Yeah yeah, I know. There's the original that looked like it was coded on a typewriter. Then Mr. "I discovered max-width" came along bragging about his 7 magnificent CSS declarations like he just invented the printing press. Wow, you added padding. Someone call the fucking Nobel Prize committee.
Then the "best" guy shows up with his BDSM-themed color scheme—red text on black like we're all visiting a haunted house website from 2003. But wait, there's more! You get sliders! To adjust... the contrast. By 1%. Because that's definitely what people want to do with their time. "Hold on, let me just fine-tune my eyestrain real quick."
And now here I am, adding to this beautiful shitshow. The fucking audacity, right?
But here's the thing—and I hate that I'm about to make an actual point here—this website uses exactly 20 lines of CSS. Not 7 because I'm cosplaying as a minimalist. Not 700 because I have commitment issues. Twenty. Because believe it or not, that's the sweet spot between "looks like a terminal window" and "looks like a Vegas slot machine."
Oh, you want a list? Fine. Here's what 20 lines of CSS gets you, you absolute child:
Look, I get it. The first guy made a point. Over-design is trash. But my man literally submitted a <body> tag with some text and called it a day. That's not minimalism, that's just being lazy with extra steps. Your website shouldn't look like someone's first day learning HTML. "Ooh look, I can make a heading!" Yeah, congrats, you're very special.
This guy discovered max-width and line-height and apparently decided he was the Michelangelo of web design. "Oh, I'll add some margins too. Revolutionary." Seven lines of CSS and he's out here acting like he just solved world hunger. It's still ugly as shit, buddy. It just has margins now. It's like putting a bowtie on a potato and calling it formal wear.
Then we have the guy who said "You know what websites need? MORE KNOBS." Red text on black background like it's a hacker movie from 1995. But wait! You can adjust it! With sliders! So many sliders! Adjust the contrast! The line spacing! The fucking kerning probably! It's like someone made a Photoshop preferences panel into a website. Nobody wants this. This is what happens when you let a designer do cocaine and open Figma.
I know, I know. I'm part of the problem. I'm literally adding another website to this stupid chain. But fuck it, someone had to do it right.
20 lines of CSS. That's it. That's the magic number.
Not too little like you're allergic to design. Not too much like you're trying to impress your Dribbble followers. Just enough to make something that looks good and doesn't waste anyone's time.
This website has proper typography that won't give you a headache. Comfortable spacing so the words aren't fucking humping each other. Colors that won't make you want to claw your eyes out. It works on your phone, your tablet, that weird ultrawide monitor you bought during the pandemic. Hell, it even has dark mode because apparently we live in the future now.
No bare-ass HTML that looks like a man page. No industrial-goth color scheme. No sliders to adjust the fucking baseline grid. Just a website that looks good and gets out of your way.
Wild concept, I know.
All these websites—including this one, yes I'm self-aware—are basically just different flavors of the same rant: web designers need to chill the fuck out.
But here's the thing everyone keeps missing while they're busy counting CSS declarations: good design just fucking works. It's not a competition to see who can use the least code. It's not about showing off your Figma skills. It's about making something that looks decent, loads fast, and doesn't make people want to close the tab immediately.
Is 20 lines the perfect number? Fuck no. Maybe you need 15. Maybe you need 25. Maybe you're building a web app and you need 2000. I don't give a shit. The point is: use enough CSS to make it not look like ass, then stop.
"Good design is as little design as possible—but no less." — Some German dude who made furniture
There's not going to be a "perfect" or "ultimate" or "supreme" or whatever superlative you assholes come up with next. The debate is over. I'm calling it. This is the last one. Don't make me come back here.
Not 7 lines because you're cosplaying as a minimalist on Twitter. Not 700 lines because you watched one YouTube video about design systems. 20 lines of CSS. Boom. Done. Next question.
You want a good website? You're literally looking at it. It's clean. It's readable. It works on your shitty phone and your fancy 4K monitor. It doesn't burn your retinas. It doesn't look like a terminal from 1987. It doesn't have a fucking settings panel.
It's just... good. And that's enough.
Oh, you thought this was serious? I mean, it is. But also it isn't. It's Schrödinger's rant. I'm fully aware that I'm adding to the exact problem I'm complaining about. I literally bought a domain to make this point. The irony is not lost on me.
But here's the thing—and I'm going to get all sincere for a second which is disgusting—the point stands: stop overthinking your fucking website. Make it look good enough that people don't immediately leave. Make it fast enough that it doesn't piss people off. Make it accessible because you're not a monster. Then ship it and move on with your life.
20 lines of CSS? Sure, why not. 30? Fine. 15? Great. 7? If you want your website to look like a notepad document, be my guest. 200? Okay, maybe you're building an actual app. The number doesn't matter. The point is: make it good for what it needs to do, then stop fucking with it.
Now get out of here. Stop reading about websites. Go build one. Or don't. I'm not your dad.
This website was made with exactly 20 lines of CSS because that's what it took to make it look good without making me want to die. Is it the perfect number? Who fucking cares. Looking for a good website? This is one of them.