🎨 Glassmorphism: A Modern Design Pattern for Web Apps
September 18, 2025 • by ELF.js Team
In the ever-evolving world of web design, glassmorphism has emerged as a bold new trend that combines transparency, blur, and light effects to create visually striking interfaces that feel modern and immersive. In this post, we'll explore how to implement this design pattern using ELF.js while maintaining performance and accessibility standards.
What is Glassmorphism?
Glassmorphism is a design aesthetic that mimics frosted glass effects through the use of backdrop filters, transparency, and soft shadows. It creates a sense of depth while maintaining clarity, and can work beautifully with modern UI frameworks like ELF.js.
Before
After Glassmorphism
Implementation with ELF.js
.glass-card {
background: rgba(0 0 0 0.1);
backdrop-filter: blur(12px) brightness(90%);
border: 1 px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.05);
border-radius: 16 px;
padding: 24 px;
box-shadow: 0 1 2 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
}These CSS properties create the frosted glass effect. ELF.js components can integrate these styles through our style engine or custom CSS.
For accessibility, ensure sufficient contrast between text and the frosted background. Use color utilities to maintain contrast ratios when combining glassmorphism with other visual elements.
Performance Optimization
Glassmorphism can be resource intensive when used improperly. Use the following optimization techniques:
Use hardware accelerated blur by applying transforms
Limit application of back-drop filters to necessary elements
Use will-change: backdrop-filter for complex animations
While glassmorphism is visually appealing, it may cause performance issues on lower-end devices. Consider conditional implementations using device detection or performance metrics monitoring.
Want More Design Inspiration?
Explore the ELF.js component library for ready-made glassmorphism components that you can integrate into your projects with just a few imports.
View Components →