New CSS features are giving web designers more ways to shape page layouts beyond the rectangles that have dominated the web for decades. The change matters because it brings flexible, decorative shapes into CSS itself, making designs such as cut-outs, irregular borders and animated outlines easier to build.

The article traces the shift from early grid-like layouts to SVG and the limited CSS `path()` function, which relied on fixed pixel coordinates. The newer `shape()` function supports responsive CSS syntax and can be used with `clip-path`; `border-shape` applies those shapes to page borders, while `corner-shape` is also among the new constructs discussed. Examples include ticket-stub shapes, chat bubbles, nested borders and animated outlines, though the article gives no adoption figures or browser-support details.