Over the last few days we’ve run this poll in our sidebar.
Feel free to share your reasons for your answer in comments below.
My name is Darren Rowse and I’m a full time Blogger making a living from this new and dynamic medium from blogs like Digital Photography School and TwiTip - Twitter Tips.
Back in 2002 I stumbled upon an article about ‘Blogging’. I didn’t know it at the time but that moment changed my life. Since then I've become a full time blogger and have blogged on over 20 blogs and co-founded the b5media blog network.
You can connect with me via social media sites at Facebook (friend limit reached) - Facebook Fan Page - LinkedIn - ProBlogger on Twitter (also ProBlogger.com on Twitter) - SU - FriendFeed - Digg
95 Responses to “Do you prefer Light or Dark Backgrounds on Blogs?” - Add Yours
Leigh
April 7th, 2009 12:24 pm
It really depends on the blog for me, I prefer text to be on a light background, but the main background can be either depending on the design. Image heavy blogs with little text work well on dark backgrounds.
StuffCooksWant
April 7th, 2009 12:32 pm
Light background are much easier to read IMO. Dark backgrounds make me squint and squinting causes wrinkles, so I just get right back out of those dark blogs.
RustyH
April 7th, 2009 12:34 pm
As long as the only important aspect of the blog is met, the content, the Blog always ends up read in Google Reader. The background color does not make any difference to me.
John
April 7th, 2009 12:36 pm
A few blog themes pull off the dark background look fairly well, but most of the dark themes I have seen are almost unreadable. On the whole, I much prefer light backgrounds. That said, the right dark theme can give images extra pop.
harris
April 7th, 2009 12:42 pm
i prefer light backgrounds because it looks beautiful. but it ain’t mean always white.
it looks simple with light backgrounds and gives strong message on what i write.
Mary Jo
April 7th, 2009 12:50 pm
White (or light) writing on a dark background is just too hard for me to read.
If the blog is a photo blog, or some other topic that is highly visual (and doesn’t need me to ready too much), then I can tolerate a dark background.
Heather
April 7th, 2009 12:54 pm
For me it depends on the blog. One thing I don’t really care for is black background behind the text. It kind of hurts my eyes.
HotSauceDaily
April 7th, 2009 12:56 pm
I prefer light backgrounds. Dark is ok for a photo blog.
Aw Guo
April 7th, 2009 12:57 pm
Dark is too personal, though it’s less tough to read.
I think not too light would be okay (like light green or blue)
Mike Nichols
April 7th, 2009 12:58 pm
I prefer light backgrounds — white, preferably. Dark backgrounds with light lettering are hard to read, especially for older people.
As the general population ages, and there are more and more elders online, it is very important to consider readability. Some older people will not even attempt to read a dark background blog!
White backgrounds for better readability every time!
twe4ked
April 7th, 2009 1:00 pm
I much prefer dark backgrounds. I find it easier to read light text on a dark background. #EEE on #111
pnw fitness
April 7th, 2009 1:00 pm
Backgrounds make no difference. Text background does.
I highly prefer very light colored text backgrounds.
Pinoy Dad
April 7th, 2009 1:03 pm
Preference to light background for me. I have very poor eyesight – too much exposure to LCD (lol).
Rahul
April 7th, 2009 1:04 pm
I’m quite particular on the background color. But it all depends upon the nature of the blog itself.
Bean Fairbanks
April 7th, 2009 1:05 pm
I prefer light for text blogs and dark for photoblogs
Brock
April 7th, 2009 1:09 pm
I wasn’t sure what you meant by “background”, but I answered “Light Always” assuming you mean the background behind the text. As far as the main background, I don’t care at all.
JanAnn
April 7th, 2009 1:11 pm
I agree with all the commenters who find black or dark text against light background more readable. Maybe ’cause I’m also of the age of book readers. Black or colorful backgrounds push me away. True of Websites generally.
Christian Decker
April 7th, 2009 1:15 pm
Usually light backgrounds are quite easy to achieve since it is easy to build professional looking themes with them, while creating dark themes is a lot harder.
Btw: anybody knows some good resources on designing dark themes?
Deborah Talmadge
April 7th, 2009 1:16 pm
Well, I differ from most every body else here. I don’t like light backgrounds. They’re too stark and have a cold clinical feel. All the light hurts my eyes, and makes it hard to read anything.
Nancy
April 7th, 2009 1:22 pm
I read somewhere that dark backgrounds w/ light lettering is actually easier on the eyes (i.e. causes less strain b/c it’s not as “bright”) …but most people still prefer a book-like look (white background, black lettering) because it’s such a familiar set-up.
That being said, I tend to like light backgrounds. :)
Team Nirvana
April 7th, 2009 1:27 pm
I prefer lighter backgrounds to the darker ones as the aesthetics would pretty much be comfy for the eyes too.
