Neumorphic Style Navbar Template

This neumorphic style navbar offers an interesting style to consider. It's also mobile-responsive and accessible. Copy and paste the code straight into your own web projects.

Screenshot of the neumorphic navbar template

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Features

The neumorphic navbar uses soft, extruded plastic-like UI elements. Relies on subtle inner and outer shadows to create the effect. Looks best on off-white or light grey backgrounds.

Features of the template include:

Aesthetic: Achieves the "soft UI" or extruded plastic look characteristic of neumorphism. It relies on subtle, offset shadows on a low-contrast background.
Shadows & Color: The core effect is created by using a light shadow from the top-left and a dark shadow from the bottom-right. The entire component, including the body background, uses a light, off-white/grey color palette which is essential for this style.
Interactivity: When a user hovers over or clicks a button, the shadows invert and become "inset," giving the satisfying illusion that the element is being pushed into the page.
Accessibility:
- Contrast: While neumorphism is a low-contrast style, the text color has been chosen specifically to meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast requirements against the background, ensuring readability.
- Focus: A clear, visible focus ring (:focus-visible) is implemented for keyboard navigators, which is crucial for a style where interactive elements can be visually subtle.
- ARIA: Proper ARIA attributes (aria-label, aria-controls, aria-expanded) are used for the mobile navigation toggle to ensure it is understandable to screen reader users.
Best Practices: Built mobile-first and uses CSS custom properties, making it easy to tweak the colors and shadow values. The HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are cleanly structured and commented.

Code

Here's the full code for the navbar template:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Neumorphic Navbar</title>
    <style>
        /*
        ========================================
        CSS Custom Properties (Neumorphic Theme)
        ========================================
        This theme is defined by a primary background color and its
        corresponding light and dark shadow colors. Text and accent colors
        are chosen to be accessible.
        */
        :root {
            --color-background: #e0e5ec;
            --color-text: #5b667a;
            --color-primary: #007bff;
            
            /* The key to neumorphism: light and dark shadows */
            --color-light-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9);
            --color-dark-shadow: rgba(163, 177, 198, 0.6);

--font-family-sans-serif: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;
            --font-weight-bold: 600;

/* Neumorphism requires soft shapes */
            --border-radius-soft: 12px;
            
            --navbar-height: 80px;
            --navbar-padding: 1.5rem;
            --container-width: 1140px;
            --transition-speed: 0.2s;
        }

/*
        ========================================
        Global Resets & Neumorphic Base Styles
        ========================================
        */
        *,
        *::before,
        *::after {
            box-sizing: border-box;
        }

body {
            margin: 0;
            font-family: var(--font-family-sans-serif);
            font-size: 1rem;
            line-height: 1.5;
            color: var(--color-text);
            /* This is critical: the body must have the base color for the effect to work. */
            background-color: var(--color-background);
        }

/* Add some placeholder content */
        body::after {
            content: 'Scroll down to observe the navbar. The neumorphic effect is created with carefully layered box-shadows on a soft, off-white background.';
            display: block;
            text-align: center;
            height: 200vh;
            padding: 5rem 1rem;
            color: #9aa7bb;
        }
        
        ul { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; }
        a { text-decoration: none; color: inherit; }

/*
        ========================================
        Main Navbar Structure
        ========================================
        The main navbar gets the "extruded" or "pushed out" effect.
        */
        .navbar {
            height: var(--navbar-height);
            display: flex;
            align-items: center;
            background-color: var(--color-background);
            box-shadow: 6px 6px 12px var(--color-dark-shadow),
                       -6px -6px 12px var(--color-light-shadow);
        }

.navbar__container {
            display: flex;
            justify-content: space-between;
            align-items: center;
            width: 100%;
            max-width: var(--container-width);
            margin: 0 auto;
            padding: 0 var(--navbar-padding);
        }
        
        .navbar__brand {
            font-size: 1.5rem;
            font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold);
        }

/*
        ========================================
        Mobile Menu & Hamburger Toggle
        ========================================
        The toggle button is a prime example of a neumorphic element.
        */
        .navbar__toggle {
            display: flex;
            justify-content: center;
            align-items: center;
            width: 50px;
            height: 50px;
            border: none;
            border-radius: var(--border-radius-soft);
            background: var(--color-background);
            cursor: pointer;
            z-index: 1001; 
            box-shadow: 4px 4px 8px var(--color-dark-shadow),
                       -4px -4px 8px var(--color-light-shadow);
            transition: box-shadow var(--transition-speed) ease;
        }
        
        /* On press, the button looks "pushed in" */
        .navbar__toggle:active,
        .navbar__toggle.is-active {
            box-shadow: inset 4px 4px 8px var(--color-dark-shadow),
                        inset -4px -4px 8px var(--color-light-shadow);
        }

.navbar__toggle .bar {
            display: block;
            width: 25px;
            height: 3px;
            background-color: var(--color-text);
            transition: all var(--transition-speed) ease-in-out;
            border-radius: 3px;
        }

