Building Responsive, Equal-Height Cards with Modern CSS (Magic of Flexbox & No Media Queries)

Table of contents

Introduction

What is our aim?

Building the Structure Using Semantic HTML5

Adding the Style Using Modern CSS
- Resetting CSS
- Designing Card Layout with Flexbox
- Styling the Card image
- Styling the Card content
- Styling the Card Button
- Adding Hover Transitions
- Using CSS Variables

Conclusion

Introduction

As web developers, we often encounter the need to create card components. whether it's for a product/project showcase, user profile, or blog post, cards are everywhere.

In the past, creating responsive layouts was a challenge. The creation of these designs has become significantly simpler and more intuitive due to the advent of modern CSS techniques, specifically CSS Flexbox.

Flexbox simplifies the process of creating responsive layouts. We can easily arrange, align, and space items in a container without using complex media queries. This means we can build layouts that adapt beautifully to different screen sizes and orientations without specifying exact breakpoints.

What is our aim?

The aim is to create responsive cards of equal heights without relying on breakpoints by using CSS Flexbox. We will ensure that each card maintains the same height regardless of the content length, adapting seamlessly to different screen sizes.

key CSS properties for the layout:

• display: flex
• align-items
• justify-content
• flex-grow

Now let's explore the magic of CSS flexbox by building the cards!

Building the Structure Using Semantic HTML5

<main class="card-container">
<!--   First card -->
  <article class="card">
    <img src="https://placehold.co/320x240" width="320" height="240" alt="Replace placeholder image here" class="card-image" loading="lazy">
    <h2 class="card-title">Title one</h2>
    <p class="card-description">Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur, adipisicing elit. Quod, aliquid ex vel labore fugit dignissimos libero eos hic, fuga, vitae consequuntur quidem.</p>
    <button class="card-button" aria-label="Read more about Title one">Read More</button>
  </article>
  <!--   Second card -->
  <article class="card">
    <img src="https://placehold.co/320x240" width="320" height="240"  alt="Replace placeholder image here" class="card-image" loading="lazy">
    <h2 class="card-title">Title two</h2>
    <p class="card-description">Lorem, ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Magnam aperiam consequuntur, saepe at repellat nobis.</p>
    <button class="card-button" aria-label="Read more about Title two">Read More</button>
  </article>
  <!--   Third card -->
  <article class="card">
    <img src="https://placehold.co/320x240" width="320" height="240"  alt="Replace placeholder image here" class="card-image" loading="lazy">
    <h2 class="card-title">Title three</h2>
    <p class="card-description">Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Dolorum reprehenderit at cumque? Architecto numquam nam placeat suscipit!</p>
    <button class="card-button" aria-label="Read more about Title three">Read More</button>
  </article>
</main>

Adding the Style Using Modern CSS

Resetting CSS

/* Basic CSS Reset */
* {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    box-sizing: border-box;
}

The body

/* Ensure that our layout is centred horizontally and vertically on the page */
body {
    display: flex; /* using CSS flexbox to vertically and horizontally centre all cards */
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: center;
    min-height: 100vh;
    overflow-x: hidden; /* Prevent horizontal scrolling */
}

Designing Card Layout with Flexbox

/* Cards */
.card-container {
    display: flex; /* using CSS flexbox to display each card at the centre */
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: stretch; /* use stretch for equal height of all cards */
    gap: 1.5625rem; /* add space between each card */
    flex-wrap: wrap;
    padding: 1rem; 
    max-width: 100%; /* Prevent container from exceeding viewport width */
}

.card {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    width: 20rem;
    background-color: #fff;
    box-shadow: 0 0.25rem 0.5rem rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
    text-align: center;
    text-wrap: balance; /* ensures content is evenly distributed across multiple lines for better readability. */
    overflow: hidden;
}

Styling the card inner content

Styling the Card image

.card-image {
    width: 100%;
    height: auto;
    object-fit: cover;
    margin-bottom: 0.85rem;
}

Styling the Card content

.card-title {
    font-size: 1.25rem;
    padding: 1rem;
    color: #3ca69f;
}

.card-description {
    flex-grow: 1; /* allow the content to take available space, thus maintaining equal height no matter the length of the content */
    padding: 0 1rem 1rem;
    font-size: 0.975rem;
    line-height: 1.5;
}

Styling the Card Button

/* Cards button */
.card-button {
    align-self: center; /* placing the button at the center */
    margin: 1rem 0 3rem;
    padding: 0.625rem 1rem;
    font-size: 1rem;
    color: #ffffff;
    background-color: #3ca69f;
    border: none;
    border-radius: 0.3125rem;
    cursor: pointer;
}

Adding Hover Transitions

.card {
    transition: 0.5s ease all;
}

.card-button {
    transition: 0.5s ease all;
}

/* cards hover effect */
.card:hover {
    background-color: #276662;
    color: #ffffff;
}

.card:hover > .card-button {
    background-color: #ffffff;
    color: #276662;
    font-weight: 700;
}

.card:hover > .card-title {
    color: #ffffff;
}

Using CSS Variables

/* Declare variables */
:root {
    --primary-color: #3ca69f;
    --secondary-color: #276662;
    --text-color: #ffffff;
    --shadow-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
    --border-radius: 0.3125rem;
    --spacing: 1rem;
    --transition-duration: 0.5s;
}

Conclusion

Putting everything together

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