Showcase of Dark Designs – Shine And be the Main Focus
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A collaborative article published on Pelfusion on October 4, 2010
The dark background is a design element frequently used as a stage to highlight content in the center of a page. Overused a bit in the past, they are starting to make a comeback, appearing in many more recent designs.
Some Strengths
In some instances a dark background allows the content to really shine and be the main focus. In others, it works in cooperation with all of the design elements to create a classy cohesive design. Studies have shown that dark colors are easier on the human eye than light ones on a computer screen.
What to look out for
When creating a design with a dark background, watch out for contrast. Too little contrast between light text and a dark background, and users may have difficulty reading content. The combination of light text on a dark background is usually by default more high contrast than the opposite. Add in the fact that web users commonly read only a fraction of the content presented on a page, and this means that typography really matters in a dark design.
Some Guidelines
To create the right balance of scan-ability and visual appeal, it’s a good rule of thumb to increase the spacing between letters as well as margins, and to use lighter-weight fonts (as opposed to bold). Subtle textures and patterns can help a monochrome color palette from feeling boring or flat, while small splashes of bright colors will have extra power for highlighting, guiding, and adding general visual appeal.
