Navigation list item hover and focus effect
CSS, Visual · Oct 11, 2021

Creates a custom hover and focus effect for navigation items, using CSS transformations.
- Use the
::before
pseudo-element at the list item anchor to create a hover effect. Hide it usingtransform: scale(0)
. - Use the
:hover
and:focus
pseudo-class selectors to transition the pseudo-element totransform: scale(1)
and show its colored background. - Prevent the pseudo-element from covering the anchor element by using
z-index
.
<nav class="hover-nav">
<ul>
<li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="#">About</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Contact</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
.hover-nav ul {
list-style: none;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
overflow: hidden;
}
.hover-nav li {
float: left;
}
.hover-nav li a {
position: relative;
display: block;
color: #fff;
text-align: center;
padding: 8px 12px;
text-decoration: none;
z-index: 0;
}
li a::before {
position: absolute;
content: "";
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
bottom: 0;
left: 0;
background-color: #2683f6;
z-index: -1;
transform: scale(0);
transition: transform 0.5s ease-in-out;
}
li a:hover::before,
li a:focus::before {
transform: scale(1);
}