25 CSS FAQ Accordions12 / 25

Pure CSSMIT licensed

Animated + to − Icon Morph FAQ

The +/− morph elevated from "vertical bar fades out" to a piece of choreography: both bars of the plus rotate 180° together while the vertical bar's scale collapses, so the icon appears to twist itself into a minus. Built from two 2px pseudo-element bars — no SVG, no icon font — inside a tinted chip that swells on hover. Includes the overshoot variant (rotates past, settles back) and the reduced-motion story, because icon whimsy must never cost accessibility.

Published

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The code

<section class="cfa-12" aria-label="Plus to minus icon morph FAQ">
  <div class="cfa-12__wrap">
    <header class="cfa-12__head">
      <h1>Studio FAQ</h1>
      <p>Watch the plus twist itself into a minus — both bars rotate, one collapses along its length.</p>
    </header>
    <div class="cfa-12__list">
      <div class="cfa-12__item">
        <input type="checkbox" id="cfa12-q1" class="cfa-12__cb" checked>
        <label class="cfa-12__q" for="cfa12-q1">Do you take on freelance projects?<i class="cfa-12__ic" aria-hidden="true"></i></label>
        <div class="cfa-12__a"><div><p>Selectively — two or three a quarter, usually brand systems or product design sprints. Send a short brief with timeline and budget range; we reply within two business days either way.</p></div></div>
      </div>
      <div class="cfa-12__item">
        <input type="checkbox" id="cfa12-q2" class="cfa-12__cb">
        <label class="cfa-12__q" for="cfa12-q2">What does a typical engagement cost?<i class="cfa-12__ic" aria-hidden="true"></i></label>
        <div class="cfa-12__a"><div><p>Sprints start at $12k for two weeks; full brand systems run $40–90k depending on scope. Fixed-price after discovery — we don't bill hours, so a slow Tuesday is our problem, not yours.</p></div></div>
      </div>
      <div class="cfa-12__item">
        <input type="checkbox" id="cfa12-q3" class="cfa-12__cb">
        <label class="cfa-12__q" for="cfa12-q3">Can we hire you to work inside our team?<i class="cfa-12__ic" aria-hidden="true"></i></label>
        <div class="cfa-12__a"><div><p>Yes — embedded engagements of 1–3 months, joining your standups and shipping in your codebase or design system. It is the fastest way to transfer taste, not just deliverables.</p></div></div>
      </div>
      <div class="cfa-12__item">
        <input type="checkbox" id="cfa12-q4" class="cfa-12__cb">
        <label class="cfa-12__q" for="cfa12-q4">Who owns the work?<i class="cfa-12__ic" aria-hidden="true"></i></label>
        <div class="cfa-12__a"><div><p>You do, fully, on final payment — source files, fonts we licensed for you, the lot. We keep the right to show the work in our portfolio unless the contract says otherwise.</p></div></div>
      </div>
    </div>
    <p class="cfa-12__foot">The morph: <code>::before rotate 180°</code> + <code>::after rotate 180° &amp; scale 0 1</code>, one springy bezier. CodeFronts collection.</p>
  </div>
</section>
.cfa-12,
.cfa-12 *,
.cfa-12 *::before,
.cfa-12 *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.cfa-12 {
  --bg: oklch(0.2 0.03 145);
  --panel: oklch(0.25 0.035 148);
  --ink: oklch(0.96 0.01 140);
  --mut: oklch(0.72 0.03 142);
  --line: oklch(0.34 0.04 146);
  --acc: oklch(0.85 0.17 130);
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  min-height: 100svh;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  padding: clamp(20px,4vw,56px);
  background: radial-gradient(900px 600px at 0% 0%,oklch(0.27 0.06 130/.6),transparent 55%),var(--bg);
  font-family: 'Segoe UI',system-ui,sans-serif;
  color: var(--ink);
}

.cfa-12__wrap {
  width: min(100%,640px);
}

.cfa-12__head h1 {
  font-size: clamp(28px,4.5cqi,40px);
  font-weight: 800;
  letter-spacing: -.025em;
}

.cfa-12__head p {
  margin-top: 8px;
  font-size: 14.5px;
  line-height: 1.6;
  color: var(--mut);
}

.cfa-12__list {
  margin-top: 26px;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  gap: 10px;
}

.cfa-12__item {
  border: 1px solid var(--line);
  border-radius: 14px;
  background: var(--panel);
  overflow: hidden;
  transition: border-color .3s;
}

