5 Principles Of Dark UI Design – A Complete Guide

The look and feel of the product matter the most when it offers the perfect audience for a particular situation. The background UI design will have an impact on the dark themes with dark canvas. Dark theme design looks elegant and dramatic and it will get the potential pitfalls. Dark UI gives a strong impact and it offers sophistication, elegance, power and luxury. Also, dark UI has its own challenges that you will not meet and it will implement be poor.

If you are talking about digital products with dark UI then you are talking about elegance, mystery and power. This is a basic trend and there is also no proof which will say that the dark theme will put an impact on the eyes. Hence, one can consider dark UI design to be aesthetic.

Comparison Of Light And Dark UI:

All the interfaces are not perfect for the dark theme and the UI designer must look into the brand fit, colour psychology, and cultural suitability. It even has an emotional impact before you choose the one and it belongs to the tricky one. If a financial app targets the millennial and chooses the dark theme, then it becomes too stylish, rich and even dark.

In most apps, you will see a light theme because it is eye-pleasing and nobody can instantly understand what page you are going through. It is definitely a better solution and it will actually give you the best knowledge of the light theme.

Therefore, the designers should consider the context of the interface and it will show the best result. Therefore, it should go with the context and the content and how it will impact the device for the users.

Why Dark Theme Is So Popular?

1. A dark background will give a professional web design which makes the overall look luxurious, mysterious, and professional. When you paired with vibrant colours and come with eye-catching illustrations then it is great.
2. If your brand complements the dark design then you can definitely choose this dark theme and it will create a striking canvas and create the best brand story.
3. Users can keep the perfect focus and it will draw the user’s attention for which you will get the best design.
4. The dark theme is uncommon and unique. One can use this theme to make a good impact in the market. Business owners using dark themes will surely create the best presence.

Five Principles Of Dark User Interface:

1. Focus on the company and what type of products you deal with. Not all brands are great for dark backgrounds. If you want to invest your time and the perfect resources that will craft the dark theme you have to understand your brand story, colour palette and brand character. Does your brand with dark UI tell the story strongly? If you get the answer no, then this dark theme is not for you.
2. Black colour is not the only colour as a dark background. The dark grey colour background also falls under dark colour. But if you use text and other background designs in contrast to this deep grey colour then you can focus on more.
3. Minimal design- when the client opts for dark design, then the developers opt for minimal design to balance out the dark theme. When the designer uses the negative space then people can absorb the information of the website easily.
4. Choice of contrast colour- when the digital product has a dark theme, then there should be a contrast colour for texts, headings and images on the product. The choice of that contrast colour needs to be perfect so that it balances out the dark theme.
5. The content hierarchy needs to manage properly and it comes with shadow at times. If there is too much illumination then the design is close to the perfect element and it appears foreground appearance as well.

Let’s Talk About The Dos And Don’ts Of The Dark UI Theme:

One needs to choose the dark design not in hype or in trend. They have to choose the dark theme because it is impactful for them that is why. The designer must feel or should be rational about the choice to consider the context and how it will appear in the best possible manner. It is definitely a balancing act with so many potential benefits and disadvantages.

When can you use the idea of dark them? It is a big question and the answer to this is whether you like to achieve dramatic, strong and striking visuals when the colour scheme of the brand warrants you. When you want to elicit your emotion, or if you want to create elicit emotion. If you want to help, guide or focus on the user’s attention and there are no more minimal distractions. For nighttime entertainment, it is perfect to use.

Also, there is the time when you have to stay away from the dark UIs like for example for the reading app, when the brand name does not go with colour, in B2B application, design of lots of colours.

Challenges Of Dark Theme:

1. One can read the text if the contrast colour is not an appropriate choice. It impacts the eye and it can cause danger impact on the app or website theme as well.
2. In print design, dark colour can be good or bad and it behaves different, with the digital concept it will be different again.
3. The overall design can be cluttered and it seems that there will be no space. If the choice of the colour is not perfect then it can convey different messages and it can give a bad impact.
4. Users feel disconnected from the dark theme and they do not prefer to use the app.

Conclusion:

Keeping in mind all these factors, you have to decide whether you should go for a dark UI design or not. If yes, then you can ask your designer to design the digital copy accordingly. If not, then you can talk with a designer to choose which one is the best.

About the Author:

Prashant Pujara is the founder and CEO of MultiQoS Technologies, a renowned UI/UX design company specializing in the design of Android and iOS apps. He has over ten years of app development expertise, with a particular focus on web development for various platforms, including Angular and Laravel.

Find Me On Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn