Frontend Mentor - Chat App CSS Illustration Solution

This is a solution to the Chat app CSS illustration challenge on Frontend Mentor. Frontend Mentor challenges help you improve your coding skills by building realistic projects.

Overview

The challenge

Users should be able to:

• ✅ View the optimal layout for the component depending on their device's screen size
• ✅ See a realistic chat interface with proper message styling
• ✅ View pricing options with interactive-looking radio buttons
• ✅ Experience a responsive design that works on mobile and desktop

My process

Built with

• ✨ Semantic HTML5 markup - Proper structure with sections, headers, and ARIA labels
• 🎨 CSS custom properties - Using HSL color values from the style guide
• 📱 Flexbox - For layout and alignment
• 📐 Mobile-first workflow - Responsive design starting from 375px
• 🔤 Google Fonts - Rubik font family with multiple weights
• 🎯 CSS Gradients - Linear gradients for backgrounds and chat header
• 🖼️ SVG Icons - Custom SVG icons for buttons and interface elements

What I learned

This project was an excellent exercise in creating realistic UI components with pure CSS. Here are some key learnings:

1. Creating a realistic phone mockup:

.phone {
  width: 247px;
  height: 505px;
  background: white;
  border-radius: 30px;
  padding: 11px;
  box-shadow: 0 30px 60px -10px rgba(62, 39, 83, 0.25);
}

2. Implementing chat bubble styling:

.message--received p {
  background: hsl(270, 20%, 96%);
  color: hsl(276, 55%, 52%);
  border-bottom-left-radius: 4px;
}

.message--sent p {
  background: white;
  color: hsl(271, 15%, 43%);
  border-bottom-right-radius: 4px;
  box-shadow: 0 10px 5px -5px rgba(62, 39, 83, 0.05);
}

3. Creating gradient pricing cards:

.message--pricing .pricing-option {
  background: linear-gradient(225deg, hsl(293, 100%, 63%) 0%, hsl(264, 100%, 61%) 100%);
  color: white;
  padding: 10px 8px;
  border-radius: 10px 10px 4px 10px;
}

Key features

• 📱 Responsive Design: Works perfectly on mobile (375px) and desktop (1440px)