Hinge Drop Text: CSS Text Animation

Hinge Drop Text

A CLOSED sign loses its right nail, drops, and swings on the left one before settling at a crooked tilt. A damped rotation around the remaining nail that plays once and stays put.

Also known as: hinge animation css, falling sign text, broken sign effect.

CLOSED

Color Font size 40px Dark background

HTML

<div class="txt-hinge-drop-text"><span class="txt-hinge-drop-text-sign">CLOSED</span></div>

CSS

.txt-hinge-drop-text {
  --c: var(--txt-color, #3b82f6);
  font-size: calc(var(--txt-size, 32px) * 1.2);
  font-family: system-ui, sans-serif;
  font-weight: 800;
  line-height: 1.2;
  display: inline-block;
  padding-bottom: 1.4em; /* room for the drop */}
.txt-hinge-drop-text-sign {
  position: relative;
  display: inline-block;
  padding: 0.3em 0.7em;
  border: 0.07em solid var(--c);
  border-radius: 0.12em;
  color: var(--c);
  letter-spacing: 0.12em;
  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 10%, transparent);
  transform-origin: 0.3em 0.3em; /* the nail that holds */
  animation: txt-hinge-drop-text-swing 2.4s both;
}
/* the two nails: the left one holds, the right one pops out */
.txt-hinge-drop-text-sign::before,
.txt-hinge-drop-text-sign::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  top: 0.22em;
  width: 0.16em;
  height: 0.16em;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: var(--c);
}
.txt-hinge-drop-text-sign::before {
  left: 0.22em;
}
.txt-hinge-drop-text-sign::after {
  right: 0.22em;
  animation: txt-hinge-drop-text-nail 2.4s both;
}
@keyframes txt-hinge-drop-text-swing {
  0%, 20% { transform: rotate(0deg); }
  23%     { transform: rotate(-1.5deg); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.9, 0.5); }
  38%     { transform: rotate(21deg); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.3, 0, 0.5, 1); }
  52%     { transform: rotate(7deg); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.5, 1); }
  64%     { transform: rotate(16deg); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.5, 1); }
  75%     { transform: rotate(10.5deg); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.5, 1); }
  85%     { transform: rotate(13.5deg); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.5, 1); }
  100%    { transform: rotate(12deg); }
}
@keyframes txt-hinge-drop-text-nail {
  0%, 22% { opacity: 1; transform: none; }
  40%     { opacity: 0; transform: translate(0.3em, 1.2em) rotate(120deg); }
  100%    { opacity: 0; transform: translate(0.3em, 1.2em) rotate(120deg); }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .txt-hinge-drop-text, .txt-hinge-drop-text *, .txt-hinge-drop-text::before, .txt-hinge-drop-text::after, .txt-hinge-drop-text *::before, .txt-hinge-drop-text *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

Customizing this snippet

Color: set --txt-color on the element or a parent. Currently previewing #3b82f6.
Font size: set --txt-size. Every other dimension is in em, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing 40px.
Speed: change the duration on the transition or animation shorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm.
Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.

Hinge Drop Text

HTML

CSS

Customizing this snippet

Similar text animations