.cfa-12__item:has(.cfa-12__cb:checked) {
  border-color: color-mix(in oklch,var(--acc) 40%,var(--line));
}

.cfa-12__cb {
  position: absolute;
  opacity: 0;
  pointer-events: none;
}

.cfa-12__q {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: space-between;
  gap: 16px;
  min-height: 44px;
  padding: 16px 18px;
  cursor: pointer;
  font-size: 15.5px;
  font-weight: 650;
  letter-spacing: -.01em;
  transition: color .2s;
}

.cfa-12__q:hover {
  color: var(--acc);
}

.cfa-12__cb:focus-visible + .cfa-12__q {
  outline: 2px solid var(--acc);
  outline-offset: -2px;
  border-radius: 14px;
}

.cfa-12__ic {
  position: relative;
  flex: none;
  width: 26px;
  height: 26px;
  border-radius: 9px;
  background: color-mix(in oklch,var(--acc) 13%,transparent);
  color: var(--mut);
  transition: scale .25s,color .3s;
}

.cfa-12__q:hover .cfa-12__ic {
  scale: 1.12;
  color: var(--acc);
}

.cfa-12__cb:checked + .cfa-12__q .cfa-12__ic {
  color: var(--acc);
}

.cfa-12__ic::before,
.cfa-12__ic::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  margin: auto;
  width: 14px;
  height: 2px;
  border-radius: 2px;
  background: currentColor;
  transition: rotate .45s cubic-bezier(.5,-0.3,.3,1.3),scale .45s cubic-bezier(.5,-0.3,.3,1.3);
}

.cfa-12__ic::after {
  rotate: 90deg;
}

.cfa-12__cb:checked + .cfa-12__q .cfa-12__ic::before {
  rotate: 180deg;
}

.cfa-12__cb:checked + .cfa-12__q .cfa-12__ic::after {
  rotate: 180deg;
  scale: 0 1;
}

.cfa-12__a {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-rows: 0fr;
  transition: grid-template-rows .45s cubic-bezier(.4,0,.2,1);
}

.cfa-12__a>div {
  overflow: hidden;
  min-height: 0;
}

.cfa-12__a p {
  padding: 0 18px 17px;
  font-size: 14px;
  line-height: 1.7;
  color: var(--mut);
  max-width: 60ch;
}

.cfa-12__cb:checked ~ .cfa-12__a {
  grid-template-rows: 1fr;
}

.cfa-12__foot {
  margin-top: 22px;
  font-size: 12.5px;
  color: var(--mut);
}

.cfa-12__foot code {
  font-family: ui-monospace,Menlo,monospace;
  font-size: .88em;
  background: oklch(0.3 0.04 146);
  padding: 2px 6px;
  border-radius: 5px;
  color: var(--acc);
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .cfa-12 * {
    transition-duration: .01ms !important;
  }
}
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any coding assistant. The block below is pre-framed with everything the AI needs to integrate this demo into your project — markup, styles, scoping notes, and the source URL. Hit Copy and paste straight into your chat.
Here's a working CSS FAQ Accordion from CodeFronts. Use it as-is or adapt to your framework. All classes are scoped under a unique prefix so the code won't collide with your existing styles. MIT licensed.
Demo: Animated + to − Icon Morph FAQ
Source: https://codefronts.com/snippets/css-faq-accordion/animated-to-icon-morph-faq/

