Dark Mode: Design Rules That Don't Look Like an Inverted Site

Never pure black

Use near-black (#0d0e13, #111827). Pure black creates halation around text on OLED screens.

Photos look blown-out in dark mode. Reduce saturation 15-20% for dark-mode variants.

Don't use shadows — light doesn't cast them convincingly on dark. Use lighter background tones to signal elevation.

Design decisions drive performance. Setting performance budgets up front prevents the painful rework cycle later.

Most agency redesigns destroy SEO. Here's the handover process we use to redesign sites without losing a single organic session.

Why every page on your site should be reachable in three taps — and how to architect for that constraint.

Our team ships web design programs every week. Book a free consult — we'll tell you what would move the needle for your brand.