In this blog, I’ll go over the guides for making a well-done dark-themed website design. Dark mode design has been a popular theme choice in this generation. It is less constraining for the eyes and personally is more pleasing to look at. I’ll talk about how to find the right color palette, the typography to go with it, and how to blend it with other elements.
Understanding the Psychology Behind Dark Mode
The biggest factor in having a dark mode is reducing eye strain because a bright screen in a dark room creates a strong contrast between the display and your surroundings. Dark interface a more friendly in dark rooms, your eyes don’t have to constantly adapt. Your users will thank you for this. I thank them for it, because I hate getting flashbanged at night when opening a website.
Why users perceive dark mode as “modern” or “premium.”
Have you ever been on a dark mode website and just feel a bit more trustworthy? This is because dark mode isn’t the default for most interfaces. Therefore, this can show more effort, attention to detail, and a feature for comfort and aesthetics. It feels more “modern” because it draws from luxury branding. Brands like Gucci, Chanel, and Balenciaga use a dark color palette. Going on with previous content, dark colors create an exclusivity, elegance, and premium quality tone. This is why dark mode websites are a must-have because they feel more premium in today’s world.
Choosing the Right Color Palette
1. Avoid Pure Black backgrounds
Don’t use #000000, which is the hex code for pitch black background. This causes maximum contrast when put against white text. This causes eye strain, especially on bright screens. Instead, use softer charcoal tones.
2. Use Muted Accent Colors
Bright colors can glow too intensely on dark backgrounds; this can be very hard to look at. Instead, picking a warmer and darker color will complement a dark background better. Also, don’t use very dark font colors; this can be very hard to read and could cause ADA and WCAG compliance issues.
3. Maintain Brand Consistency
If you are worried about losing your brand’s identity. Focus on reducing the brightness and saturation instead of changing the Hue. This stops your brand from glowing brightly in the dark. You can also use brand colors more sparingly. In dark mode, too much color becomes overwhelming. Shift the brand to using brand colors mainly for accents, CTAs, highlights, and icons, and keep the backgrounds neutral. This preserves identity without hurting readability.
Typography That Works in Dark Mode
- Lighter text isn’t always better; too light makes the contrast harsh, not helpful
- Font weights that improve readability are 400-450 for body. 500-550 for Ui texts, and 600-700 for headings.
- Avoid thin fonts that disappear against dark backgrounds.
Benefits of Dark Themed
Improved Battery Efficiency on OLED Screens
On OLED and AMOLED displays, dark pixels require significantly less power. This means dark mode can extend battery life on smartphones and laptops — a practical benefit users appreciate. A little tip I recommend is using low brightess to help your eyes and have a longer battery life.
Enhanced Focus and Content Emphasis
Dark backgrounds naturally push bright elements forward. This creates a cleaner visual hierarchy, helping users focus on key content, media, or calls to action without distraction.
A Modern, Premium Aesthetic
Dark interfaces often feel sleek, minimal, and high‑end. Many brands use dark palettes to convey sophistication, making dark mode an easy way to elevate the perceived quality of a website or app.
Better Comfort for Light‑Sensitive Users
Some users experience discomfort or migraines from bright screens. Dark mode offers a gentler alternative, improving accessibility and inclusivity.
Testing Your Dark Mode Design
- Test on multiple screens and brightness levels
- Check for color banding
- Validate accessibility with tools like Lighthouse.
Conclusion
In conclusion, dark mode themed websites are a modern/ premium design in today’s world. It shows more effort and offers a level of comfort. To choose the right color for this theme, go with not pitch black background(#000000) but instead use coal theme background. It comes with many benefits, the biggest one being reduces eye strain. It is friendly to your eyes in low light environment and helps people that suffer with miragnes from staring at a screen for too long. It can extend battery life and bring forward elements. Finally, how to test your design, checking on multiple screens, color branding and valdiating. And there you have, your modern dark theme website.