glass-morphism

Glassmorphism

When It Works

• Floating toolbars/navigation over visual content
• Cards overlaying image backgrounds
• Status bars and overlays in media apps
• Modal overlays that maintain background context

When It Fails

• On solid color backgrounds (pointless, no background to show through)
• When readability is compromised
• Overuse: if everything is glass, nothing has visual weight
• On low-power devices (backdrop-filter is expensive)

Implementation

.glass {
  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
  backdrop-filter: blur(16px);
  -webkit-backdrop-filter: blur(16px);
  border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.15);
  border-radius: 12px;
}

Rules

1. Always add a semi-transparent border (defines the edge)
2. Background opacity: 5-20% (more = less glass effect)
3. Blur radius: 12-24px (less = too noisy, more = solid looking)
4. Ensure text contrast meets WCAG on worst-case backgrounds
5. Fallback for browsers without backdrop-filter support
6. Test on various backgrounds (the effect changes dramatically)