Styling & CSS

Guide to the CSS architecture, styling conventions, and customization for the UiASub website.

CSS Architecture

The website uses a layered CSS architecture combining Bootstrap 5, Tailwind CSS utilities, and custom styles.

CSS Stack

Layer	Purpose	Files
Framework	Base responsive grid and components	Bootstrap 5 (CDN)
Utilities	Utility-first classes	Tailwind CSS (CDN)
Core	Site-wide base styles	css/site.css
Custom	Global custom styles and animations	css/custom.css
Components	Reusable component styles	css/header.css, css/footer.css, etc.
Pages	Page-specific styles	css/about.css, css/rov.css, etc.

Load Order

<!-- 1. Framework -->
<link href="bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
<link href="tailwind.min.css" rel="stylesheet">

<!-- 2. Core -->
<link href="/css/site.css" rel="stylesheet">

<!-- 3. Components -->
<link href="/css/header.css" rel="stylesheet">
<link href="/css/footer.css" rel="stylesheet">

<!-- 4. Page-specific -->
<link href="/css/about.css" rel="stylesheet">

<!-- 5. Custom overrides -->
<link href="/css/custom.css" rel="stylesheet">

Core Styles (site.css)

Base Resets

body {
  padding-top: 50px;
}

.nossheader-logo {
  padding-top: 12px;
  padding-left: 12px;
}

Typography Defaults

h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
  font-family: var(--font-family-heading);
  font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold);
  line-height: 1.2;
  margin-top: 0;
}

a {
  color: var(--color-primary);
  text-decoration: none;
  transition: color 0.2s;
}

a:hover {
  color: var(--color-primary-dark);
}

Custom Styles (custom.css)

html {
  background: #000000;
}

/* Sea-like background for the whole site */
body {
  background: linear-gradient(180deg, var(--sea-top) 0%, var(--sea-deep) 60%);
  color: #e6f7ff;
}

Includes styles for: - Callouts - Marketing sections - Featurettes - Powered-by container - Sidebar

Wave Animation

Located in css/waves.css:

.waves {
  position: relative;
  width: 100%;
  height: 15vh;
  margin-bottom: -7px;
  min-height: 100px;
  max-height: 150px;
}

.wave {
  position: absolute;
  bottom: 0;
  left: 0;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100px;
  background: url('wave.svg');
  animation: wave 10s linear infinite;
}

@keyframes wave {
  0% {
    transform: translateX(0);
  }
  100% {
    transform: translateX(-50%);
  }
}

Component Styles

Header (header.css)

.site-header {
  background: var(--color-primary);
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-md);
  position: sticky;
  top: 0;
  z-index: 1000;
}

.site-nav {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-between;
  align-items: center;
  padding: var(--spacing-md) var(--spacing-lg);
}

.site-nav a {
  color: white;
  padding: var(--spacing-sm) var(--spacing-md);
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  transition: background 0.2s;
}

.site-nav a:hover {
  background: var(--color-primary-dark);
}

Carousel (carousel.css)

.carousel-container {
  position: relative;
  width: 100%;
  height: 500px;
  overflow: hidden;
}

.carousel-slide {
  position: absolute;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  opacity: 0;
  transition: opacity 0.5s ease-in-out;
}

.carousel-slide.active {
  opacity: 1;
}

Page-Specific Styles

About Page (about.css)

.team-section {
  padding: var(--spacing-3xl) 0;
}

.team-grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(250px, 1fr));
  gap: var(--spacing-lg);
}

.member-card {
  background: var(--color-surface);
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
  padding: var(--spacing-lg);
  text-align: center;
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-md);
  transition: transform 0.2s, box-shadow 0.2s;
}

.member-card:hover {
  transform: translateY(-5px);
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-lg);
}

.member-image {
  width: 150px;
  height: 150px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  object-fit: cover;
  margin-bottom: var(--spacing-md);
}

ROV Page (rov.css)

.rov-viewer {
  width: 100%;
  height: 600px;
  position: relative;
  background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #001f3f, #003366);
}

.model-canvas {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
}

.rov-controls {
  position: absolute;
  bottom: var(--spacing-lg);
  left: 50%;
  transform: translateX(-50%);
  display: flex;
  gap: var(--spacing-sm);
}

Responsive Design

Breakpoints

/* Mobile first approach */
:root {
  --breakpoint-sm: 576px;   /* Small devices */
  --breakpoint-md: 768px;   /* Tablets */
  --breakpoint-lg: 992px;   /* Desktops */
  --breakpoint-xl: 1200px;  /* Large desktops */
  --breakpoint-2xl: 1400px; /* Extra large */
}

Media Queries

/* Mobile: Base styles (default) */
.container {
  padding: var(--spacing-md);
}

/* Tablet and up */
@media (min-width: 768px) {
  .container {
    padding: var(--spacing-lg);
  }

  .team-grid {
    grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
  }
}

/* Desktop and up */
@media (min-width: 992px) {
  .container {
    padding: var(--spacing-xl);
  }

  .team-grid {
    grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
  }
}

/* Large desktop */
@media (min-width: 1200px) {
  .team-grid {
    grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr);
  }
}

Customization Guide

Changing the Color Scheme

1. Open css/custom.css or css/site.css
2. Update the color variables:

:root {
  --color-primary: #your-new-color;
  --color-primary-dark: #darker-shade;
  --color-primary-light: #lighter-shade;
}

1. Save and refresh

Adding a Custom Animation

1. Open css/custom.css
2. Add your keyframes:

@keyframes your-animation {
  0% { /* start state */ }
  100% { /* end state */ }
}

.your-class {
  animation: your-animation 2s ease-in-out infinite;
}

Creating Page-Specific Styles

1. Create new CSS file:

touch css/your-page.css

1. Add styles:

.your-page-class {
  /* Your styles */
}

1. Link in HTML:

<link href="/css/your-page.css" rel="stylesheet">

Best Practices

CSS Organization

1. Group related properties:

.button {
  /* Positioning */
  display: inline-block;
  position: relative;

  /* Box model */
  padding: var(--spacing-sm) var(--spacing-md);
  margin: var(--spacing-xs);

  /* Visual */
  background: var(--color-primary);
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);

  /* Typography */
  color: white;
  font-weight: var(--font-weight-medium);

  /* Misc */
  transition: all 0.2s;
  cursor: pointer;
}

1. Use CSS variables: Always prefer variables over hardcoded values

2. Mobile-first: Write base styles for mobile, then enhance for larger screens

3. Avoid !important: Only use when absolutely necessary (e.g., utility classes)

4. Consistent naming: Use BEM or similar methodology

Performance

1. Minimize repaints: Animate transform and opacity instead of top/left
2. Use will-change: For frequently animated elements
3. Lazy load animations: Don't animate off-screen elements
4. Optimize selectors: Avoid overly complex selectors

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