The +/− morph elevated from "vertical bar fades out" to a piece of choreography: both bars of the plus rotate 180° together while the vertical bar's scale collapses, so the icon appears to twist itself into a minus. Built from two 2px pseudo-element bars — no SVG, no icon font — inside a tinted chip that swells on hover. Includes the overshoot variant (rotates past, settles back) and the reduced-motion story, because icon whimsy must never cost accessibility.
## HTML
```html
<section class="cfa-12" aria-label="Plus to minus icon morph FAQ">
  <div class="cfa-12__wrap">
    <header class="cfa-12__head">
      <h1>Studio FAQ</h1>
      <p>Watch the plus twist itself into a minus — both bars rotate, one collapses along its length.</p>
    </header>
    <div class="cfa-12__list">
      <div class="cfa-12__item">
        <input type="checkbox" id="cfa12-q1" class="cfa-12__cb" checked>
        <label class="cfa-12__q" for="cfa12-q1">Do you take on freelance projects?<i class="cfa-12__ic" aria-hidden="true"></i></label>
        <div class="cfa-12__a"><div><p>Selectively — two or three a quarter, usually brand systems or product design sprints. Send a short brief with timeline and budget range; we reply within two business days either way.</p></div></div>
      </div>
      <div class="cfa-12__item">
        <input type="checkbox" id="cfa12-q2" class="cfa-12__cb">
        <label class="cfa-12__q" for="cfa12-q2">What does a typical engagement cost?<i class="cfa-12__ic" aria-hidden="true"></i></label>
        <div class="cfa-12__a"><div><p>Sprints start at $12k for two weeks; full brand systems run $40–90k depending on scope. Fixed-price after discovery — we don't bill hours, so a slow Tuesday is our problem, not yours.</p></div></div>
      </div>
      <div class="cfa-12__item">
        <input type="checkbox" id="cfa12-q3" class="cfa-12__cb">
        <label class="cfa-12__q" for="cfa12-q3">Can we hire you to work inside our team?<i class="cfa-12__ic" aria-hidden="true"></i></label>
        <div class="cfa-12__a"><div><p>Yes — embedded engagements of 1–3 months, joining your standups and shipping in your codebase or design system. It is the fastest way to transfer taste, not just deliverables.</p></div></div>
      </div>
      <div class="cfa-12__item">
        <input type="checkbox" id="cfa12-q4" class="cfa-12__cb">
        <label class="cfa-12__q" for="cfa12-q4">Who owns the work?<i class="cfa-12__ic" aria-hidden="true"></i></label>
        <div class="cfa-12__a"><div><p>You do, fully, on final payment — source files, fonts we licensed for you, the lot. We keep the right to show the work in our portfolio unless the contract says otherwise.</p></div></div>
      </div>
    </div>
    <p class="cfa-12__foot">The morph: <code>::before rotate 180°</code> + <code>::after rotate 180° &amp; scale 0 1</code>, one springy bezier. CodeFronts collection.</p>
  </div>
</section>
```
## CSS
```css
.cfa-12,
.cfa-12 *,
.cfa-12 *::before,
.cfa-12 *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.cfa-12 {
  --bg: oklch(0.2 0.03 145);
  --panel: oklch(0.25 0.035 148);
  --ink: oklch(0.96 0.01 140);
  --mut: oklch(0.72 0.03 142);
  --line: oklch(0.34 0.04 146);
  --acc: oklch(0.85 0.17 130);
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  min-height: 100svh;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  padding: clamp(20px,4vw,56px);
  background: radial-gradient(900px 600px at 0% 0%,oklch(0.27 0.06 130/.6),transparent 55%),var(--bg);
  font-family: 'Segoe UI',system-ui,sans-serif;
  color: var(--ink);
}

.cfa-12__wrap {
  width: min(100%,640px);
}

.cfa-12__head h1 {
  font-size: clamp(28px,4.5cqi,40px);
  font-weight: 800;
  letter-spacing: -.025em;
}

.cfa-12__head p {
  margin-top: 8px;
  font-size: 14.5px;
  line-height: 1.6;
  color: var(--mut);
}

.cfa-12__list {
  margin-top: 26px;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  gap: 10px;
}

.cfa-12__item {
  border: 1px solid var(--line);
  border-radius: 14px;
  background: var(--panel);
  overflow: hidden;
  transition: border-color .3s;
}

.cfa-12__item:has(.cfa-12__cb:checked) {
  border-color: color-mix(in oklch,var(--acc) 40%,var(--line));
}

.cfa-12__cb {
  position: absolute;
  opacity: 0;
  pointer-events: none;
}

.cfa-12__q {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: space-between;
  gap: 16px;
  min-height: 44px;
  padding: 16px 18px;
  cursor: pointer;
  font-size: 15.5px;
  font-weight: 650;
  letter-spacing: -.01em;
  transition: color .2s;
}

.cfa-12__q:hover {
  color: var(--acc);
}

.cfa-12__cb:focus-visible + .cfa-12__q {
  outline: 2px solid var(--acc);
  outline-offset: -2px;
  border-radius: 14px;
}

.cfa-12__ic {
  position: relative;
  flex: none;
  width: 26px;
  height: 26px;
  border-radius: 9px;
  background: color-mix(in oklch,var(--acc) 13%,transparent);
  color: var(--mut);
  transition: scale .25s,color .3s;
}

.cfa-12__q:hover .cfa-12__ic {
  scale: 1.12;
  color: var(--acc);
}

.cfa-12__cb:checked + .cfa-12__q .cfa-12__ic {
  color: var(--acc);
}

.cfa-12__ic::before,
.cfa-12__ic::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  margin: auto;
  width: 14px;
  height: 2px;
  border-radius: 2px;
  background: currentColor;
  transition: rotate .45s cubic-bezier(.5,-0.3,.3,1.3),scale .45s cubic-bezier(.5,-0.3,.3,1.3);
}

.cfa-12__ic::after {
  rotate: 90deg;
}

.cfa-12__cb:checked + .cfa-12__q .cfa-12__ic::before {
  rotate: 180deg;
}

.cfa-12__cb:checked + .cfa-12__q .cfa-12__ic::after {
  rotate: 180deg;
  scale: 0 1;
}

.cfa-12__a {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-rows: 0fr;
  transition: grid-template-rows .45s cubic-bezier(.4,0,.2,1);
}

.cfa-12__a>div {
  overflow: hidden;
  min-height: 0;
}

.cfa-12__a p {
  padding: 0 18px 17px;
  font-size: 14px;
  line-height: 1.7;
  color: var(--mut);
  max-width: 60ch;
}

.cfa-12__cb:checked ~ .cfa-12__a {
  grid-template-rows: 1fr;
}

.cfa-12__foot {
  margin-top: 22px;
  font-size: 12.5px;
  color: var(--mut);
}

.cfa-12__foot code {
  font-family: ui-monospace,Menlo,monospace;
  font-size: .88em;
  background: oklch(0.3 0.04 146);
  padding: 2px 6px;
  border-radius: 5px;
  color: var(--acc);
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .cfa-12 * {
    transition-duration: .01ms !important;
  }
}
```

