One of the biggest challenges that UI and UX designers face is finding ways to raise the customer’s patience threshold. There are a few make-or-break interactions between the user and the system, where the user inevitably has to wait for a request to get processed. To offset the risk of higher bounce rates caused by this inconvenience, designers can put to use the attention-grabbing nature of CSS loaders.
Table of Contents:
- What is a preloader?
- Why should you use a preloader?
- 25 Captivating Preloader Examples to Ignite Your Inspiration
- How to make a preloader animation
A loading spinner is a key interface element that lets users know that the web page is processing data. A captivating SVG loading animation can make the waiting time feel less like an annoyance and more like an interactive part of the customer journey. Design a CSS loader using brand colors and fonts, or the character featured in a brand’s mascot logo, and the preloader becomes a nifty branding asset. You can also use a font generator to create your font and then load it.
Wondering how a logo-based loading animation can be any different from a simple CSS spinner? We’ll show you! Our list of ingenious preloader examples includes a “mixed bag” of loading animations, each with its own appeal. We’ll also show you how to create your own CSS spinner without writing a single line of code. But first, let’s go through the UI and UX basics behind preloaders!
What is a preloader?
A preloader is primarily an interface element that users see on screen when a page is loading, or anytime the server is processing a request that involves a discernible waiting time. Even a simple CSS loader can keep the momentum going in the customer’s decision-making process, preventing them from leaving the page. A preloader’s job is to buy you those few extra seconds of patience from an easily distracted user base!
"Sure, in an ideal world, you'd be able to tackle all site speed issues so that there are never wait times. But that isn't always possible," said Hanah Alexander, Editor-in-Chief of TodayTesting.com. "Using a preloader is an excellent way to let your visitors know that your website didn't freeze or crash, so they don't leave."
Why should you use a preloader?
Here’s a list of UI and UX-based incentives that should motivate you to start creating your own preloader right now:
- A CSS loader can hold a user’s attention for those few decisive seconds during a prospective customer’s interaction with your website, when a waiting time that the user perceives as too long can ultimately cost you a conversion.
- Loading animations can mimic the subtleties of real-life interaction. A loader lets users know that the page hasn’t crashed, and that the system is processing data to deliver on their request. This simple visual confirmation that something is happening behind the scenes makes the interaction feel more like a two-way dialogue and less like a one-sided conversation.
- Another noteworthy perk is the entertainment value of CSS loaders, especially of more complex ones. UI and UX designers know not to pass on the opportunity to further enrich the customer journey with small details that help create a memorable design.
- A preloader can become a major branding asset when it’s designed using brand-specific design features, like the brand’s colors, typography, lettermarks, etc. Animating a brand’s mascot can have the same consolidating effect on brand recognition.
- Bonus points if you’re using an SVG preloader! Adding SVG loading animations to your website eliminates the risk of preloaders adding extra bulk to the data load, thanks to their small size. In contrast, because of their large file size, raster format loaders can have the counterproductive effect of increasing page load times.
25 Captivating Preloader Examples to Ignite Your Inspiration
We’ve put together the following list of ingenious CSS loader examples, with some of SVGator’s in-house designs included, to inspire you to create your own. Check it out!
Ping-Pong CSS Loader
Created using one of the most basic animators, this CSS loader example is ideal for any sports-related website. A ball bouncing on a ping-pong paddle on top of the “Warming up” message, followed by the animated three dots, is a dynamic visual brought to life by the position and rotate animators.
Lettermark CSS Spinner
Leverage the multipurpose uses of a brand’s lettermark logo by animating it like in this self-drawing CSS spinner example! Play around with clipping paths and stroke offsets to create the illusion of lights and shadows for a subtly hypnotic effect.
Fingerprint Scan CSS Loader
A digital fingerprint scanner, animated using rotation, self-drawing lines, and the right easing settings, makes for a great preloader on an authentication page.
Frying Pan CSS Loader
A simple CSS loading animation that’s a great fit for a food delivery website! This awesome preloader puts the user right in the chef’s kitchen.
Icon Shuffle CSS Loader
A versatile CSS page loader example that you can customize using icons that make sense for your own website. You can also use this type of preloader to reiterate everything the brand has to offer.
Rearranging Lego Bricks CSS Loader
The multiple versions of the three reshuffling Lego bricks show just how easily you can use the same theme without limiting yourself to a single design. Made using only the rotate and position animators!
Bike on a 360° Loop CSS Loader
An excellent CSS loader choice for a bike shop or sporting goods store! A daredevil biker doing a loop-the-loop stunt is a catchy visual for cycling enthusiasts.
Neumorphism-Inspired CSS Spinner
This CSS preloader is a Soft UI element that follows the trending neumorphism style. Use gradients and rotate the ball around a centered anchor point and around its own axis, in opposite directions.
Self-Assembling Burger CSS Loader
Check out this yummy-looking loading animation that has a burger’s layers self-assemble on a loop. A creative preloader that can make the wait time seem shorter when ordering takeout or delivery!
Weather Forecast CSS Loader
Animating basic icons is a great starting point for preloaders on niche websites! You can easily turn any icon into a functional preloader. You can pair this type of loading animation with an embedded weather forecast section.
Atom in Motion CSS Preloader
This entrancing SVG loading animation uses a few animators to put the electron orbits in motion. The nucleus rotates back and forth, while the orbiting electrons are animated using stroke offset animation. A perfect CSS loading spinner example for an eLearning platform!
Simple CSS Spinners with Varying Speeds
You might be thinking that there are only so many ways to design basic CSS spinners. The truth is that what spinners lack in complexity, they make up for in versatility. They’re ideal for any website and easily customizable.
