Black backgrounds or rather, a dark design is not something that one sees every day. Yet, it is common for certain luxury brands and authoritative entities to use a dark/black web design. Many other websites that try to use a black background can’t really pull it off.
Research shows that nearly 50% of readers prefer a white background with dark text. On the other hand, only 10% preferred a black background with a light colored text. The rest of the 40% answered that it really depended on the site in question. However, one thing is for sure: people generally prefer white background over black background.
It might make sense for you to choose a light colored background over a dark one because of people’s preference for the same. Nevertheless, the fact that 10% of those interviewed did mention that they like dark design is something that one must consider. One needs to find out who these people are and why they prefer a dark website over a light colored one.
The answers could be many but as research shows, these people are mainly drawn towards a sense of exclusivity that black background project. There are certain times when it may make sense to use a black background more than a white one. In this article, let us take a look at when that is so.
A black background sets it apart from the rest. If you have a business that is sort of quirky and cannot fit in a box, a black background may just be what the doctor prescribed for you. A dark background enhances your quirkiness and makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd. However, you will need to back up your quirkiness with actual quantity, as non-luxury and non-creative companies with black websites are looked at with a questioning thinking paradigm. If you are sure you can carry a black website, there is no harm in going ahead. Just make sure that you have something really different to offer, as a product or a service.
Consultants are another kind of entity who might want to use black websites. There are many occult professionals, lawyers and even certain kinds of business executives who use dark backgrounds. It helps them to stand apart from the rest of their breed, effectively making them popular. It may also add to a sense of awe and mystery, which might help in getting clients who are looking for particularly out-of-the-box kind of professionals.
Affluence and the color black go hand in hand. A lot of big brands that are associated with luxury often have black as the background. There is already a tendency to believe that black is luxurious. When you design a website in black and ensure that it looks great, it helps to add to the affluent aura. If your product or service is targeted at the uber-rich, you might probably want to think about a dark colored website. This will help you to project wealth and prosperity.
Black has a tendency to fill the void, literally. We all know how black makes things disappear even when something is kept against it. For instance, a black cloth will hide more objects than a white cloth does, according to psychological research. People were able to recollect fewer objects when they were exposed to objects on a black background than on a white background. This means, if you have very little to say and you want that little content to stand out, black can be a very good background option.
Black is always mysterious. It is also associated with a sort of quiet authority that beams from the dark hallways of a castle. It is mysterious, authoritative, beautiful and elegant all at the same time. This makes the black background a valuable design approach, that most website designers cannot take for granted. Black is heavy, and the content that will be published on it will have to bear the burden of that heavy mysteriousness. If you are ready to do so, there is no reason why you should not choose black as a background.
Black is a great way to make light and color stand out. If you have art to sell or if you are into photography, black can really help to provide the kind of canvas that may be better suited for you. For this reason alone, it makes sense to have a black background that provides a sort of quiet canvas, while the art or photography stands out on its own, without any crutches.
A style switcher is added into the code so that people who prefer a light background can do so by just clicking a button. This solves the problem of people preferring a lighter background over a darker one. Many websites tend to have three or different versions of their websites but it is better to just have two: a dark one and a light one. This helps to bring in uniformity and allow for fewer choices, which also means people will not be distracted by various styles for just a single website.
Choose carefully and do not be whimsical
All said and done, just because you like a black background does not mean you should be choosing that for your website. People may not like it and they may even be put off by the sight of a black background. Unless you are really sure you can handle a black website, it is probably a better idea to stick with lighter backgrounds. However, if you deal with products or services that need to project an image of luxury, elegance or mastery, black is the way to go.