The contrast that the darker backgrounds create would not be pleasing to the eyes when placed inappropriately. As I still tend to move on the blogosphere, I prefer to go slow and then move on to the darker things later on.
Thanks for the poll Darren.
samotage
April 7th, 2009 1:34 pm
There really is a reason books are printed on white pages after all then!
Free Acai Trials
April 7th, 2009 2:09 pm
Dark backgrounds with light fonts burn my eyes when I look away.
Roseli A. Bakar
April 7th, 2009 2:21 pm
I’ll go for light backgrounds.
LGR
April 7th, 2009 2:26 pm
Page background or text background? Page background I don’t care to much. Text background I prefer a dark text on a light background.
Marf
April 7th, 2009 2:27 pm
I always prefer dark backgrounds. I’m often sitting in a dark room and I’d rather not have a white screen glaring at me. My blog uses a dark background.
However, in the future I may provide an option for my readers. It’ll still default to the dark background, but there will be an option to switch to a light background.
Sire
April 7th, 2009 2:36 pm
I’ve tended to use dark backgrounds because I personally liked the way they look. When it came to my attention that certain people find dark backgrounds harder to read I converted all but my photography blogs to a light background.
Luckily the present theme I’m using makes changing the whole look of the blog, including colors, background images, headers, color of text links etc extremely easy. Usually all it takes is the click of a mouse. I can even save the old settings as a CSV file and restore the original settings when I want to revert to the original theme. eg at the moment I’ve got an Easter theme but next week it will revert to my normal look.
Rehuel
April 7th, 2009 2:41 pm
The human eye is trained to read black letters on white paper. School books, newspapers, almost everything we read growing up was black text on a white background.
This makes it a lot easier for most people to read very dark text on very light backgrounds.
I personally prefer light backgrounds, especially for the content area, where the text is displayed.
Susan
April 7th, 2009 2:55 pm
I prefer light backgrounds becauseI find it too hard to read on dark backgrounds. If I come to a blog with a dark background, I don’t even try to read it. I immediately click out.
Tonya Pruitt
April 7th, 2009 3:04 pm
Personally I use dark around the edges and white background with black text on the content area. That way it’s easier for my readers to see the text.
Gennaro
April 7th, 2009 3:24 pm
Areas with a lot of text work better with a light background. In almost every case, a white background with black text looks best. Photo blogs work with a dark background, but not if they’re text heavy. It’s too much of a strain on the eyes to read it otherwise.
Darren Rowse
April 7th, 2009 3:26 pm
I think that’s why I prefer light backgrounds for text based blogs and black for photoblogs – easier on the eyes
Sjay
April 7th, 2009 3:43 pm
If the blog is providing tutorials, How to articles or something you need to forcus on content. I prefere white(light) back ground with dark letters.
If it s fun reading. Stories, news and stuff I dont really care the background colour.
Amy @ parkcitygirl
April 7th, 2009 3:47 pm
Light backgrounds are easier on the eyes (at least mine)
cb
April 7th, 2009 3:50 pm
I prefer light backgrounds – not sure I can explain why except I find it much easier to read – the pages also seem to load quicker on my mobile phone when browsing on the move!
Benjamin Solah
April 7th, 2009 4:12 pm
Dark backgrounds light text, is actually easier to read and strains less on your eyes.
The problem comes when you close that page and view another that is probably light background, dark text – your eyes aren’t used to it and it bloody hurts.
jen
April 7th, 2009 4:15 pm
Text heavy blogs should definitely have a light background. The only time a dark background works is on photo, or image rich, blogs. I disagree that light text on dark background is easier to read. I squint lots when viewing websites like this.
blog4movie
April 7th, 2009 4:23 pm
It depends upon the blog for me, I like light backgrounds if it’s full of writing content, but I will prefer dark backgrounds if my blog contains of many pictures.
Michael Godawski
April 7th, 2009 5:40 pm
I guess we are used to read black text on white surface because of the white paper, which was dominant before the virtual revolution and is still dominating our daily life (books, newspapers, just paper everywhere..).
There are few books printed on black paper.
Yahoo Chat Blog
April 7th, 2009 6:04 pm
Using Light Backgrounds is always good for me. So i like light.
sam
April 7th, 2009 7:28 pm
I think it does depend on your site and what you are blogging about but I think you can always test your own individual site to see what works for your readers with split testing. I have used split testing in the past and it has always really helped me understand my readers and work with them.
Serge Van Cauwenbergh
April 7th, 2009 7:36 pm
Light backgrounds and black text is much easier to read and less tiring for the eyes than vice versa. Although black background are more interesting for showing pictures.
