SMRTR ProgrammingMay 6, 2026CSS-Tricks

Making Zigzag CSS Layouts With a Grid + Transform Trick

SMRTR summary

Building a CSS zigzag layout reveals something important about how transforms actually work. Using a two-column grid, every even item gets shifted down with translateY(50%), which works because transform percentages reference the element's own size, not the parent. A padding-bottom fix handles overflow since transforms don't affect layout, and source order stays intact for accessibility.

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