Darkmode

TYPE DESIGN INFORMATION PAGE last updated on Mon Apr 15 06:54:51 EDT 2024

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Darkmode Darkmode refers to white type on black background. It is generally understood that for white type on dark printed matter should be bolder (than its black on white counterpart), while white text on a black screen should be thinner as the screen spews white in the reader's direction. Dalton Maag, in its presentation of its Darkmode typeface family writes: There are well-known optical and psychological effects in design which result in text presented white-on-black being perceived as larger and bolder than the same text presented black-on-white. This presents a challenge for consistent visual hierarchy on different backgrounds, especially when designing for emissive displays. Dalton Maag's Darkmode (2020-2021) is an adaptation of an earlier font by them, Stroudley, which was created for physical signage and wayfinding: Our [Dalton Maag's] aim for Darkmode was to translate Stroudley's fundamental characteristics of accessibility, readability, and legibility to on-screen reading, digital navigation, and electronic signage. Darkmode's open counters, tall x-height, humanist proportions, and clear and distinguishable characters all contribute to a comfortable reading experience, even at low resolutions or small sizes. The Darkmode family consists of eight static weights, ranging from Thin to Black, plus a variable font (VF) file, with both weight and darkmode [on/off] axes. Additional references include A discussion of Darkmode by Nikolay Petroussenko, type designer at Fontfabric. A discussion of white-on-black typography at Typedrawers (2021). Some typophiles find the darkmode issue overrated (including Jasper de Waard and Scott-Martin Kosofsky), while others point to tools that may be readily available to automatically embolden or lighten weights (such as the Offset Curve filter in Glyphs (for designers), and CSS code snippets (for users and web site designers)). Peter Constable observes however that the weight axis does not do the exact same thing as Dalton Maag's "Darkmode" axis: weight affects advance widths; "Darkmode" does not. "Darkmode" is like what is often referred to as "grade": small adjustments in stroke weights to compensate for medium or context conditions that affect apparent weight without affecting advance widths.	EXTERNAL LINKS MyFonts search Monotype search Fontspring search Google search INTERNAL LINKS Type design in the United Kingdom ⦿ Typography ⦿ Variable fonts ⦿