Dark is not inverted light: desaturate, elevate with surfaces, and manage glare.

Principles#

Never pure black (use slate-950). Desaturate accents one shade. Replace shadows with lighter surfaces (elevation = lightness). Test dark-first products in bright rooms.

Applied#

  • Apply it to your next feature, not a mythical redesign
  • Encode the decision as a token or component
  • Write one paragraph of team guidance
  • Audit an existing page against the principle

design/index|Design guides · themes/index|Themes