Floats are dead Long live floats
The article discusses the evolving use of the float property in front-end development. While using floats for layout is considered outdated, the property still has valuable applications when used correctly. It highlights techniques for utilizing floats effectively, such as creating editorial designs and custom shapes.
- ▪Floats are no longer the primary method for layout in web design.
- ▪The float property can still be useful for specific purposes, like floating images alongside text.
- ▪New techniques allow for creative uses of floats, including custom shapes and editorial layouts.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Silverorange BlogFloats are dead! Long live floats!Maureen HollandMay 19, 2026For a long time, front-end developers had a limited number of layout styling options. This resulted in some creative hacks around the existing browser features. The float property, in particular, was wrangled into many configurations now much better suited to multi-column, flex, or grid layouts. Using floats for layout is… not fun. It’s kind of like using a screwdriver as a hammer. You might manage to bash a nail mostly into place, but it’s fundamentally the wrong tool for the job. Now we have better tools and fewer hacks, we can have a lot more fun with floats. Here are a few ways to use floats to their true purpose: floating things! Classic Pick float side Left Right We have text and an image.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Silverorange.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Silverorange
