Mission 0: The Art of Style

System Briefing: The Language of Presentation

You've successfully rebuilt the interface's structure with HTML, but it's just a skeleton. To make it usable, you need CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). If HTML is the blueprint and frame of our starship, CSS is the paint, the console lights, the chair fabric—everything that gives it style and makes it habitable.

The Core Job of CSS

CSS is a stylesheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in HTML. It handles the look and feel—colors, fonts, spacing, layout, and even animations.

"If HTML is the canvas and the subject, CSS is the palette of paints, the brushes, and the artistic techniques. You are the Picasso of the web, turning a simple structure into a work of art."

Understanding "Cascading"

The "Cascading" part is crucial. It means that styles are applied based on a hierarchy of rules. A more specific rule will override a more general one. For example, a style applied directly to an element (inline) will override a style defined for all paragraphs in a general stylesheet. This cascade gives you powerful control over your design.

Basic Syntax

A CSS rule consists of a selector and a declaration block:

selector { property: value; }

The selector points to the HTML element you want to style.
The declaration block contains one or more declarations separated by semicolons.
Each declaration includes a CSS property name and a value.

In the next missions, you'll learn how to use these rules to bring the Nova Edge interface to life.