0, 100%, 50%, 0.8);  /* Red with 80% opacity */

Creating Color Schemes​

Complementary​

Colors opposite on color wheel

color: hsl(0, 100%, 50%);      /* Red */
color: hsl(180, 100%, 50%);    /* Cyan (opposite) */

Analogous​

Colors next to each other

color: hsl(0, 100%, 50%);      /* Red */
color: hsl(30, 100%, 50%);     /* Orange */
color: hsl(60, 100%, 50%);     /* Yellow */

Monochromatic​

Different tints/shades of same color

color: hsl(0, 100%, 20%);  /* Dark red */
color: hsl(0, 100%, 50%);  /* Red */
color: hsl(0, 100%, 70%);  /* Light red */

Text Color​

p {
    color: #333;           /* Text color */
    background-color: #f0; /* Background */
}

/* Links */
a {
    color: #0066cc;        /* Normal link */
}

a:visited {
    color: #990099;        /* Visited link */
}

a:hover {
    color: #ff6600;        /* Hovered link */
}

Typography​

Font Family​

body {
    font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;
}

h1 {
    font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif;
}

Font Stacks​

Always include fallbacks:

/* Serif */
font-family: 'Georgia', serif;

/* Sans-serif */
font-family: 'Arial', 'Helvetica', sans-serif;

/* Monospace */
font-family: 'Courier New', monospace;

/* Web safe fonts */
font-family: Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif;

Web Fonts​

Import fonts from Google Fonts or other sources:

<head>
    <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
</head>

<style>
    body {
        font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
    }
</style>

Font Size​

/* Absolute sizes */
p {
    font-size: 16px;
}

/* Relative sizes */
h1 {
    font-size: 2rem;      /* 2 × base size */
}

h2 {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
}

small {
    font-size: 0.875rem;
}

/* Responsive */
@media (min-width: 768px) {
    body {
        font-size: 18px;
    }
}

Font Weight​

p {
    font-weight: 400;        /* Normal */
    font-weight: 700;        /* Bold */
    font-weight: lighter;    /* Lighter than parent */
    font-weight: bold;       /* Bold keyword */
}

/* With web fonts */
font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
font-weight: 400;  /* Regular */
font-weight: 700;  /* Bold */

Line Height​

Space between lines of text

p {
    line-height: 1.6;        /* 1.6 × font size */
    line-height: 24px;       /* Fixed size */
    line-height: 150%;       /* Percentage */
}

/* For readability */
body {
    line-height: 1.5;
}

/* For headings */
h1 {
    line-height: 1.2;
}

Letter Spacing​

Space between letters

h1 {
    letter-spacing: 0.05em;    /* Increase space */
}

.tight {
    letter-spacing: -0.02em;   /* Decrease space */
}

Text Alignment​

p {
    text-align: left;      /* Default */
    text-align: center;    /* Centered */
    text-align: right;     /* Right aligned */
    text-align: justify;   /* Stretched to edges */
}

Text Transform​

.uppercase {
    text-transform: uppercase;    /* UPPERCASE */
}

.lowercase {
    text-transform: lowercase;    /* lowercase */
}

.capitalize {
    text-transform: capitalize;   /* Capitalize */
}

Text Decoration​

a {
    text-decoration: underline;
    text-decoration: none;
    text-decoration: overline;
    text-decoration: line-through;
}

Text Shadow​

h1 {
    text-shadow: 2px 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);
    /* offset-x | offset-y | blur-radius | color */
}

/* Multiple shadows */
h1 {
    text-shadow: 
        1px 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3),
        3px 3px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
}

Complete Typography System​

/* Base styles */
html {
    font-size: 16px;
}

body {
    font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', 'Roboto', sans-serif;
    line-height: 1.6;
    color: #333;
}

/* Headings */
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
    font-weight: 700;
    line-height: 1.2;
    margin: 24px 0 12px 0;
}

h1 {
    font-size: 2.5rem;
    color: #000;
}

h2 {
    font-size: 2rem;
    color: #111;
}

h3 {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    color: #222;
}

/* Paragraphs */
p {
    margin: 0 0 16px 0;
}

/* Links */
a {
    color: #0066cc;
    text-decoration: none;
    transition: color 0.3s ease;
}

a:hover {
    color: #0052a3;
    text-decoration: underline;
}

/* Small text */
small {
    font-size: 0.875rem;
}

/* Code */
code {
    background-color: #f4f4f4;
    padding: 2px 6px;
    border-radius: 3px;
    font-family: 'Courier New', monospace;
}

/* Lists */
ul, ol {
    margin: 0 0 16px 0;
    padding-left: 24px;
}

li {
    margin-bottom: 8px;
}

/* Responsive */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
    html {
        font-size: 14px;
    }
    
    h1 {
        font-size: 2rem;
    }
    
    h2 {
        font-size: 1.5rem;
    }
}

Real-World Example: Blog Post​

<style>
    .blog-post {
        max-width: 800px;
        margin: 0 auto;
        padding: 40px 20px;
        font-family: 'Georgia', serif;
        color: #333;
        line-height: 1.8;
    }
    
    .blog-post h1 {
        font-size: 2.5rem;
        margin-bottom: 10px;
        color: #000;
        line-height: 1.2;
    }
    
    .blog-post .meta {
        font-size: 14px;
        color: #666;
        margin-bottom: 30px;
        border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;
        padding-bottom: 20px;
    }
    
    .blog-post h2 {
        font-size: 1.8rem;
        margin-top: 40px;
        margin-bottom: 15px;
        color: #111;
    }
    
    .blog-post p {
        margin-bottom: 20px;
    }
    
    .blog-post code {
        background-color: #f4f4f4;
        padding: 2px 6px;
        border-radius: 3px;
        font-family: 'Courier New', monospace;
        color: #d63384;
    }
    
    .blog-post a {
        color: #0066cc;
    }
    
    .blog-post a:hover {
        text-decoration: underline;
    }
</style>

<article class="blog-post">
    <h1>The Art of Typography</h1>
    <div class="meta">
        By John Doe | Published Jan 28, 2024
    </div>
    
    <p>Great typography is the foundation of good design...</p>
    
    <h2>Choosing the Right Font</h2>
    <p>When selecting fonts for your project, consider...</p>
    
    <h2>Best Practices</h2>
    <p>Always maintain sufficient <code>line-height</code> for readability.</p>
</article>

Best Practices​

  1. Use Semantic Font Sizes - Use rem for responsive typography
  2. Maintain Contrast - Ensure text is readable on background
  3. Limit Fonts - Use 2-3 fonts maximum
  4. Line Height - Use 1.5-1.8 for body text
  5. Font Size - 16px base is standard
  6. Color Psychology - Colors evoke emotions
  7. Consistency - Use consistent typography system
  8. Accessibility - Ensure sufficient contrast ratio

Next Steps​

Master typography and styling, then learn:

  1. Animations & Transitions - Add motion
  2. Advanced Techniques - Advanced effects