HTML and CSS timeline snippets you can use on your site

How can we create a learning organization without knowing what’s been tried in the past, and either failed or triumphed? The answer is – we can’t. Just as society learns lessons from events throughout history, so do organizations. Keeping things organized in logical sequence helps to keep track of what’s happening. People can better understand what has happened and also understand what the next steps should be.

CSS timelines are a great way to keep track of your business or product history. Consistency is the key to success and it’s important to learn from our mistakes so we can do better in the future. Great products and businesses are not usually created on the first try, rather they happen over time through iterations and process improvement. Showing these steps can build trust and confidence with your users. If you want to add an interactive timeline to your site, these are some great CSS timeline options.

Vertical timelines are perfect for scrolling through on a mobile phone. If you expect the page to be accessed on a phone or tablet, a vertical timeline is best. Otherwise, a horizontal timeline is appropriate.

CSS timelines are a great way to show your company’s history, a project timeline, or a business road map. They can visually explain important milestones and dates. CSS timelines can, however, be a challenge to find or create.

That’s why we’ve crafted this list of fantastic timeline examples you could put on your site. It is a comprehensive list, including both vertical and horizontal timelines and all examples come with a link to the code snippets you’ll need and the image to discover the demo.

HTML and CSS timeline snippets

Winery Timeline Slider

CSS Timeline by Kavixiu

This sleek and stylish timeline developed by Kavixiu is in a vertical format and is a great way of showcasing your information. It is designed with separate content blocks in each part where you can add your content. These blocks can be quite large which is great if you have a lot of information to display. You won’t be able to insert images using the default design, however, you’ll be able to edit the code to add them.

You can leave the dots on the timeline as is, or choose to add some subtle effects. And you can also do this with the content blocks. Check out the CSS animation examples to get some inspiration for more interactive designs. This timeline does give you a basic structure or use it as your base to add on interesting features and different colors.

Change Your View

Change Your View offers a unique and versatile way of showing your information when your space is limited. You can use your keyboard to navigate or choose to click or drag. It’s also possible to zoom and rewind. It looks awesome as well as giving users plenty of options for how they interact with the information presented.

Horizontal Timeline

Horizontal Timeline offers users a way of presenting their information on a horizontal timeline. It is quite an advanced tool that uses a slider to full advantage. This one is ideal for adding or explaining information about a specific milestone that appears on the timeline. It shows up as a simple line with a dot on it to mark each event. These events have more information in the form of dialogue boxes that appear either side of the timeline.

It’s easy to scroll forward or back through the timeline using a simple creative functional design. Some of its many possible applications include educational fields and professional settings. It uses a contrasting color scheme to catch the eye.

Bitcoin timeline with fixed header using flexbox

Created by Matys, this has a truly unique and flawless design concept with a professional-looking timeline. If you don’t want the header at the top, it’s easy to get rid of. Scrolling pushes the lower numbers away so you can see the information you want more clearly. It’s a great design!

Simple Responsive Vertical Timeline Layout

While this vertical timeline may look a little dated , it is a really elegant and simple design and offers a good way of highlighting key events in the timeline. It is best used for simple styles of timelines rather than ones with a great deal of information, as it can start to look bulky. If you are not entering a lot of text, then it is a great option.

Look Behind the Door

This HTML timeline looks nothing like any of the others on the list. While it is quite different, it remains intuitive for the user to access the important information. It is presented as a row of tall, thin panels. When you hover your mouse over one of these, you’ll find a bright image and descriptive text and amazingly it was created just with HTML and CSS.

CSS Timeline by Sava Lazic

This vertical CSS timeline design is elegantly animated with the information flowing in from each side as you scroll. This draws the eye to the new piece of information, which is a very clever concept. If you want a timeline that’s not just static, this could be a great choice for you. The design offers the space to add images and also buttons for a call to action. If your timeline is for the purpose of selling a product or service, these buttons can encourage the user to buy.

Nested And Color Timeline

This timeline is more colorful and creative than most and uses a simple card structure that forms a useful slider. This is a very effective design with a great template into which you just add your own information.

There are also text sections above the timeline, where you can add an introduction or other information. The timeline itself can be color-coded according to the category, which is a very handy feature.

Flexbox Timeline Layout

This CSS timeline can at first look rather crowded, but  it’s important to note that you can edit the size of the boxes to avoid this. Lighter or less bright colors would also help and try using a duo tone palette or pastels.

As there is plenty of space to add pictures, this script could also be used for a blog.

Pure HTML and CSS Vertical Timeline

This HTML timeline was designed by Ross McNeil, who’s provided us with a stylish vertical display of events. You can enter quite a lot of text in these wide substance squares. They have arrows planted on the edges to refer you to the point it sits on the timeline. It’s a very effective design element.

You can’t include pictures in this timeline if you choose to use the default structure, however, you can edit the code to add pictures. You could also choose to add unobtrusive movement impacts if you want to.

Timeline Style Navigation

The Timeline Style Navigation makes great use of a simple CSS timeline. A vertical timeline can be viewed on the left side of the screen. This is great for timelines with lots of information because it leaves the main part of the screen free for text. Each slide is a different color so you can differentiate when you’ve moved onto the next part of the timeline. The one drawback here that you may want to fix is that the slide switches too quickly, after only a tiny amount of scrolling.

