CSS Architecture for Modern JavaScript Applications - MadeByMike
Mike sees the church of JS-first ignoring the lessons to be learned from the years of experience accumulated by CSS practitioners.
As the responsibilities of front-end developers have become more broad, some might consider the conventions outlined here to be not worth following. I’ve seen teams spend weeks planning the right combination of framework, build tools, workflows and patterns only to give zero consideration to the way they architect UI components. It’s often considered the last step in the process and not worthy of the same level of consideration.
It’s important! I’ve seen well-planned project fail or go well over budget because the UI architecture was poorly planned and became un-maintainable as the project grew.
Related links
CSS or BS?
We show you a CSS property name. You tell us if it’s real or if we made it up. That’s it. It starts easy. It does not stay easy.
Performance-Optimized Video Embeds with Zero JavaScript – Frontend Masters Blog
This is a clever technique for a CSS/HTML only way of just-in-time loading of iframes using details and summary.
An in-depth guide to customising lists with CSS - Piccalilli
Think you know about styling lists with CSS? Think again!
This is just a taste of the kind of in-depth knowledge that Rich will be beaming directly into our brains at Web Day Out…
What’s new in web typography? | Clagnut by Richard Rutter
There have been so many advances in HTML, CSS and browser support over the past few years. These are enabling phenomenal creativity and refinement in web typography, and I’ve got a mere 28 minutes to tell you all about it.
I’ve been talking to Rich about his Web Day Out talk, and let me tell you, you don’t want to miss it!
It’s gonna be a wild ride! Join me at Web Day Out in Brighton on 12 March 2026. Use JOIN_RICH to get 10% off and you’ll also get a free online ticket for State of the Browser.
Related posts
Installing web apps
Here’s an HTML web component you can use if you’re participating in the origin trial for the Web Install API.
Reasoning
In which I find a tagline for Web Day Out and a tagline for React.
Simplify
Reminding myself just how much you can do with CSS these days.
Speaking at Web Day Out
Have you got the perfect talk for this event? Let me know!
Announcing Web Day Out
A one-day event all about what you can in web browsers today: Brighton, March 12th, 2026. Tickets are just £225+VAT!