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A modern classless CSS framework inspired by the typefaces of Matthew Carter.

The MCSS

A modern classless CSS framework inspired by the typefaces of Matthew Carter.

Typography

MCSS is a tribute to the British type designer Matthew Carter. The framework is designed with two of Carter’s most commonly known typefaces—Georgia and Verdana. The New Yorker once described Carter as “the most widely read man in the world” because his typefaces are available as system fonts in most operating systems.

Theming

MCSS is available in two typographically different themes.

  1. Georgia on my mind: Typeset primarily using Georgia with generous spacing.

    <html data-theme="georgia">...</html>
    
  2. Verdana mania: Typeset primarily using Verdana with compact spacing.

    <html data-theme="verdana">...</html>
    

Elements

With MCSS, some of the most common HTML elements are styled and can be used without any classes.

  • p
  • q
  • dl
  • ol
  • ul
  • li
  • nav
  • footer
  • header
  • section
  • caption
  • h1 ~ h6
  • blockquote
  • figcaption
  • fieldset
  • textarea
  • details
  • summary
  • strong
  • button
  • figure
  • select
  • input
  • label
  • small
  • table
  • abbr
  • code
  • form
  • sup
  • sub
  • kbd
  • pre
  • em
  • hr
  • a

Accessibility

MCSS is written for plain HTML. It is accessible by default.

Best with semantic HTML

MCSS is designed for writing articles. To create a standard page, use the following semantic HTML template.

<header>
  <h1>Page Title</h1>
  <p>Page description.</p>
</header>
<hr>
<main>
  <article>
    <section>
      <h2>Section Title</h2>
      <p>Section content.</p>
    </section>
    <section>
      <h2>Section Title</h2>
      <p>Section content.</p>
    </section>
  </article>
</main>
<hr>
<footer>
  <p>Footer content</p>
</footer>

Perfect for writing with Markdown

Set up the page template with your blog and use the <main> <article> container as the article body. Markdown renders semantic HTML so everything will just work.

<header>
  <h1>{{ title }}</h1>
  <p>{{ description }}</p>
</header>
<hr>
<main>
  <article>
    <!-- Markdown -->
    {{ content }}
    <!-- Markdown -->
  </article>
</main>
<hr>
<footer>
  Written by {{ author }} on {{ date }}.
</footer>

Dark mode

MCSS auto-detects your operating system’s settings. Dark design is displayed if dark mode is your preferred setting.