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No.288 · Micro-animations

Bell Ring

A notification bell that swings from its hook and dies down, the clapper a beat behind, while the badge pops up a number.

The prompt

The design brief behind this component — reuse it to regenerate, remix, or explain it.

Build a notification bell icon button with an unread badge, where a new notification rings it like a real bell. The bell swings from its hook (transform-origin at the top of the dome): +24°, −20°, +14°, −9°, +5°, −2°, 0 over 1.1s; the clapper (the little arc under the bell) swings the opposite way, 60ms behind, with smaller amplitude, so it reads as a pendulum inside a pendulum. Two identical keyframes alternate on each new notification so it replays without remounting. The badge (red, ring in the page colour, tabular count, "9+" cap) pops in springily (scale 0.2 → 1.25 → 1) whenever the count changes. Opening the bell clears the count and the badge scales away. The ring only plays when the count goes up.

Notes

Interaction
New notifications ring the bell; click to open and clear the badge. The demo has a button to simulate one.
Motion
Swing 1.1s with decaying amplitude; clapper 60ms behind; badge pop 460ms.
Accessibility
The button's label includes the unread count ("Notifications, 3 unread"). Reduced motion keeps the bell still and the badge static.
Responsive
A fixed-size control that sits inline wherever it's placed; nothing depends on screen width.
On touch
Works the same on touch; there's no hover-only behaviour.

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