Although most websites use dark text on light backgrounds, but sites with dark backgrounds with light text can be very striking when executed effectively. In the past, I’ve published two collections of great dark designs (see part one and part two), and here is part three.
For more design inspiration, please see:
Originally Published December 29th, 2008
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December 29th, 2008
[...] Here is the original: 25 Beautifully Dark Websites - Part 3 [...]
December 30th, 2008
awesome looks. i always liked the black sites. you showed some of the be best black sites on the net. thanks for that.
December 30th, 2008
[...] 25 Beautifully Dark Websites - Part 3Vandelay Website Design - [...]
December 30th, 2008
I am not a fan of dark sites as a rule, but there are some exceptions here. Still don’t think I can bring myself to do this.
December 30th, 2008
Designs like this makes me wanna redesign mine! hahaha. Thank you!
December 30th, 2008
Great collection! These days I am so into dark web designs. Got a little tired of bright colored corporate stuff I usually do.
Happy New Year!
December 30th, 2008
Others Dark Websites > http://www.webair.it/blog/2008/12/16/dark-webdesign-layout/
December 30th, 2008
Ann Arbor Design,
It’s not for every site, but in some situations it works really well.
December 30th, 2008
[...] Dark Websites - Hier gibt es drei Teile #1 #2 #3 [...]
December 30th, 2008
Well, we went with a dark site during our redesign and loved it. It fit like the perfect leather jacket. We were damned proud…
And then we were ripped apart by blog readers who HATED reading light on dark text. We got nasty comments, we received hate mail (over a background??!), the works.
We’ve put up what we consider a really freakin’ ugly white background for post pages (we left the home page dark), but honestly, I can’t stand it.
So here’s my question: How do you pull off a dark site that people *LIKE* to read? Do other designers get critiqued for light on dark text and readability? We can’t be the only ones…
December 30th, 2008
Thanks for mentioning my site, always nice to be picked amongst such great designs
December 30th, 2008
Hi James,
I think most of the dark websites that work well are not content-heavy, such as portfolio sites. Yes, I’m sure there are some blogs with dark backgrounds that work well, but I think they are in the minority. Here’s my thought on why your readers reacted the way they did - change. All of your readers were accustomed to things being one way and that could be a significant change to some people. My guess is that if your site had a dark background from the beginning you might get some emails or comments about it, but not such a strong response.
December 30th, 2008
great, i love drak site style;-), i think in 2009, its style still to use
December 30th, 2008
Elysium Burns is really nice. Maybe you’ll like http://www.julien-brionne.fr too
December 30th, 2008
Very nice! I rarely get to do websites like those, so I had decided to do one with my most recent portfolio design. I like it a lot, but I think it’s slightly annoying to read even my own blog articles hahah. I’ll agree with Vandelay, I think content heavy sites should probably stick to dark text on a light background.
December 30th, 2008
Hm, true, true. Visually beautiful, but terrible for longer-term reading and so, perfect for portfolios but awful for blogs. Still… *sigh*
And yes. I agree. Resistance to change is HUGE. I’ve seen some terribly ugly sites go with a fantastic look, and then get absolutely swarmed with comments about it. It’s amazing how strong that “don’t change” instinct can be in people.
December 31st, 2008
[...] 25 Beautifully Dark Websites - Part 3 | Vandelay Website Design More Awesomely Dark Website Designs! (tags: design web-design webdesign colour inspiration black dark webdev lists layout showcase) [...]
December 31st, 2008
nice post
January 1st, 2009
I know that dark designs are popular now, and are different from the average web site, but I for one find them difficult to read.
January 1st, 2009
I’m with Ann Arbor Design, I don’t generally care for dark themes but there are many exceptions. I have never been able to pull it off myself but when I find a dark theme that appeals to me I tend to be very impressed.
I also agree with Vandelay Design, it would be tough to make a dark theme work on something like a magazine style site or something with a ton of content.
January 2nd, 2009
[...] 25 Beautifully Dark Websites [...]
January 2nd, 2009
Great list, was hoping mine would have shown up here! Alas, not to be. Maybe next time! http://www.carbongraffiti.com/notebook
http://twitter.com/aizlewood
January 4th, 2009
Dark themes have their place and can be quite striking indeed, however I find them off putting when it comes to quick and simple navigation as they tend to be designed for their look as opposed to for the user.
January 5th, 2009
This should also be included in your list.
http://www.twintoe.com
January 7th, 2009
Thank you very much for including my website!
January 8th, 2009
I like light colored one always as it gives a pleasant impression on the person which we are thinking..I like the last one here at very impressive and attractive..
January 8th, 2009
Really sweet collection!!! I also think dark will be more ‘in’ in 09… here’s to hoping
January 12th, 2009
Thanks a lot for adding my site, nickhand.net, I was pretty stoked to see it there! Check out my blog as well it’s another beautiful dark design, at http://www.justmythoughts.com
Thanks again!
Nick
January 27th, 2009
[...] http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/dark-inspiration/ Filed under: Visual Design Tags: vandelaydesign.com, web design [...]
January 28th, 2009
[...] when executed effectively. Click here to read the article on The blog at VandelayDesign.com - http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/dark-inspiration/ Filed under: Web Design Tags: Vandelay Design, visual design, Web [...]
January 29th, 2009
[...] bizler için en iyi siyah ağırlıklı website tasarımlarını derlemiş. Aslında bu derleme sitenin yaptığı 3. derleme. daha önce burda ve burda yine [...]
February 27th, 2009
Thank you for this great compilation
March 8th, 2009
Thanks for including me on this list — and an excellent one it is! I appreciate it greatly!
May 21st, 2009
I just wanted to let you know that Soh Tanaka looks really similar to http://www.openwebdesign.org/viewdesign.phtml?id=2461&referer=%2Fuserinfo.phtml%3Fuser%3Dsnop
I think it might be a coincidence but at least there is an open source alternative if you like this design