Ever wonder why web designers keep talking about “toasts” popping up, “chips” being added to pages, and “hamburgers” in your navigation? No, they’re not planning a cookout—these are actual terms for modern website elements!
Welcome to the whimsical world of web design, where breakfast foods somehow became technical jargon. If you’ve been nodding along in meetings while secretly wondering why your developer is obsessing over “accordions” (weren’t those popular in the 1950s?), you’re not alone.
This playful yet practical glossary demystifies the surprisingly food-centric and occasionally bizarre terminology of modern website components. From “breadcrumbs” that won’t feed birds to “modals” that have nothing to do with fashion, we’ll translate these head-scratching terms into plain English. Whether you’re considering a website refresh or a complete digital makeover, this guide will help you order confidently from the web design menu.
Basic Interactive Elements
Buttons
Buttons are clickable elements that trigger actions when pressed. Modern buttons often feature subtle animations, hover effects, and clear visual cues that indicate they can be clicked. Unlike the flat, simple buttons of the past, today’s buttons might include depth effects, color transitions, or even sound feedback to enhance user experience.
Toggle Switches
Toggle switches are interactive controls that allow users to switch between two states (typically on/off). Visually similar to physical light switches, these components provide an intuitive way for users to enable or disable features. Modern toggles often include animations and color changes to clearly communicate the current state.
Dropdown Menus
Dropdown menus reveal additional options when clicked, helping to organize content and save screen space. Modern dropdowns often include smooth animations, nested options, and search functionality for better navigation, especially when dealing with long lists of choices.
Accordions
Accordions are expandable panels that show or hide content sections. When a user clicks on an accordion header, the associated content panel either expands or collapses. These components are perfect for FAQ sections or any content that benefits from progressive disclosure to avoid overwhelming users with information.
Tabs
Tabs allow users to navigate between different content sections within the same page without reloading. Similar to physical file folders, tabs organize content into separate panels that users can switch between with a single click, making complex information more digestible.
Notification Components: When Your Website Has Something to Say
Toasts
No, your website isn’t making breakfast—though the name certainly suggests it! Toast notifications were named because they “pop up” from the bottom of the screen like bread from a toaster. These small, fleeting messages appear briefly before disappearing (or getting “eaten”), letting users know something happened without demanding their full attention. “Your email was sent!” or “Changes saved!” are common toast messages. They’re the digital equivalent of someone giving you a quick thumbs up and then walking away.
Modals
Despite sounding like they belong in a fashion magazine, modals are actually those popup windows that take over your screen and force you to deal with them before doing anything else. Think of them as the digital equivalent of someone standing in your doorway saying, “We need to talk RIGHT NOW.” They dim everything else on the page and refuse to let you continue until you’ve made a decision. Perfect for those “Are you SURE you want to delete your entire account?” moments.
Alerts
Alerts are the digital equivalent of someone waving their arms and saying, “Hey! Pay attention to this!” Unlike their more casual toast cousins, alerts stick around until you actively dismiss them. They’re often color-coded like traffic lights—red for “something’s wrong,” yellow for “proceed with caution,” and green for “everything’s great!” Alerts are what your website uses when it really, really needs you to know something.
Banners
Think of banners as those airplane advertisements that fly over beaches—they’re persistent, attention-grabbing, and visible to everyone. These horizontal message bars typically camp out at the top or bottom of your website, announcing things like “We’ve updated our privacy policy!” or “Sale ends tonight!” Unlike the demanding modals, banners politely let you continue browsing while gently reminding you of their message. They’re the persistent but polite salespeople of the website world.
Information Elements: Snacks, Fairy Tales, and Digital Accessories
Tooltips
Despite sounding like something dentists recommend, tooltips are actually those helpful little info bubbles that appear when you hover over something on a website. They’re like the digital version of whispering a hint in someone’s ear—providing just enough context without making a big scene. Hover over a cryptic icon, and voilà! A tooltip appears to explain what on earth that squiggly symbol actually means.
