Dark mode isn't just a toggle

Flipping black and white is the easiest 30% of dark mode. The other 70% is decisions about hierarchy, contrast, and color temperature.

Why this matters today

Pure white text on pure black eyes screams. Slightly off-white on slightly off-black breathes. Shadows become outlines, gradients become glows.

A great dark mode looks like a different room, not the same room with the lights off.

In practice

Here is the part that turns theory into a habit:

• Start small — a single file, a single page, a single test.
• Measure twice. Trust the numbers, not the vibe.
• Keep an undo path. Reversible decisions buy you courage.

A note on tooling

Every tool on this site runs in your browser unless we say otherwise. That changes the trade-offs: nothing to upload, nothing to retain, nothing to leak. The downside is a small ceiling on file size and a dependency on your device's CPU — both acceptable for most editorial workflows.

Takeaway

Design dark mode like a separate brand, not a filter on the light one.