Heartbeat Loader
A CSS-drawn heart that beats with a double thump. Built from two rotated pseudo-elements, no SVG or icon font required.
HTML
<div class="ldr-heart" role="status" aria-label="Loading"></div>
CSS
.ldr-heart {
--s: var(--ldr-size, 48px);
--c: var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6);
position: relative;
width: var(--s);
height: calc(var(--s) * 0.9);
animation: ldr-heart-beat 1.2s ease-in-out infinite;
}
.ldr-heart::before,
.ldr-heart::after {
content: "";
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 50%;
width: 50%;
height: 80%;
background: var(--c);
border-radius: calc(var(--s) / 2) calc(var(--s) / 2) 0 0;
transform: rotate(-45deg);
transform-origin: 0 100%;
}
.ldr-heart::after {
left: 0;
transform: rotate(45deg);
transform-origin: 100% 100%;
}
@keyframes ldr-heart-beat {
0%, 100% { transform: scale(1); }
14% { transform: scale(1.12); }
28% { transform: scale(1); }
42% { transform: scale(1.12); }
70% { transform: scale(1); }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.ldr-heart, .ldr-heart *, .ldr-heart::before, .ldr-heart::after {
animation-duration: 3s;
}
}Customizing this loader
- Color: set
--ldr-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Size: set
--ldr-size. Every dimension in the snippet is derived from it. Currently previewing64px. - Speed: change the duration on the
animationshorthand. Delays on the children are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Accessibility: the root carries
role="status"and anaria-labelso screen readers announce the wait. The reduced-motion rule at the end slows the animation for users who asked for less motion.