When it comes to website navigation, the old rule of thumb is that content should never be more than a click or two away. It’s about making sure users can get what they want without jumping through hoops.
But the more content you have, the more difficult it is to organize navigation. Long drop down menus or those with multiple levels of nesting can be a pain to use. They are more likely to send potential customers to another site than entice them to explore yours.
That’s where a well-designed mega menu can make a difference. They provide a way to neatly organize menu items and allow users to find exactly what they want.
They are also extremely flexible. In addition to text, they can include anything from images to search UI – all using standard CSS layout techniques.
Today, we’ll share 8 CSS and JavaScript snippets for building megaboards. You’ll find everything from simple text-based navigation to richly styled UIs. Here we go!
Giant Headers & Mega Menus by Sicontis
While animation can be awesome, it can hinder basic tasks like navigation. This item does a great job of avoiding that trap by going full screen. Click on the “hamburger” icon and a large, easy-to-read menu appears. A bit of serenity to improve the user experience (UX).
Check out the Codepen Pen Challenge; Giant Headers/Megaboards by Sicontis
CSS Pure Mega Menu Navigation by Another Nick
Sometimes less really is in a mega menu. This simple text-based snippet makes full use of CSS. No bloated JavaScript or unnecessary special effects. It’s just a solid foundation for organizing content.
See Mega Pen Pure CSS Menu Navigation by Nick Else
Clean Foundation Mega Menu by Endre CZÖVEK
If you’re working with a CSS framework like Foundation, you’ll probably end up building a mega menu. In this example, the author used the framework’s built-in features to create a clean aesthetic. The addition of icons and images make this menu a breeze to navigate and a pleasure to look at.
See the Untitled Pen by Endre CZÖVEK
Multi Column Mega Menu by Reza Baharvand
This highly stylized mega menu offers plenty of visual inspiration. It also draws your attention to sub-menus that stretch for miles that include multiple columns and images. It adjusts nicely to mobile, catering to those who are used to long scrolls.
See Reza Baharvand’s Untitled Pen
Mega Flexy Sexy menu by Mike Torosian
There is a lot to love about this piece. The menu is organized, attractive, and offers enough pizzazz to impress users. It combines SVG and jQuery animations to create a very intuitive UI.
Check out Mike Torosian’s Sexy Flexy Mega Pen Menu
Vertical Mega Menu with CSS Pure by Syakir Rahman
Mega menus are not just horizontal affairs – and this item is to be created. Built with pure CSS, it features slick reveal animations and clean layouts. This can be an excellent solution for e-commerce stores that have too many product categories to fit into a traditional navigation bar.
Check out the Mega Vertical Menu with Pure CSS by Syakir Rahman
Bootstrap Header & Hero Menu by Benjamin
Based on Bootstrap, you will find both dropdowns and mega menus in this example. The combination of smart color usage (especially the blue border at the top of each sub-menu) and an attractive layout works well here. It results in an overall pleasant navigation experience.
View Pen Front – Header & Hero by Benjamin
Diagonal Mega menu by Tim Normington
This snippet turns the concept of the mega menu on its head – in a good way! It starts with a triangular hamburger menu that, when clicked, opens a compact sidebar navigation. The animations and icons are really fun, and everything is nicely organized. In addition, there is room for growth, as new layers can be easily added.
See the Diagonal Mega Menu by Tim Normington
Mega Menus, Mega Possibilities
Judging from the snippets above, it seems like there are endless possibilities for styling and implementing mega menus. There is something for every need. Whether you have many product categories or want to display a neat list of nested content – it can be achieved with a mega menu.
Additionally, you don’t need to rely on fancy JavaScript libraries for functionality. CSS can handle almost every task. This helps keep menus functional and accessible.
Want to see more mega menus in action? Navigate to our CodePen collection.