Badges
No, you won’t earn these in a digital scout troop. Badges are those small, eye-catching circles with numbers that show up on icons—like the “23” that appears on your email icon, silently judging you for your unread messages. As HeroUI explains, badges serve as “a small numerical value or status descriptor for UI elements.” They’re the digital equivalent of someone tapping you on the shoulder to remind you of something you’ve been ignoring.
Chips/Tags
No, you can’t eat these chips! Despite the snack-worthy name, chips (sometimes called tags) are those little rounded rectangles that show selections or categories—think of the little pill-shaped elements that appear when you add recipients to an email. According to NextUI documentation, a chip is “a small block of essential information that represent an input, attribute, or action.” They’re like digital sticky notes—small, colorful, and surprisingly useful for organizing information.
Progress Bars
Progress bars are visual status indicators that show you exactly how far along a process is. They’re the digital equivalent of the “are we there yet?” question on road trips, but much more precise. Whether it’s downloading a file, uploading a photo, or completing a lengthy form, progress bars help manage your expectations about how much longer you’ll need to wait before you can move on with your life.
Breadcrumbs
In a charming nod to the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale, breadcrumbs are navigation aids that show you the trail of pages you’ve visited to get where you are. Unlike their fairy tale counterparts, these digital breadcrumbs won’t be eaten by birds—they stick around to help you backtrack through a website without getting lost in the deep, dark forest of nested pages. They typically appear near the top of a page, showing the hierarchical path like “Home > Products > Electronics > Smartphones” so you always know where you are.
Navigation Components: Finding Your Way in the Digital World
Sidebars
Sidebars are like the loyal sidekicks of web pages—hanging out on the left or right edge, ready to help with navigation, filtering, or extra information. They’re not the star of the show (that’s your main content), but they’re essential supporting characters. Modern sidebars can collapse when not needed (like a butler stepping back into the shadows), hide completely on mobile devices, or change their options based on where you are in the website.
Navigation Bars
Navigation bars (or navbars for the cool kids) are those horizontal menus usually perched at the top of websites. Think of them as the table of contents for the digital world. Modern navbars often have superpowers like “stickiness” (they follow you as you scroll, like a persistent tour guide) and shape-shifting abilities (reorganizing themselves on smaller screens). They’re your faithful digital compass, always ready to point you in the right direction.
Hamburger Menus
No, you can’t eat these either! The hamburger menu is that icon with three horizontal lines that resembles—you guessed it—a hamburger between buns. This digital fast food has become the universal symbol for “there’s a menu hiding here.” Click on it, and a full navigation menu appears, as if you’ve opened a secret door. Hamburger menus are the space-saving heroes of mobile websites, tucking away complicated navigation options until they’re needed. They’ve become so ubiquitous that even non-tech-savvy users instinctively know to tap those three lines when looking for navigation.
Pagination
Pagination is the digital version of book pages, dividing content into manageable chunks with numbers to help you flip through them. Remember how phone books had those little thumb tabs to help you find different sections? Pagination works like that for websites. Modern pagination has evolved beyond simple numbered links to include options like “load more” buttons (like asking for another serving) or infinite scrolling (where new content magically appears as you reach the bottom of the page, like a never-ending roll of paper).
Content Display Components
Cards
Cards are contained, styled boxes that group related information and actions. They’ve become a fundamental component of modern web design, used for everything from product listings to blog post previews. Cards create visual separation between content items and often include images, text, and interactive elements within a single unit.
Carousels
Carousels (or sliders) display a collection of items in a rotating format, allowing users to scroll through content horizontally. Modern carousels often feature touch support, autoplay options, and responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes.
Image Galleries
Image galleries organize collections of images in a grid or mosaic layout, often with lightbox functionality to view images at full size. Modern galleries frequently include filtering, sorting, and search capabilities to help users find specific images within large collections.
