Rosetta sync key
Variant: Standard
A three-register sync indicator: the same progress value is stated simultaneously as a sweeping arc, a filling bar, and a row of discrete ticks, so the meaning of the motion can be decoded from any one of the three. Reach for it when a background sync or upload needs an ambient status that reads at a glance without a percentage label. The arc runs linear because it is a constant-rate clock, while the tick row snaps in steps so the eye has a countable reference against the smooth registers. This is the standard weight — the default balance of stroke and travel for a card or panel header.
The source
A complete HTML document. Paste it into an empty .html file and it plays — no stylesheet, script, font, or image to fetch.
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
<title>Rosetta sync key — standard</title>
<style>
:root {
/* Neutrals — fixed, never remixed. */
--ivory: #faf9f5;
--paper: #ffffff;
--oat: #e3dacc;
--slate: #141413;
/* Knobs — the remix API. A knob exists iff declared here and used below. */
--hue: 38.8;
--lift: 0;
--chroma: 1;
--round: 1;
--speed: 1;
/* Accents — derived from the knobs with the family's offsets baked in,
so one hue roll moves them together. Defaults reproduce the original hex
(#d97757 / #b85c3e / #788c5d / #b04a3f). */
--clay: oklch(calc(0.6724 + var(--lift)) calc(0.1308 * var(--chroma)) var(--hue));
--clay-d: oklch(calc(0.5797 + var(--lift)) calc(0.127 * var(--chroma)) var(--hue));
--olive: oklch(calc(0.6118 + var(--lift)) calc(0.0713 * var(--chroma)) calc(var(--hue) + 88.3));
--rust: oklch(calc(0.5408 + var(--lift)) calc(0.1357 * var(--chroma)) calc(var(--hue) - 10.3));
/* Clock — every duration in the document runs off --t. */
--cycle: 4s;
--t: calc(var(--cycle) / var(--speed));
--ease-out: cubic-bezier(0.23, 1, 0.32, 1);
/* File-specific: register weights and the arc geometry. */
--_stroke: 3.5px;
--_arc-len: 176;
--_track: color-mix(in oklab, var(--oat) 82%, var(--ivory));
--_tick-w: 3px;
--_bar-h: 7px;
--_dim: 0.34;
}
* { box-sizing: border-box; }
html, body { margin: 0; }
body {
min-height: 100vh;
display: grid;
place-items: center;
background: var(--ivory);
color: var(--slate);
font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, sans-serif;
}
.key {
width: min(360px, 90vw);
padding: clamp(14px, 4vw, 22px);
background: var(--paper);
border: 1px solid var(--_track);
border-radius: calc(14px * var(--round));
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: auto 1fr;
align-items: center;
gap: clamp(12px, 4vw, 20px);
}
/* Register 1 — continuous arc. */
.dial { display: block; width: clamp(58px, 19vw, 76px); height: auto; }
.dial circle { fill: none; }
.dial .track { stroke: var(--_track); stroke-width: var(--_stroke); }
.dial .sweep {
stroke: var(--clay);
stroke-width: var(--_stroke);
stroke-linecap: round;
stroke-dasharray: var(--_arc-len);
stroke-dashoffset: var(--_arc-len);
transform: rotate(-90deg);
transform-origin: 50% 50%;
animation: arc-sweep var(--t) linear infinite;
}
.dial .hub {
fill: var(--clay);
opacity: var(--_dim);
transform-origin: 50% 50%;
animation: hub-beat var(--t) var(--ease-out) infinite;
}
.registers { display: grid; gap: clamp(9px, 3vw, 13px); min-width: 0; }
/* Register 2 — proportional bar. */
.bar {
position: relative;
height: var(--_bar-h);
border-radius: 999px;
background: var(--_track);
overflow: hidden;
}
.bar::after {
content: "";
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
border-radius: 999px;
background: var(--clay-d);
transform-origin: 0 50%;
transform: scaleX(0);
animation: bar-fill var(--t) linear infinite;
}
/* Register 3 — discrete ticks, the countable cross-reference. */
.ticks { display: flex; gap: clamp(4px, 1.6vw, 7px); align-items: flex-end; }
.ticks i {
display: block;
flex: 1 1 0;
min-width: 0;
height: 16px;
border-radius: 999px;
background: var(--_track);
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
}
.ticks i::after {
content: "";
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
border-radius: 999px;
background: var(--olive);
opacity: 0;
transform: scaleY(0.4);
transform-origin: 50% 100%;
animation: tick-set var(--t) var(--ease-out) infinite;
/* Each tick lands one eighth of the loop after the previous — the
stepped register that lets the smooth ones be read as a quantity. */
animation-delay: calc(var(--_i) * var(--t) / 8);
}
.ticks i:nth-child(1) { --_i: 0; }
.ticks i:nth-child(2) { --_i: 1; }
.ticks i:nth-child(3) { --_i: 2; }
.ticks i:nth-child(4) { --_i: 3; }
.ticks i:nth-child(5) { --_i: 4; }
.ticks i:nth-child(6) { --_i: 5; }
.ticks i:nth-child(7) { --_i: 6; }
.ticks i:nth-child(8) { --_i: 7; }
@keyframes arc-sweep {
0% { stroke-dashoffset: var(--_arc-len); }
88% { stroke-dashoffset: 0; }
100% { stroke-dashoffset: 0; }
}
@keyframes bar-fill {
0% { transform: scaleX(0); }
88% { transform: scaleX(1); }
100% { transform: scaleX(1); }
}
@keyframes tick-set {
0%, 1% { opacity: 0; transform: scaleY(0.4); }
9% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleY(1); }
88% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleY(1); }
100% { opacity: 0; transform: scaleY(0.4); }
}
@keyframes hub-beat {
0%, 84% { opacity: var(--_dim); transform: scale(0.9); }
92% { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
100% { opacity: var(--_dim); transform: scale(0.9); }
}
@media (max-width: 380px) {
.key { gap: 12px; padding: 13px; }
.ticks i { height: 13px; }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
/* Keep one slow opacity cycle per register so the three-way reading
survives; drop sweep, fill and travel. */
.dial .sweep {
animation: none;
stroke-dashoffset: calc(var(--_arc-len) * 0.28);
}
.dial .hub {
animation: hub-beat calc(var(--t) * 2.2) var(--ease-out) infinite;
transform: none;
}
.bar::after { animation: none; transform: scaleX(0.72); }
.ticks i::after {
animation: reduced-hold calc(var(--t) * 2.2) linear infinite;
animation-delay: calc(var(--_i) * var(--t) / 8);
transform: none;
}
@keyframes hub-beat {
0%, 100% { opacity: var(--_dim); }
50% { opacity: 1; }
}
@keyframes reduced-hold {
0%, 100% { opacity: 0.45; }
50% { opacity: 1; }
}
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="key" role="img" aria-label="Sync progress shown three ways">
<svg class="dial" viewBox="0 0 64 64" aria-hidden="true">
<circle class="track" cx="32" cy="32" r="28" />
<circle class="sweep" cx="32" cy="32" r="28" />
<circle class="hub" cx="32" cy="32" r="5" />
</svg>
<div class="registers">
<div class="bar"></div>
<div class="ticks">
<i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
The variant family
Same idea, one axis moved. Compare them side by side before you commit.