Gel CSS button
Glossy aqua gel pill with a wet highlight. Hover, click and tab to it to see every state.
CSS
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;500;600;700;800;900&display=swap');
.btn {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
gap: .5em;
padding: 14px 28px;
font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif;
font-size: 16px;
font-weight: 700;
line-height: 1.2;
color: #ffffff;
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #7dd3fc 0%, #0ea5e9 50%, #0369a1 100%);
border: 1px solid rgba(3, 105, 161, .59999999999999997779553950749686919152736663818359375);
border-radius: 999px;
box-shadow: 0 6px 14px -4px rgba(3, 105, 161, .5500000000000000444089209850062616169452667236328125), inset 0 10px 8px -6px rgba(255, 255, 255, .5500000000000000444089209850062616169452667236328125), inset 0 -3px 6px 0 rgba(8, 47, 73, .34999999999999997779553950749686919152736663818359375);
text-shadow: 0 1px 1px rgba(7, 89, 133, .6999999999999999555910790149937383830547332763671875);
cursor: pointer;
text-decoration: none;
white-space: nowrap;
-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;
transition: transform 120ms cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1), box-shadow 120ms cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1), filter 120ms cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1);
}
.btn__icon {
display: inline-block;
transition: transform 120ms cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1);
}
.btn:hover {
transform: translateY(-1px);
filter: brightness(1.0800000000000000710542735760100185871124267578125);
box-shadow: 0 7px 16px -4px rgba(3, 105, 161, .5500000000000000444089209850062616169452667236328125), inset 0 10px 8px -6px rgba(255, 255, 255, .5500000000000000444089209850062616169452667236328125), inset 0 -3px 6px 0 rgba(8, 47, 73, .34999999999999997779553950749686919152736663818359375);
}
.btn:hover .btn__icon {
transform: translateX(-3px);
}
.btn:active {
transform: translateY(2px) scale(0.979999999999999982236431605997495353221893310546875);
box-shadow: 0 4px 14px -4px rgba(3, 105, 161, .5500000000000000444089209850062616169452667236328125), inset 0 10px 8px -6px rgba(255, 255, 255, .5500000000000000444089209850062616169452667236328125), inset 0 -3px 6px 0 rgba(8, 47, 73, .34999999999999997779553950749686919152736663818359375);
transition-duration: 60ms;
}
.btn:focus-visible {
outline: 3px solid #7dd3fc;
outline-offset: 3px;
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.btn,
.btn__icon {
transition: none;
animation: none;
}
}HTML
<button class="btn" type="button">
<span class="btn__icon" aria-hidden="true">⬇</span>
Download
</button>How this button is built
- Background: a 3-stop
linear-gradient()at 180° (#7dd3fc → #0ea5e9 → #0369a1). - Type: Inter, weight 700, 16px, in #ffffff.
- Shape: a fully rounded pill shape with 14px × 28px padding, plus a 1px solid border.
- Depth: a coloured glow, inset shadows for a highlighted, sculpted edge and a text shadow.
- Interaction: on hover it lifts 1px, brightens slightly and nudges its icon, and it squishes slightly when clicked, with 120ms transitions.
- Accessibility: a visible
:focus-visiblering for keyboard users, and all motion turns off underprefers-reduced-motion.
How to use it
- Copy the CSS into your stylesheet. The
@importline loads the Inter font from Google Fonts. Move it to the top of your file, or drop it if you already load the font. - Paste the HTML where you want the button. It works on
<button>,<a>and<input type="submit">. - Change the label, or rename the
.btnclass if it clashes with your framework. Want a different colour or size? Open it in the editor, change it visually, and copy the new code.