Grids
Grid layouts organize content into a structured arrangement of rows and columns. Modern CSS grid systems allow for complex, responsive layouts that automatically adjust based on screen size, creating consistent designs across different devices.
Form Elements
Input Fields
Input fields allow users to enter text or numeric data. Modern input fields often include features like validation feedback, auto-formatting, and clear buttons to enhance the user experience while collecting information.
Checkboxes
Checkboxes allow users to select multiple options from a list. Unlike their simple predecessors, modern checkboxes often include animations, custom styling, and indeterminate states for more nuanced selection capabilities.
Radio Buttons
Radio buttons allow users to select one option from a list of mutually exclusive choices. Modern radio buttons frequently feature custom styling, animations, and improved touch targets for better usability on mobile devices.
Date Pickers
Date pickers provide a graphical calendar interface for selecting dates, replacing traditional text input for date fields. Modern date pickers include features like range selection, time inclusion, and intuitive navigation between months and years.
Search Bars
Search bars allow users to find content within a website by entering keywords. Modern search interfaces often include features like autocomplete suggestions, recent search history, and filters to refine results, making information discovery more efficient.
Modern Design Trends for Summer 2025
Skeuomorphic vs. Flat Design
The pendulum has swung between skeuomorphic design (mimicking real-world objects) and flat design (minimalist, without shadows or textures) for years. In 2025, we’re seeing “modern skeuomorphism” making a comeback, balancing familiarity and modernity by blending physical world aesthetics with digital functionality, creating interfaces that are both intuitive and contemporary.
Neumorphism
Neumorphism combines elements of skeuomorphism and flat design to create soft, extruded interfaces that appear to push through the background. This style uses subtle shadows and highlights to create the illusion of elements being part of the surface itself, resulting in a clean yet dimensional look.
Glassmorphism
Glassmorphism creates the illusion of frosted glass in UI elements, using background blur, transparency, and subtle borders. This trend creates depth and hierarchy while maintaining a modern, lightweight aesthetic that works particularly well for overlays and cards.
Dark Mode
Dark mode interfaces use dark color schemes as the primary background, reducing eye strain and saving battery life on OLED screens. This trend has become increasingly important for health-conscious users, with sources noting that “people are focused on health and wellness, so offer more relevant options in your UI/UX design services.”
Neobrutalism
Neobrutalism embraces raw, unfiltered design elements with high-contrast colors, bold typography, and intentionally “unrefined” aesthetics. This trend features “bold, large typography and a monochromatic color scheme, creating a raw feel” that stands out in an era of polished interfaces.
Biophilic Design
Biophilic design incorporates natural elements, patterns, and textures into digital interfaces. This trend creates calming, organic experiences through nature-inspired colors, shapes, and imagery, helping to reduce the sterile feel of traditional digital environments.
Minimalism
Minimalism focuses on simplicity, using only essential elements and ample white space to create clean, uncluttered interfaces. This timeless approach emphasizes content over decoration, removing unnecessary visual elements to improve focus and usability.
Conclusion: From Food-Inspired Elements to Digital Delights
Who knew that updating your website would involve so many culinary and whimsical terms? From toasts popping up with messages to chips organizing your information (and making you oddly hungry in the process), modern web design has developed its own quirky language that’s almost as creative as the designs themselves.
Now that you can translate “We need to add some toasts and chips to your site, with a hamburger menu for mobile and breadcrumbs for navigation” into plain English, you’re ready to have more productive conversations about your website refresh. You might even impress your kids or grandkids with your newfound digital vocabulary!
At HyperMosaic Digital Marketing Agency in Richmond, VA, we specialize in helping businesses navigate this breakfast-menu-turned-tech-terminology world with a sense of humor and expertise. We’ll help you implement these modern components without the confusion—though we can’t promise to stop calling them by their silly names.
Ready to add some toasts (not the bread kind) to your website? Contact us today to discuss how we can refresh your digital presence with these contemporary UI components—no actual cooking required.
