Dark mode back in 2018 was such a different beast

I remember when I first tried designing a dark theme for a client's app back in 2018. I just inverted all the colors and called it done. Big mistake. The contrast ratios were TERRIBLE and everything looked washed out. I spent like 3 weeks tweaking it before I found this simple trick: use a slightly blue-tinted dark gray instead of pure black for the background. Like #1e1e2e instead of #000000. It made the text pop way better and reduced eye strain. Anyone else have a go-to hex value they always start with for dark mode?

2 comments

2 Comments

burns.brooke4d ago

Huh, I was totally the opposite back then. I thought pure black was the only way to go because it felt more "sleek" or whatever. Took me designing a website for a client who complained their eyes hurt within ten minutes to realize I was dead wrong. That blue tint you mentioned really does make everything look way more natural. I've been using #232634 as my starting point and it works pretty well across different screens.

bailey.xena3d ago

Is it really that deep though? Like yeah, I get that pure black can cause eye strain but I feel like people act like using #000000 is a war crime or something. Most regular users probably can't even tell the difference unless you put them side by side.