/* Use relative positioning for easier transform origin control */
        .navbar__toggle .bar {
            position: relative;
        }

.navbar__toggle .bar::before,
        .navbar__toggle .bar::after {
            content: '';
            position: absolute;
            left: 0;
            width: 100%;
            height: 100%;
            background-color: var(--color-text);
            border-radius: 3px;
            transition: transform var(--transition-speed) ease-in-out;
        }

.navbar__toggle .bar::before { transform: translateY(-8px); }
        .navbar__toggle .bar::after { transform: translateY(8px); }

/* 'X' animation on active state */
        .navbar__toggle.is-active .bar { background-color: transparent; }
        .navbar__toggle.is-active .bar::before { transform: translateY(0) rotate(45deg); }
        .navbar__toggle.is-active .bar::after { transform: translateY(0) rotate(-45deg); }
        
        .navbar__menu {
            display: none;
            flex-direction: column;
            width: 100%;
            position: absolute;
            top: var(--navbar-height);
            left: 0;
            background-color: var(--color-background);
            padding: 1rem 0;
            box-shadow: 6px 6px 12px var(--color-dark-shadow);
            z-index: 1000;
        }
        
        .navbar__menu.is-active { display: flex; }

.navbar__item { text-align: center; }

.navbar__link {
            display: block;
            padding: 1.5rem;
            font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold);
            transition: color var(--transition-speed) ease;
        }
        
        .navbar__link:hover, .navbar__link:focus {
             color: var(--color-primary);
        }
        
        /* A clearly visible, accessible focus outline */
        :is(.navbar__toggle, .navbar__link):focus-visible {
            outline: 2px solid var(--color-primary);
            outline-offset: 4px;
            border-radius: var(--border-radius-soft);
        }
        
        /* Remove default button focus for aesthetic harmony with focus-visible */
        .navbar__toggle:focus {
            outline: none;
        }

/*
        ========================================
        Desktop Navbar Styles (Responsive)
        ========================================
        */
        @media (min-width: 768px) {
            .navbar__toggle {
                display: none;
            }

.navbar {
                box-shadow: none; /* The main bar becomes flat */
                background: transparent;
            }

.navbar__menu {
                display: flex;
                flex-direction: row;
                align-items: center;
                position: static;
                width: auto;
                background-color: transparent;
                padding: 0;
                box-shadow: none;
            }

.navbar__list {
                display: flex;
                align-items: center;
            }

.navbar__item { margin-left: 0.5rem; }

.navbar__link {
                display: block;
                padding: 0.75rem 1.25rem;
                border-radius: var(--border-radius-soft);
                box-shadow: 4px 4px 8px var(--color-dark-shadow),
                           -4px -4px 8px var(--color-light-shadow);
                transition: box-shadow var(--transition-speed) ease, color var(--transition-speed) ease;
            }

/* The "pushed in" effect on hover/focus */
            .navbar__link:hover, .navbar__link:focus, .navbar__link--active {
                box-shadow: inset 4px 4px 8px var(--color-dark-shadow),
                            inset -4px -4px 8px var(--color-light-shadow);
                color: var(--color-primary);
            }

.navbar__item--cta { margin-left: 1rem; }

.navbar__link--cta {
                font-weight: var(--font-weight-bold);
                color: var(--color-primary);
            }
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>

<header class="navbar" role="banner">
        <div class="navbar__container">
            <a href="#" class="navbar__brand">NeuBrand</a>
            
            <button class="navbar__toggle" 
                    id="navbarToggle" 
                    aria-label="Toggle navigation" 
                    aria-controls="navbarMenu" 
                    aria-expanded="false">
                <span class="bar"></span>
            </button>
            
            <nav id="navbarMenu" class="navbar__menu" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="navbarToggle">
                <ul class="navbar__list">
                    
                    <li class="navbar__item"><a href="#" class="navbar__link navbar__link--active">Home</a></li>
                    <li class="navbar__item"><a href="#" class="navbar__link">Products</a></li>
                    <li class="navbar__item"><a href="#" class="navbar__link">Showcase</a></li>
                    <li class="navbar__item navbar__item--cta">
                        <a href="#" class="navbar__link navbar__link--cta">Login</a>
                    </li>
                </ul>
            </nav>
        </div>
    </header>
    
    <script>
        // A self-contained, accessible script to toggle the mobile menu.
        document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
            const navbarToggle = document.getElementById('navbarToggle');
            const navbarMenu = document.getElementById('navbarMenu');

if (navbarToggle && navbarMenu) {
                navbarToggle.addEventListener('click', function () {
                    // Toggle the .is-active class on both the toggle button and the menu
                    navbarToggle.classList.toggle('is-active');
                    navbarMenu.classList.toggle('is-active');

// Update the aria-expanded attribute for screen readers
                    const isExpanded = navbarToggle.getAttribute('aria-expanded') === 'true';
                    navbarToggle.setAttribute('aria-expanded', !isExpanded);
                });
            }
        });
    </script>

</body>
</html>

View Output