What is CSS?

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. It is a language that tells web browsers how to display the HTML elements on a page - things like colors, fonts, spacing, and layout. In short, CSS makes a website look good and organized.

Let's break it down

  • Cascading: means that multiple style rules can apply to the same element, and the browser decides which one wins based on a set of simple rules.
  • Style: refers to the visual appearance - colour, size, font, borders, etc.
  • Sheets: are just files (or blocks of code) that hold many style rules together, like a sheet of paper with instructions.
  • Web pages: the documents you see in a browser, built with HTML.
  • HTML: the skeleton of a page; CSS is the clothing that dresses it up.
  • Looks / Layout: the overall design, positioning, and spacing of everything you see.

Why does it matter?

Without CSS, every website would look plain, hard to read, and look the same as every other site. Good styling improves user experience, makes information easier to find, and helps a brand stand out. Learning CSS also opens the door to creating modern, responsive designs that work on phones, tablets, and computers.

Where is it used?

  • Designing the visual layout of corporate and personal websites.
  • Styling web applications such as dashboards, online stores, and social media platforms.
  • Creating responsive email templates that adapt to different screen sizes.
  • Building themes for content-management systems like WordPress or Shopify.

Good things about it

  • Separates design from content, making code easier to maintain.
  • Allows one set of styles to control many pages, saving time.
  • Supports responsive design so sites work on any device.
  • Wide community support, many tutorials, and ready-made frameworks (e.g., Bootstrap).
  • Runs directly in the browser, no extra software needed.

Not-so-good things

  • Complex cascade rules can be confusing for beginners.
  • Large CSS files may slow down page loading if not optimized.
  • Cross-browser inconsistencies sometimes require extra hacks or prefixes.
  • Advanced layouts (e.g., intricate animations) may need additional tools or JavaScript.