Responsive History Timeline

This stunning horizontal timeline design was crafted with history and event explanation in mind. It uses a slider feature to take you from one part of the line to the next and each section has spaces for images as well as texts to accompany each image. The navigational icons for the slider of the horizontal timeline live at the bottom of the page which is an intuitive way to scroll through the timeline.

The example given has a monochromatic palette of black and white, while the text in gold offers a stylish pop of color. This is a simple yet very effective format for imparting a lot of information.

Timeline Custom Counter with Gradient Border

This one offers a sleek, elegant and innovative design. The structure is well designed and will suit any length of content. The ‘timeline’ looks more like a snake slithering around the text blocks. It is an easy way of giving your site the facelift it needs to look more contemporary and stylish.

CSS Timeline with Custom Properties

This CSS timeline looks fantastic in mobile view and it’s very responsive. It offers a clean and easy to view and read design. It would be impressive on a Caste study page showing something like sales time frame improvements. The example shows a resume, which is an incredibly creative use of the design.

Top of the Charts

The Top of the Charts timeline provides an alternative and unexpected format. It has a unique format similar to that of a graph or chart. It remains simple while giving you a very different way of displaying information. The text is minimal, and hyperlinks are used instead to direct the viewer to more information.

FAQs about CSS timeline

1. What is a CSS timeline and how does it work?

A graphical representation of events or milestones grouped chronologically is a CSS timeline. The elements on the timeline have a style and location thanks to CSS. Text, photographs, and/or icons are frequently used in timelines to offer more context to each event. A timeline is typically built using HTML unordered lists, which are then stylized with CSS to give them a particular look and feel.

2. What are the benefits of using a CSS timeline on a website?

The chronological order of events or website milestones can be more easily understood by users by using a CSS timeline. Information can also be prioritized and aesthetically organized. A timeline can also offer a fun, dynamic element to a website, enhancing user experience and helping visitors remember the information.

3. How can I create a responsive CSS timeline that works on different screen sizes?

CSS media queries can be used to modify the layout and styling according on the screen size to produce a responsive CSS timeline. It’s crucial to substitute flexible units for fixed pixel values for width and height, such as percentages or ems. In order to make the timeline layout more adaptable and versatile, you may also use CSS grid or flexbox.

4. What are some best practices for designing a visually appealing CSS timeline?

The use of appropriate font, a consistent color scheme, and the addition of visual components like icons or photos to provide context are some best practices for creating a visually pleasing CSS timeline. Also, it’s critical to keep your layout neat and orderly, and to employ padding and space to make your text easier to read.

5. Can I use CSS animations to add interactivity to my timeline?

Absolutely, you can use CSS animations to add interaction to a timeline, for example, by animating the timeline elements as they appear or including hover effects to draw attention to certain occurrences. Yet, since they can have a detrimental effect on page load speeds and user experience, it’s crucial to employ animations sparingly and avoid overusing them.

6. How can I integrate a CSS timeline with other design elements on my website?

A website’s visual style and layout must be consistent in order to combine a CSS timeline with other design elements. The timeline can be positioned in a way that makes sense and is easy to understand by using the same color scheme and font as other website elements. By choosing a comparable border or background color, you may utilize CSS to establish visual linkages between the timeline and other elements.

7. Are there any CSS frameworks or libraries available for creating timelines?

Indeed, you can create timelines using a variety of CSS frameworks and tools, including TimelineJS, Tympanus Codrops Timeline, and CSS Timeline. These frameworks’ built-in timeline layouts and stylistic features might help you save time and effort.

8. How can I use CSS to create a horizontal timeline instead of a vertical one?

You can use CSS flexbox or grid to place the timeline items horizontally rather than vertically to create a horizontal timeline. To better fit a horizontal layout, you can also change the design of the timeline elements. For example, you could use horizontal lines rather than vertical ones to connect the events.

9. Is it possible to create a timeline with dynamic content using CSS?

While CSS is typically used to style and place content, JavaScript may be used to change the HTML and CSS to create a timeline with dynamic content. JavaScript can be used, for instance, to alter the timeline’s appearance depending on dynamic data or to add or remove timeline events based on user input.

10. Can I customize the colors and fonts used in a CSS timeline to match my website’s branding?

The CSS timeline’s colors and fonts can be changed to fit your website’s branding, yes. For the timeline elements, including the event titles, timeline labels, and background colors, you can create custom fonts and colors using CSS. This might aid in establishing a unified and consistent aesthetic theme throughout your website. Also, you may create reusable color and font styles with CSS variables that are simple to update across the entire page. It’s crucial to keep the timeline readable and understandable for all users by keeping accessibility in mind while selecting colors and fonts.

Ending thoughts on using a CSS timeline

If you thought timelines were just a straight vertical or horizontal line, you now know that they can be so much more than that. We’ve provided many versatile examples of timelines that are both functional and informative. They span the range from minimalistic to completely animated and interactive.

Regardless of the type or amount of information you want your CSS timeline to show, one of these examples will do the job. Give it your personal touch with an unusual option or color scheme.

Your website visitors will enjoy viewing information in an easily digestible format with one of these timelines. By choosing one of these recommended examples, you’ll help your visitors easily find the main points of information they want.

If you liked this article with CSS timeline examples, you should check out this one with CSS animation examples.

We also wrote about similar topics like CSS gallery examples, HTML calendar snippets, CSS input text examples, CSS accordion, CSS animated background, and styling radio buttons.