Creating a Masonry Layout with CSS

You can use Masonry layouts for organizing content properly in the grid, where elements fit in the available vertical space. You can use it in image galleries, portfolios, or blogs to create an attractive web design with easy navigation. In older days, people were dependent on JavaScript and Bootstrap for this process. But now, you can do this with CSS, it will give you a clean masonry layout without needing extra frameworks.

Table of Contents:

• What is Masonry Layout?
• Why Use CSS-Only Masonry?
• Methods to Create CSS-Only Masonry Layouts
  • Method 1: CSS Grid with Auto-Placement
  • Method 2: CSS Columns for Masonry Effect
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Approach
• Best Practices
• Conclusion

What is Masonry Layout?

A masonry layout is a flexible grid that makes the items fit in the available space without simply aligning in rows and columns. You can use this layout for aligning the elements in a design with elements having different heights, which makes sure no space is wasted and gives you a clean layout. 

Why Use CSS-Only Masonry?

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You can use CSS-only solutions over JavaScript libraries like Masonry.js, which gives you many advantages. It helps you enhance the performance by reducing the runtime and speeding up page load times from JavaScript. You can also use CSS to make the code look simpler without using external libraries. It is considered to be accessible and works better with screen readers. You can also update it easily compared to JavaScript. 

Methods to Create CSS-Only Masonry Layouts

You can use methods like CSS Grid with Auto-Placement and CSS columns for a masonry effect. Let us discuss them below: 

Method 1: CSS Grid with Auto-Placement

You can use CSS Grid as a layout tool for controlling. In this method, you can use grid-auto-flow: dense for creating a masonry effect for organizing items. 

Example:

Output:

Method 2: CSS Columns for Masonry Effect

You can also use CSS columns to create a masonry layout. You can use this method if you want to arrange the items in a vertical column. But controlling property is not precise for positioning the elements. It is most suitable for simpler layouts. 

Example:

Output:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Approach

Best Practices

• You can use a media query to adjust column counts or grid size for the smaller screen.
• You can avoid the fixed height by setting their own height so the layout looks good. 
• You can apply the aspect ratio constraints to maintain a balanced look.
• If a browser doesn’t support CSS Grid or Columns, you can use a masonry layout.

Conclusion 

You can use CSS-only masonry layouts for creating a good-looking design for image galleries, portfolios, or blogs. You can use CSS Grid with auto-placement or CSS Columns to create a flexible layout without depending on JavaScript or external libraries. It can also improve performance and provide better alignment. 

CSS-only Masonry Layout – FAQs