Ghost Buttons: 20 Inspiring Transparent Button Designs for Modern Web UI

Ghost buttons, also known as transparent or "ghost" buttons, are UI elements that forgo solid backgrounds and textures, using only a thin outline and text to indicate functionality while allowing the underlying page or background to show through. Popularized after iOS and Android adopted flat design, they have become a modern web design trend, offering a sleek, minimalist look that blends seamlessly with overall page aesthetics.

Ghost Buttons in Web Design

The defining features of ghost buttons are their thin borders and lack of fill, creating a lightweight visual that emphasizes the surrounding content. Designers can easily adjust the background—using solid colors, Gaussian blur, or muted tones—to balance visibility and focus. By tweaking background blur, color saturation, or font weight, the button can either recede into the design or stand out as a call‑to‑action.

1. NUJI

The iOS app homepage uses a heavily blurred umbrella image as a backdrop, highlighting left‑aligned text and a large transparent button alongside an iPhone mockup. The button’s width matches the copy, making it impossible to miss.

2. IUVO

IUVO’s site features multiple outline buttons paired with simple line‑icon graphics, creating a clean layout where blurred distant scenery contrasts with crisp foreground elements, and a transition‑animated navigation bar adds interactivity.

3. PAPAYA

PAPAYA is a ticket‑booking site split into three horizontal sections, each showcasing an event. Dark backgrounds make yellow timestamps and white event titles pop, while thin transparent buttons guide users to purchase tickets.

4. CHARLES‑AXEL PAUWELS

This design uses a blurred, low‑brightness background to emphasize foreground elements. A line‑drawn logo sits at the top, followed by a contrasting site name and three transparent buttons that provide clear navigation paths.

5. VISAGE

Visage adds hover animations to its transparent buttons: on mouse‑over the button expands, fills with color, and inverts the text color, creating an engaging visual cue.

6. THE DISTANCE

Instead of a blurred backdrop, this site uses a simple, tidy composition with neon‑colored transparent buttons that contrast sharply against the background, delivering a lively feel.

7. TRIPPEO

The bright, fresh color scheme relies on a gradient background and a dotted world‑map texture. Content is left‑aligned with varying sizes, and a transparent button sits at the bottom.

8. UNION ROOM

This site uses a background video to convey its workflow; after color grading, the video does not interfere with the foreground logo, text, or transparent button, resulting in a clever and elegant presentation.

9. CTEMF

Text fills the space around the image, while a transparent button is placed at the page’s bottom center for easy discovery, keeping the layout simple yet informative.

10. 20JEANS

The design balances a right‑side figure against a gray wall background; the black typography and transparent button on the left complement the visual without overwhelming the content, achieving a fashionable look.

11. NZK

A heavy gray overlay masks the background image, leaving only outlines visible. Large text and oversized transparent buttons dominate, emphasizing the principle that content is king.

12. THE OFFSHORE PARTNERS

Dark background contrasted with white text makes the transparent button and content stand out dramatically.

13. RICHARD OUTRAM

Large background image, text, and transparent button coexist; the designer adds a black overlay behind the text to further highlight the button, which reveals additional content when clicked.

14. KANGOMEDIA

To draw attention, the designer enlarges the textual content, making the relatively small transparent button appear slightly larger than on other sites.

15. EQUINOX IN AUSTIN

Sparse uppercase headings and thin transparent buttons contrast against a highly saturated background, creating a distinctive aesthetic.

16. STUDIO UP

A modern look emerges from a polygonal blue background paired with white text; varied font weights and centered transparent buttons give the page a clean, inviting feel.

17. GUILLAUME MARQ

The nostalgic background image, white text, and button blend with a slightly off‑white photo, creating a readable yet stylistically appropriate design.

18. JASPUR

A minimalist, playful personal page features a green‑bordered transparent button alongside quirky characters and concise text.

19. VERBAL PLUS VISUAL

Gray background and white content contrast as usual; the "View Our Work" button and an orange "V" button both attract clicks.

20. NOIS3

Strong visual hierarchy with carefully adjusted font sizes, weights, and spacing, plus asymmetrical left‑heavy/right‑light layout, makes the design feel lively and sophisticated.

Conclusion

Using transparent (ghost) buttons is straightforward, but combining them with appropriate backgrounds and other elements to create standout designs requires thoughtful execution. The 20 examples above demonstrate how effective this approach can be—study them, practice, and you’ll master ghost button design.