While dark website layouts can be quite effective, they should be used with caution, particularly among legal firms. For a law firm—or really for any business—before deciding on a dark website design there are a few considerations. First you will want to have a total understanding of exactly who your ideal user is and what they are looking for when they arrive at your website. You will want to know your targeted user’s age and social level in order to determine what type of website will be most likely to attract them. While knowing your average user’s age may seem like a non-essential piece of information, remember that those users above 50, as a group, tend to prefer lighter backgrounds—not only because they are easier to see, but also because they are likely more used to visiting websites with light backgrounds therefore it feels more familiar to them.
Although some website designers disagree with the theory that dark backgrounds make the text more difficult to read, most users at least have a perception that it is more difficult to read and may not even stick around to find out. Of course readability is also affected by jarring text color, font size, typography and other elements. Should you decide to go with a dark website, all the elements which go into making up your site must work well together to avoid an unnerving experience for your potential clients. In other words it is possible to have an effective legal website based on dark web design, but you run the risk of sending people bouncing off your site before they’ve even had a chance to see what your site is all about. So, should you decide you want a dark website design, there are certain things to keep in mind.
Implement More White Space, Avoid Clutter and Watch Your Typography
When you’ve chosen a dark web design you must ensure there is plenty of white space surrounding each element or you risk having the site look cluttered since dark layouts give the feeling that the elements are closer to one another than they actually are. Readability is also increased when white space is added. Dark backgrounds must work hard to avoid a cluttered look, so if your site has a fair amount of copy, you will want to separate it through the use of sections or subpages. While typography is always important, it is even more so when using a dark background. Increase the size of your fonts and line-height, and use short paragraphs. Avoid any serif fonts because they tend to be less clean and clear, making readability more difficult.
Contrast and Content
Using pure white to contrast with your dark background can be unpleasant for the user—think about how it feels to wake up, walk to your blinds to draw them back and be hit with the brightest sunlight. It is a jarring experience and you don’t want to replicate that experience for your users. Use complementing colors to scale back the contrast of your site and you may be able to make a dark background work well for your firm’s website. A key advantage to using dark backgrounds is that you can emphasize text and image elements in more creative ways than you can with a lighter background. Deciding on a dark background means you must ensure the focus remains on the content rather than on the background itself so the site doesn’t feel “heavy.”
Making the Decision
Dark website design can be authoritative, strong and elegant when used in an appropriate manner however you will likely want to consult with a very experienced web designer prior to deciding to use a dark design. Dark designs tend to elicit a stronger emotional response which makes them great for creative sites, perhaps not so great for the legal field, so proceed with care should you decide on a dark web design.
