20 CSS Gradient Text Designs 14 / 20

CSS Toggle Switch Gradient Text Colour Picker

Three checkbox-driven toggle switches independently enable gradient fills on individual words, demonstrating CSS state-driven gradient text with zero JavaScript.

Pure CSS MIT licensed
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The code

<div class="gt-14">
  <input type="checkbox" id="gt-14-chk-a" class="gt-14__chk-a">
  <input type="checkbox" id="gt-14-chk-b" class="gt-14__chk-b">
  <input type="checkbox" id="gt-14-chk-c" class="gt-14__chk-c">
  <span class="gt-14__label">Toggle gradient fills</span>
  <div class="gt-14__controls">
    <div class="gt-14__toggle-row">
      <label class="gt-14__toggle-label" for="gt-14-chk-a">
        <div class="gt-14__track gt-14__track-a"></div>
        <span class="gt-14__name">Pink gradient</span>
      </label>
    </div>
    <div class="gt-14__toggle-row">
      <label class="gt-14__toggle-label" for="gt-14-chk-b">
        <div class="gt-14__track gt-14__track-b"></div>
        <span class="gt-14__name">Green gradient</span>
      </label>
    </div>
    <div class="gt-14__toggle-row">
      <label class="gt-14__toggle-label" for="gt-14-chk-c">
        <div class="gt-14__track gt-14__track-c"></div>
        <span class="gt-14__name">Blue gradient</span>
      </label>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="gt-14__stage">
    <div class="gt-14__word gt-14__word-a">VIVID</div>
    <div class="gt-14__word gt-14__word-b">COLOUR</div>
    <div class="gt-14__word gt-14__word-c">CONTROL</div>
  </div>
</div>
.gt-14, .gt-14 *, .gt-14 *::before, .gt-14 *::after {
  margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box;
}
.gt-14 {
  --bg: #f0ede8;
  font-family: 'Manrope', sans-serif;
  background: var(--bg);
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  gap: 2rem;
  padding: 3rem 2rem;
}
.gt-14__label {
  font-size: .7rem;
  letter-spacing: .2em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  color: #bbb;
}
/* Hidden checkboxes drive the toggling */
.gt-14__chk-a { display: none; }
.gt-14__chk-b { display: none; }
.gt-14__chk-c { display: none; }
/* Toggle switch UI */
.gt-14__controls {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  gap: 1rem;
  align-items: flex-start;
}
.gt-14__toggle-row {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  gap: 1rem;
}
.gt-14__toggle-label {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  gap: .6rem;
  cursor: pointer;
  user-select: none;
}
.gt-14__track {
  width: 44px;
  height: 24px;
  border-radius: 12px;
  background: #ddd;
  position: relative;
  transition: background .3s;
}
.gt-14__track::after {
  content: '';
  position: absolute;
  top: 3px; left: 3px;
  width: 18px; height: 18px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: white;
  transition: transform .3s;
  box-shadow: 0 1px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.2);
}
/* Checked states */
#gt-14-chk-a:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__track-a { background: #f093fb; }
#gt-14-chk-a:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__track-a::after { transform: translateX(20px); }
#gt-14-chk-b:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__track-b { background: #43e97b; }
#gt-14-chk-b:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__track-b::after { transform: translateX(20px); }
#gt-14-chk-c:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__track-c { background: #4facfe; }
#gt-14-chk-c:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__track-c::after { transform: translateX(20px); }
.gt-14__name {
  font-size: .75rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  color: #888;
}
/* Main text — default plain */
.gt-14__stage {
  width: 100%;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  gap: .5rem;
}
.gt-14__word {
  font-size: clamp(3rem, 10vw, 6rem);
  font-weight: 800;
  line-height: 1;
  color: #ccc;
  transition: color .4s;
  -webkit-text-fill-color: currentColor;
}
.gt-14__word-a {
  -webkit-text-fill-color: #ccc;
  background: linear-gradient(90deg, #f093fb, #f5576c);
  -webkit-background-clip: text;
  background-clip: text;
  transition: -webkit-text-fill-color .4s;
}
.gt-14__word-b {
  -webkit-text-fill-color: #ccc;
  background: linear-gradient(90deg, #43e97b, #38f9d7);
  -webkit-background-clip: text;
  background-clip: text;
}
.gt-14__word-c {
  -webkit-text-fill-color: #ccc;
  background: linear-gradient(90deg, #4facfe, #00f2fe);
  -webkit-background-clip: text;
  background-clip: text;
}
#gt-14-chk-a:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__word-a { -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent; }
#gt-14-chk-b:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__word-b { -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent; }
#gt-14-chk-c:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__word-c { -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent; }
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .gt-14__track, .gt-14__track::after { transition: none; }
}

How this works

Three <input type=checkbox> elements are positioned before the display stage in the DOM. Each has a unique id (namespaced gt-14-chk-a etc.) and is hidden via display: none. Toggle switch labels reference the checkboxes via for attributes. The CSS uses the :checked general sibling combinator (~) to reach the .gt-14__stage and its children: #gt-14-chk-a:checked ~ .gt-14__stage .gt-14__word-a { -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent; }.

Each word already has its gradient set as background and -webkit-background-clip: text at all times. The default -webkit-text-fill-color masks it with a grey colour; toggling the checkbox removes the mask, revealing the gradient instantly. No paint recalculation is needed on toggle.

Customize

  • Add a fourth checkbox controlling a fourth word with linear-gradient(90deg, #ff8c00, #ffe100) to extend the picker with a warm amber option.
  • Animate the toggle reveal by transitioning opacity from 0 to 1 on a wrapper around the gradient word — the transition-friendly alternative to -webkit-text-fill-color.
  • Replace the toggle track with a radio button group (type=radio name=gt-14) to allow only one gradient active at a time.

Watch out for

  • The sibling combinator (~) requires the checkboxes to be DOM siblings that precede the target stage — reordering elements in the HTML will break the CSS state connection.
  • -webkit-text-fill-color transitioning is not animatable in most browsers — the change is instant. Use opacity or clip-path transitions on a wrapper for smooth reveals.
  • Toggle switches styled purely in CSS require the for/id connection to be exact — a typo in either will silently break the control without any error.

Browser support

ChromeSafariFirefoxEdge
4+ 3.1+ 49+ 4+

Pure CSS state via :checked + sibling combinator works in all modern browsers; IE11 requires polyfills for custom-property usage within the gradients.

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