The Debate Continues | Black Background vs. White Background
It might sound like a simple design issue. But this is a question that will have longer lasting effects than the color of towels you pick for your guest bathroom. Are you going to go with white text on black background or black text on white background for your new website. Decisions, decisions, decisions…
First off, I admit it may not sound like a big deal at all. But, start surfing the web – you will find it is. How many websites do it one way, and how many do it the other? Which ones are eye-catching, and which ones are easy to read? Before you go reading through this whole post, do you even know which ones YOU prefer? See what draws you first, and that might be a good start.
Okay, so it’s white text on black background! Yeah! Now, If you decide to choose this option, everybody is going to say to you (come on y’all, all together…) “It is too hard to read!” Tell them to “nuh uh!” It is not. No proof, and they are probably old fuddy-duddies…seriously!
Alright, we admit – for some users this is true. FOR SOME USERS – being the key part of that statement. The inverse is also true for some readers, not everyone’s eyes feel delightful after staring at black text on white screens for 11 hours either. In fact, find me one person who doesn’t have a slight headache after being a screen jockey for 40 hours a week! Show me! You can get some serious eyestrain from staring at black text on white background – or even pink text on green background – no questions there. But truth is no optical association is damming either option either…yet. You won’t find one doctor who will give you a concrete opinion either way.
To understand the real tussle over white text on black background, you have to go back well before the interweb to the long-forgotten, ancient world of print advertising! Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy was the hallmark how-to publication that all publishers, printers and advertisers followed – to the letter. Ogilvy HATED the use of white text on black backgrounds, except in the extremely rare cases of using it as an attention tool.
Because Ogilvy’s opinion carried so much weight, we standardized this practice. Plus, newspapers were BLACK type on WHITE paper. We didn’t have any choice, and it became common, “correct” and accepted. This lead to generations of readers adapting their eyes and synapses to accept black type on white backgrounds.
The habit carried over onto the Web during its infancy and before anyone had thought to conduct research studies on the viewing of CRT or, today, LCD monitors. But that is just what it is, a habit. No basis in science or fact, so again, smile at your elders, be polite, but know your choice is not “wrong.”
Grandpa, and his like, are part of the black text on white medium generation. Many users and viewers today are part of that early adapting computer generation from the early 80’s and 90’s. Back then, in the ancient days of computes like the TRS- 80 (sniff-sniff, I miss that old thing, computers displayed lighter text (that pukey green) on dark screens. Some of us have burned our eyes out on bad video games, and we NEED/CRAVE/DEMAND some eye-catching textual feats to get our attention. So the whole thing isn’t just personal preference, it’s a bit of a traditional matter, and there are some generational politics thrown in there too. Regardless, it is your decision!
If you are choosing a lighter color on a darker background, there are some special style tips to consider. Important things to remember when doing this, so your “mature” viewer’s retinas don’t burst out of their heads are as follows:
- White text on a black background is a higher contrast to the opposite, so the letterforms need to be wider apart, be lighter in weight and have more space between the lines. This will make it easier to read.
- Too avoid the drama, maybe go with brown text on a light pink background, or yellow text on red background? Maybe? Just a thought…
The advent of such crisp and clear color monitors for computers has allowed designers to really expand their gamut. Websites should NOT look like newspapers, ever. They should be colorful, exciting, enlivening, fun, happy, and most importantly: INVITING. Everyone might tell you that black text on white is the preferred method – the TRADITIONAL – but is that what you are looking for? Do you want the unusual, the unique, off-the-edge?
Once you have realized the debate over black-on-white or white-on-black has nothing to do with optometry, you realize it is mostly all about design. It’s a matter of personal choice, a decision that is up to taste. And while you want to consider your tastes, you need to also consider the tastes and perceptions of your clients, customers and the visitors to your site.