Rustam K. Lead Designer

Dark vs. White Mode

Today dark mode becomes more popular in web design than its classical opponent white mode. Many global brands, for example, Apple and Instagram have already added dark mode in their interfaces. In this post I’m going to talk about the advantages of dark and white modes.

Dark mode interface usually uses black or dark gray colors as a background instead of white which all of us get used to. In response to increased screen time, designers have found that darker interfaces positively affect our eyes' when we use our gadgets in the evening, night or in low-light conditions.

Dark mode advantages

Help with eye fatigue. Everyone who works online faces this problem. Computer vision syndrome includes eye pain, blurred vision, double vision, headaches, neck/back pain and more. When it comes to working with data, dark mode can help reduce the strain on your vision. Developers have long understood this theme and started working with code only in the dark interface.

Increases visibility in low light. If you like to read posts on Instagram in your bed with your lights off before sleeping, you probably know that white screen gives an unpleasant feeling to your eyes, but your eyes feel more comfortable when using a dark screen. Dark mode reduces that bright light and makes it easier to view content in low-light conditions.

Extend the life of your gadget’s battery. Developers from Google discovered that dark mode uses an increased amount of black pixels, forcing the device to use less power.

Adds accents. A user interface in dark mode can increase focus by directing focus to content areas of your interface and make the content stand out of the background, while white background usually distracts the users attention from the content itself.

White mode advantages

Gives more emotional connection. Bright colors bring vivid positive emotions. If that's what your target audience is looking for, darkening colors can create a mental barrier for the users. It will be harder for them to make an emotional connection with a dark theme.

Gives good contrast to the colors. If you don't get the colors and contrasts right when designing a website or app with a dark theme, it can make it hard to read text, however white background gives better contrast to much more colors and shades in comparison with the dark mode.

What effect can dark mode help achieve in design?

Dark mode design perfectly works in many niches, for example mobile apps, smart watches or websites, this design trend is at its highest point now and it can easily push your brand forward. But always keep in mind when choosing dark mode design for your brand:

Try not to go too dark in your contrasts because high contrast can make your eyes strain and bring the feeling of tension.

Add some depth to your dark mode, i.e. make higher levels lighter to achieve the effect of visual hierarchy.

Avoid saturation of other colors. The other colors usually look more bright and saturated on a dark background than on a white one, so try to mute the colors to give the design a luxury or status.

Keep in mind that before choosing dark or white mode for your design, it is better to analyze the needs and behavior of the targeted users to make the design attractive and comfortable for the audience.