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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Aqua UI CSS Buttons"
+date: 2016-06-28
+---
+
+
+Though it may feel like nostalgia, the old OS design for Mac was arguably better than the current iteration (as of this writing - High Sierra). I recently designed a quick Dribbble shot showcasing how the older operating system used to have so much more character and depth.
+
+<figure>
+<img src="/public/images/aqua-ui-css-buttons.webp" alt="Old macOS Buttons">
+<figcaption>My initial Dribbble shot, which can be found <a href="https://dribbble.com/shots/4561658-Aqua-Buttons-UI">here</a>.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+Since I've been wanting to dip my toes into more tutorial-based articles (maybe I'll even do some screencasts in the future), I decided to start out simple. Let's walk through how to implement these 'aqua' UI buttons with pure CSS.
+
+### Starting with a basic foundation
+
+Since this project consists of only two buttons elements, the HTML or <i>skeleton</i> of this project is very straightforward:
+
+    <button class="cancel">Cancel</button>
+    <button class="confirm">Confirm</button>
+
+### Styling the buttons
+
+The first step is to remove the browser's default button styling by using the `appearance` property. This will help avoid having to fight against the browser and minimize our CSS code.
+
+    button {
+        -webkit-appearance: none;
+        -moz-appearance: none;
+    }
+
+Next, we apply a fairly simple set of CSS that will be shared across both the confirm and cancel buttons:
+
+(Pay attention to the `transition` property as we will be returning to that shortly)
+
+    button {
+        -webkit-appearance: none;
+        -moz-appearance: none;
+        border: 1px solid #ccc;
+        border-radius: 125px;
+        box-shadow: inset 0 13px 25px rgba(255,255,255,0.5), 0 3px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.2), 0 10px 13px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
+        cursor: pointer;
+        font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
+        font-size: 2rem;
+        margin: 5rem 1rem;
+        padding: 1.2rem 4rem;
+        position: relative;
+        transition: all ease .3s;
+    }
+
+Then we separate the specific confirm and cancel button styles into their own class selectors:
+
+    button.confirm {
+        background: #4A90E2;
+        border-color: #3672B6;
+        color: #fff;
+    }
+
+    button.cancel {
+        background: #D0D0D0;
+        border-color: #B8B8B8;
+        color: #6F6F6F;
+    }
+
+### Playing with pseudo elements
+
+Now that the button is styled and structured with basic formatting, it's time to add that classic 'shine' seen in the original Dribbble shot.
+
+The cleanest way to do this is by using the `:before` pseudo element paired with a linear-gradient background.
+
+    button:before {
+        background: linear-gradient(rgba(255,255,255,1) 0%, rgba(255,255,255,0) 100%);
+        border-radius: 125px;
+        content:'';
+        height: 50px;
+        left: 4%;
+        position: absolute;
+        top: 1px;
+        transition: all ease .3s;
+        width: 92%;
+    }
+
+### Adding interaction
+
+The final step is adding the user hover interaction: (Remember that `transition` property?)
+
+    button:hover {
+        box-shadow: inset 0 13px 25px rgba(255,255,255,0.8), 0 3px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.2), 0 10px 13px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
+        transform: scale(1.02);
+    }
+
+That's it!
+
+### See it live on CodePen
+
+You can view this project on CodePen <a href="https://codepen.io/bradleytaunt/pen/YvKxxm">here</a>.
+
+Feel free to fork it or implement your own!
+
+
+
+