Found a trick for choosing dark mode accent colors that actually works

I kept picking accent colors for my dark mode app that looked great in the color picker but turned into muddy messes on a black background. After 3 different failed attempts, I tried using a color with at least 60% saturation and a lightness around 70-80% instead of going too dark. It made my buttons and links pop without looking like a child's crayon drawing. Has anyone else struggled with getting accent colors right in dark mode, or do you have a better method?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahw537d ago

That 70-80% lightness tip is GENIUS actually. I was always trying to go too dark thinking it would blend better, but it just made everything look washed out and hard to read on a black background.

sam_harris687d ago

Yeah the "too dark" thing is a trap I see everywhere now. Like I notice people do it with music mixing too - they crank the bass thinking it'll sound fuller but it just makes everything muddy. Same with cooking, people dump in too much salt or spice trying to make it punchy and it ruins the dish. There's this sweet spot where you're holding back just enough that things actually work together. It's like we're all trained to think more is better when really the magic is in the restraint.