Dark websites aren't for everyone.  But when you do want one, it is important to follow a few important design rules.  Executed properly and they provide you with a striking and memorable platform to launch your business to the next level. Executed poorly, however, and viewers will become confused, nauseous and click away quickly before going outside for some fresh air.

In the interests of perfecting this style, Vivify Interweb Solutions have updated our website in black.  While it is now live we still have to complete a few content pages so please bear with us.  Like a carpenter with a half-finished deck at home, or a plumber with a blocked toilet, we give priority to our clients over our personal projects while running a constant internal commentary of, 'I will get to that soon'.

So what makes a dark design work?

There are a few essentials that need to be considered.  Like all design, these rules don't have to be followed, but if you don't you run the risk of turning style into trash.

It's not black and white

White text on a black background looks harsh and hurts to read after a few seconds.  Instead of stark white, choose a light grey or really pale yellow, or a light version of the main non-black colour in your palette. For a pure black background, a grey such as #cccccc or #bbbbbb works well.  If your background is slightly lighter than black, your text can be slightly lighter too.

Stretch out and relax

Crowded text and images on a dark background becomes quickly overwhelming.  Space out your content and make the most of the white (black!) space on the page to make your content more readable and easier to follow.  Choose your fonts, font sizes and line spacing appropriately to make the content easier to read. Larger font sizes work better than small ones.

Don't turn your site into a rainbow

When using a dark design, pick only a few other colours and use them carefully.  An extensive colour palette should be reserved for sites with light backgrounds.  Choose one main colour and use varying tones of that colour throughout the site.

It is our job as web designers to make your online presence effective and memorable.  There are many other tips and tricks to making dark websites work, and we will use them to give your site that wow factor it deserves.  It's not for everyone though, and that's ok.  There are so many design options available and we can create the perfect one for your needs.