Minimalist stylesheet for HTML elements

5 min read Original article ↗

Simple, reusable components

For a clean looking design that doesn't get in the way


Quote
"By far the easiest stylesheet I've ever used. It integrates easily into one all of my startup projects."

Flexibility without complexity

A few, clean styling options without all the bells and whistles

MVP.css No CSS Custom CSS
Mobile friendly
Works out of the box
Easy to customize
Only semantic HTML
No class names
Perfect for an MVP

A decent MVP in no time

More building and less designing with "set and forget" styling.

Stock photo
"Uber for X" brainstorming session

Docs

HTML Reference

MVP.css works with the following HTML elements:

  • <a> — text links
    • <a><b>, <a><strong> — solid link buttons
    • <a><em>, <a><i> — outlined link buttons
  • <article> — content area with normal styling
    • <article><aside> — text callout
  • <blockquote> — quote callout
    • <blockquote><footer> — quote attribution
  • <body> — default parent element
  • <button> — form buttons
  • <code> — inline code highlighting
  • <details> — default expandable content section
    • <details><summary> — expandable heading
  • <dialog> — popup windows
  • <div> — unstyled element
  • <figure> — image callouts
    • <figure><figcaption> — image callout captions
  • <footer> — footer area
  • <form> — small form area
    • <form><input> — short input field
    • <form><label> — form field labels
    • <form><select> — dropdown options container
      • <form><select><option> — dropdown option items
    • <form><textarea> — large input field
  • <header> — content area with centered styling
  • <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <h4>, <h5>, <h6> — headings
  • <hr> — horizontal rule (divider)
  • <main> — main content area
  • <mark> — text highlighting
  • <nav> — top navigation
    • <nav><ul> — nav links container
    • <nav><ul><li> — nav link items
    • <nav><ul><li><ul> — nav dropdown container
    • <nav><ul><li><ul><li> — nav dropdown link items
  • <ol> — numbered list container
    • <ol><li> — numbered list items
  • <p> — paragraph tag
  • <pre> — preformatted text
    • <pre><code> — code block
    • <pre><samp> — computer output block
  • <samp> — inline computer output
  • <section> — content area for centered / special content
    • <section><aside> — content card
  • <small> — smaller text
  • <sup> — raised text (notification bubbles)
  • <table> — data table
    • <table><td> — data table cell
    • <table><th> — data table header cell
    • <table><thead> — data table header section
    • <table><tr> — data table row
  • <ul> — unordered list container
    • <ul><li> — unordered list item

Modifying the CSS variables

MVP.css includes a list of CSS variables. Editing these variables will change the styles globally.

                
:root {
    --active-brightness: 0.85;
    --border-radius: 5px;
    --box-shadow: 2px 2px 10px;
    --color-accent: #118bee15;
    --color-bg: #fff;
    --color-bg-secondary: #e9e9e9;
    --color-link: #118bee;
    --color-secondary: #920de9;
    --color-secondary-accent: #920de90b;
    --color-shadow: #f4f4f4;
    --color-table: #118bee;
    --color-text: #000;
    --color-text-secondary: #999;
    --font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;
    --hover-brightness: 1.2;
    --justify-important: center;
    --justify-normal: left;
    --line-height: 1.5;
    --width-card: 285px;
    --width-card-medium: 460px;
    --width-card-wide: 800px;
    --width-content: 1080px;
}
                
            

Custom styles can be added inside a <style> tag, or at the end of your local mvp.css file


Frequently Asked Questions

Why would I use this?

If you just want to launch already.

PRO TIP An MVP is a temporary site, it doesn't have to be and shouldn't be perfect.

What skills will I need?

Mostly HTML, maybe a hint of CSS if you want to get fancy.

CSS        5

Design   0

HTML     100

Is there a minified version?

No, you don't need one for an MVP.

How can I improve my design?

Here are some helpful resources:

How do I handle a user's dark mode preference?

By default <html> will force users into light mode. By using <html color-mode="user"> MVP.css will respect the user's dark mode preferences. The original concept and additional tips can be found in this article: https://ryanfeigenbaum.com/dark-mode/

What if I don't like the default styles?

Most styles are editable through CSS variables. You can also add your own styles inline, at the end of MVP.css or in a new stylesheet.

PRO TIP If there are two conflicting CSS styles, the last one will take precedence.

                    
:root {
    --color-bg: #fff;
}

/* Lower in the CSS, or in a 2nd stylesheet */

:root {
    --color-bg: #000; /* This will take precedence */
}
                    
                
What if I still don't like it?

That's OK, you probably shouldn't love your MVP. The goal of MVP.css is to help you feel slightly less embarrased about it.

👉 If you want a CSS framework with more features check out Bulma ↗ or Tailwind ↗.


Idea

What can you build with MVP.css?

Free ideas below ↓

Hello, I am a header of the modal


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