Car Drifting CSS Spinner
An out-of-the-box take on classic loading spinners! This type of CSS spinner would be a good match for a website that sells car parts or tickets to motorsport competitions.
Moving Car CSS Loader
Another car-themed preloader that would be appropriate for a route-planning software or a digital road trip planner. The abstract car doesn’t actually move along a path, but instead the sequence of lines moves in the opposite direction. The bounce in the car’s body creates the illusion that the car is driving along a track.
Rainbow Paint Roller CSS Loader
This preloader animates a circular rainbow color palette, rotating the SVG paint roller with a back-and-forth motion first, and then bringing the strokes full-circle before having the palette fade out. An appealing CSS loader for an arts and crafts supply eShop or a library of digital painting classes!
Paw Prints CSS Loader
These disappearing paw prints are sure to make any pet lover go, “Aww!” Perfect for a dog walking business, or a pet groomer’s appointment scheduling page!
Tilting House CSS Preloader
Here’s a good example of how less is sometimes just enough. This fake 3D loading animation uses just a house icon and morphing shapes for the left-to-right movement. A fitting animated loader for a home rental agency’s website or a real estate broker’s page.
Note that this animation is not CSS only, since it contains morphing animation that's not supported by all browsers. For more information, please see our compatibility table here.
Cheesy Pizza Slices CSS Loader
Cheesy pizza anyone? Each pizza slice moves clockwise to fill in the next empty slot, mimicking an analog clock. A great design for a pizza restaurant’s menu page!
Iris Blades CSS Spinner
This loading spinner animates the stylized blades of a camera’s diaphragm using the position and rotation animators. The three balls act like a timer for the changes in aperture size. A simple yet catchy preloader for an online photo storage website!
Location Pin CSS Loader
A loading animation that gives the location pin icon a new look with a bright color palette! You can add it to any website that offers driving directions, traveller’s navigation tips, or one that makes business recommendations based on location.
Heart Monitor CSS Loader
The rhythm line and the pulsating heartbeat effect make this one of the most captivating preloader examples on our list. This health-themed SVG loader is designed using the scale animator and basic stroke offset animation. Ideal for healthline websites or health insurance form pages!
Witty List Scrolling CSS Loader
By sliding the phrases upward, much like a user would when scrolling, this CSS loading animation pulls off wittiness and good humor with ease. An awesome preloader for a brand that doesn’t mind acknowledging the awkwardness of a lengthy wait time!
Checkmark Shield CSS Loader
A great preloader choice for a digital security scanner or websites that offer employee background checks or employee engagement surveys! Use brand colors and the stylized version of the company’s logo instead of the shield to easily customize this design.
Note that this animation is not CSS only, since it contains morphing animation that's not supported by all browsers. For more information, please see our compatibility table here.
Bottling Line CSS Loader
This striking loading animation looks and moves like a genuine bottling line. An on-brand preloader for a website selling home brewing kits or a wholesale drink suppliers’ online store!
Email Character CSS Preloader
This is a clever loading animation that’s sure to make most wait times feel imperceptible. Character-themed preloaders tend to be fantastic attention-grabbers. If you check email marketing statistics by industry, you'll see how effective they make your campaigns. Animate a brand’s mascot for an on-brand page loader!
How to make a preloader animation?
If you’re using SVGator, learning how to create a loading animation is a breeze. All you have to do is sign in to / sign up for your SVGator account, create a new project, and start designing! You don’t have to write any code or go looking for any plug-ins. You can easily create a simple CSS spinner, or even more complex preloader animations, without having to deal with a huge learning curve.
Here are the steps you need to follow to create artwork similar to the preloader examples on our list:
Step 1. Create a CSS loader
Start creating your CSS loading spinner and try to match the preloader’s design with the brand’s defining visual features. In SVGator’s dashboard, you can draw elements using the pen tool, or you can upload ready-made SVG objects.
Time to let your creativity run loose! Experiment with gradients, incorporate masks, use the node tool to add/remove nodes or enable “Snapping to grid” for easy proportional shapes every time. Go as basic or as out-of-the-box as you’d like!
Step 2. Animate the preloader
Now for the exciting part! It’s time to put your preloader into motion using SVGator’s generous animator toolset. Rotate, scale, add filters, play around with different easing effects, and don’t hesitate to try advanced animators like motion path animation or shape morphing.
A great CSS loading animation doesn’t need to outshine the rest of the content on your website. A preloader only needs to keep a customer’s attention between 1500-5000 milliseconds (1.5-5 seconds). So aim for a visually-pleasing, witty, and/or immersive design!
Step 3. Export to generate the CSS loader’s code
Open your project’s “Export” panel and select your preloader’s final settings. Here you can choose the animation type (CSS/JavaScript), speed, and direction. Make sure to check the “Infinite” checkbox next to “Iterations.” This will make it so the loader runs on an infinite loop.
Hit the “Export” button, and SVGator will instantly generate the CSS loading animation’s code, inside a single SVG file. You can then add the code to your website.
Step 4. Add the preloader to your website with CSS/jQuery
To integrate a preloader made with SVGator, you’ll have to copy the generated code to your website. The resources listed below will guide you through the process. The tutorials should be easy to follow even with a minimal understanding of HTML/CSS and jQuery.
Click here to see how to add a preloader to your website, or here to see how to add a preloader to a WordPress site.
If you get stuck, feel free to reach out and contact us!
Conclusion
Use this list of outstanding preloader examples as a creative catalyst!
