Dark mode is a redesign, not an inversion
Inverting colors is where most bad dark modes come from. Pure black backgrounds with pure white text create harsh glare, brand colors that popped on white can look muddy or radioactive on dark, and shadows that showed depth on a light screen simply disappear. A proper dark theme rethinks each of those decisions.
We build dark mode around a small set of dark surface tones, use lighter shades to show which panels sit on top of others, and re-tune your accent colors so they stay recognizable without vibrating. The result reads as intentional, not like a setting someone toggled by accident.
- Layered dark surfaces instead of one flat black to show depth and elevation
- Off-white text rather than pure white to cut glare on OLED screens
- Accent and brand colors re-tuned so they stay on-brand and legible
- Elevation shown through surface tone since drop shadows vanish on dark
- Images, logos, and illustrations checked so nothing gets lost or haloed
Readable and accessible in the dark
Dark backgrounds make contrast harder to get right, and it's easy to ship text that looks fine to you but is unreadable for someone with lower vision or in bright sunlight. We design against WCAG contrast targets so body text, labels, and interactive elements stay legible for real users, not just in the mockup.
We also watch for the specific traps of dark UI: colored links that fail contrast, disabled states that become invisible, error and success colors that stop being distinguishable, and large pure-white areas that flash the eyes when the screen changes.
- Text and UI contrast checked against WCAG AA targets on dark surfaces
- Link, error, warning, and success colors kept distinct and legible
- Disabled and inactive states that are still visible, not lost in the dark
- Reduced glare from large bright fields and sudden light-to-dark changes
- Reviewed on real devices, including OLED phones, not just a desktop preview
Built to switch cleanly and stay maintainable
Dark mode should follow the user's choice: respect the system setting by default, and, where it makes sense, offer an in-app toggle for light, dark, or automatic. We design both themes as a matched pair so switching is instant and nothing breaks or looks half-converted.
Under the hood, we structure the theme as semantic color tokens rather than one-off values, so a color like 'primary surface' or 'body text' is defined once and reused everywhere. That keeps your two themes in sync and makes future changes a single edit instead of a screen-by-screen hunt.
- Follows the device's system light/dark setting by default
- Optional in-app toggle for light, dark, or automatic
- Semantic color tokens so both themes stay in sync from one source
- Every screen and state checked in both themes, including edge cases
- Handoff notes so your developers can extend the theme without breaking it
More on app ui/ux design
Frequently asked questions
Can you add dark mode to an app I already have?
Usually yes. We start by auditing your current screens and colors to see how the theme is structured, then design a dark version and map out the changes. Apps built with reusable color tokens are faster to convert; ones with hard-coded colors take more work. A free consultation lets us look and give you an honest scope.
Should I follow the system setting or add a toggle?
Following the system setting is the sensible default, since it matches what the user already chose for their phone. Many apps also add an in-app toggle for people who want to override it. We can do both, and we'll recommend what fits your users rather than adding controls you don't need.
Does dark mode actually save battery?
On phones with OLED screens, darker pixels do use less power, so there can be a real battery benefit. On older LCD screens the difference is negligible. We'd rather be straight with you: design dark mode for comfort, accessibility, and preference first, and treat any battery savings as a bonus, not the headline reason.