How this works

Two bars, one shared box, all pseudo-elements:

.ic{ position:relative; width:26px; height:26px }
.ic::before, .ic::after{
  content:""; position:absolute; inset:0; margin:auto;
  width:14px; height:2px; border-radius:2px;
  background:currentColor;
  transition:rotate .45s cubic-bezier(.5,-0.3,.3,1.3), scale .45s;
}
.ic::after{ rotate:90deg }              /* the vertical bar */

The naive morph just fades ::after out — functional, forgettable. The choreographed version animates both bars so the whole glyph appears to rotate while it loses a limb:

[open] .ic::before{ rotate:180deg }     /* − : travels half-turn  */
[open] .ic::after { rotate:180deg; scale:0 1 }  /* collapses lengthwise */

scale:0 1 is the elegant bit — the vertical bar shrinks along its own length (x-axis of the un-rotated bar) rather than fading, so mid-animation the glyph passes through a genuine ✕-ish shape before settling as −. The custom bezier with a negative and an over-one value adds a few degrees of overshoot: the icon twists slightly past horizontal and settles back — physical, toy-like, and free.

Because the icon is drawn with currentColor, the open-state color shift (mut → accent) comes from one color declaration on the chip, and the bars follow.

Make it yours

  • Calm version: swap the springy bezier for cubic-bezier(.4,0,.2,1) and delete the scale — the classic quiet morph.
  • × close-affordance variant: [open] rotate the bars to 45deg/135deg instead — plus becomes a close ✕; good for accordions that behave like dismissible drawers.
  • Chip styling: the 26px tinted rounded square is the hit-affordance; make it a circle or drop it for naked bars on minimal designs (demo 08).
  • Size: bars scale from the two width/height custom sizes — keep bar thickness ≥2px or sub-pixel rendering shimmers during rotation.

Gotchas — read before shipping

  • Animate rotate and scale (individual properties), never transform — the two bars share transition timing but different end states, and composed transforms overwrite each other.
  • inset:0;margin:auto centers the bars only when the parent has position:relative — the classic invisible-icon bug.
  • The overshoot bezier (values outside 0–1) looks broken at durations over ~600ms; keep it 350–500ms.
  • prefers-reduced-motion must kill the twist: the state change stays visible (bar count changes), so reducing to near-instant loses nothing functionally.

Browser support

ChromeSafariFirefoxEdge
111+16.2+121+111+

Floor set by :has(), oklch(), color-mix() as this demo is written. The core technique itself goes back further — Chrome 104+.

Individual rotate/scale properties, 2022-settled. Everything else is universal. oklch cosmetics; grid-rows animation per demo 10's floors.

Techniques used in this demo

:has()MDN ↗color-mix()MDN ↗radial-gradient()MDN ↗grid-templateMDN ↗clamp()MDN ↗place-items / place-contentMDN ↗

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