Technology

Several designers pointed me to Ian Storm Taylor’s article, “Design Tip: Never Use Black.” In it, Taylor argues that pure black is more concept than color. “We see dark things and assume they are black things,” he writes. “When, in reality, it’s very hard to find something that is pure black. Roads aren’t black. Your office chair isn’t black. The sidebar in Sparrow isn’t black. Words on web pages aren’t black.”

Taylor was correct. The problem is applying it badly. You can back off from absolute black and white while still having good contrast. This is especially true for dark mode.

The author later compares things to newspapers, which are traditionally black on white. Except not quite; newsprint paper isn't bleached white, and I'm guessing the ink isn't quite as deep black as it first appears, either.

More importantly, there's an important distinction between newspapers and computer screens. Newspapers only reflect light around them, while screens give off their own light. This means screens can be significantly brighter than the environment around them.

That's why dark mode works so well. It keeps the bright points on the screen to the parts you need.