Nick Rhodes
April 7th, 2009 8:12 pm
I personally do not mind dark or light backgrounds as long as there is sufficient contrast between the text and background (and on a side note , but not only that but a suitable font size, too small and I can not see the text clearly enough to read quickly, but too large and its hard to easily read sentences; look how hard it is to read those Ebay auctions where massive fonts are used. This is worse in my opinion than a site with bad layout (too narrow or wide columns).
Another thing I have noticed is that sites with white or light backgrounds tend to degrade better when CSS and/or images are disabled and also when printed, which I still do on a regular basis.
I have noticed various websites state that white background and black text is better for accessibility, but only personal experience of working with someone who was partially sighted, he said that black background on bright yellow text with slightly larger than normal fonts was easiest for him to read.
redserpent
April 7th, 2009 8:22 pm
White background is cruel on the eyes, eggshell (0.2 density) is light and easy on eyes. / dark is better to frame art (photographs not pictures)
Mark | Retroblique
April 7th, 2009 9:53 pm
Voted “always light”, but would ideally have opted for “depends on the blog, but usually light”.
As others have pointed out, it all boils down to eye fatigue. Dark text on a light background is a lot kinder on the eyes for any extended reading period.
Light text on a dark background can be effective, but it’s a lot harder to create a design that can sustain readers. Image-heavy/text-light blogs can usually get away with it, but not the other way round.
Lee Ka Hoong
April 7th, 2009 10:06 pm
I do prefer white background, it comes from my feel.
I’ve changed a few blog themes, as long as the content column is white background with black word, then everything will be okay. As long as I can read the word clearly. :)
Regards,
Lee
Ryan McLean
April 7th, 2009 10:30 pm
I AM SHOCKED ANYONE CHOSE BLACK
Light all the way!
Lina
April 7th, 2009 10:45 pm
I prefer light blogs so that I can read the text properly.
I mean, if there’s a black background there must be light text… And that’s soo hard for me to read. My eyes doesn’t like it :)
Fred @ Very Personal Finance
April 7th, 2009 10:46 pm
I really can’t stand reading sites with black backgrounds. I find them very difficult to read.
laidoffguy
April 7th, 2009 11:11 pm
I voted white because I’ve made it a point to look at blogs which are impressive and/or informative which catch my eye. Almost all of them have either white backgrounds, or just a shade or two off white.
If a blogger uses black for a background I would think it’s for a specific reason, but I haven’t found too many that I can discern the reason.
Rob O.
April 7th, 2009 11:41 pm
RSS feeds negate this question to a degree, but I still prefer light backgrounds. I’ve seen a few blogs with grayish or other midtone backgrounds that worked, but can’t recall any with black backgrounds that I regularly visit. And of course the accompanying color scheme does make a difference too.
Barbara
April 8th, 2009 12:06 am
I generally prefer light backgrounds. Lots of type on a black background is hard on the eyes, but if there’s more graphic than type, black can be very effective.
keychain blog
April 8th, 2009 1:16 am
I prefer dark background.. But white on the text box..
Kayla
April 8th, 2009 2:20 am
I really like dark blogs, but like I voted, it does depend on the style of the blog. I think a light or dark blog can be effective in it’s own way.
Felicia - I Complete Me
April 8th, 2009 2:53 am
When I first started blogging I had a dark background and I was encouraged to change it. Which I did and I have been complimented numerous times on my site. So I think a light background is the best way to go.
Barbara
April 8th, 2009 3:04 am
If it’s a photo blog, those look great on a dark background. Text is easier to read on light backgrounds.
Make Money Online
April 8th, 2009 3:45 am
It all very much depends on the design and other factors. You cant just have a hard and fast rule but usually light is in :)
Kestrel
April 8th, 2009 4:58 am
I went with “always light” but I’d qualify that with “lighter rather than darker.”
My current theme has a gradient going down the page, and while it starts out a bit darker than I’d like (and depends on browser rendering as well), I do like the look of black text on it.
On the other hand, my TweetDeck colors are gold on black. Go figure?
bob mcdonnell
April 8th, 2009 5:56 am
Maybe it is my old eyes– Dark bg and dark letters drive me crazy. I try to tilt my laptop screen, but can’t read much of it.
Beauty Fully Used
April 8th, 2009 6:14 am
Dark text on a light background is much easier to read, and also easier on the eyes.
David Safar
April 8th, 2009 7:06 am
I don’t care either way, and use a mix of both on my site — content is on a light background, navigation is on dark. But I’m suprised that dark backgrounds got so little support. Light text on a dark background is supposed to be easier to read with less eyestrain.
mike
April 8th, 2009 7:29 am
I use all dark backgrounds on my blogs. It looks nice I think. You can’t read a white background for too long. It is too bright for me.
Eric Clickbooth
April 8th, 2009 7:54 am
All the blogs I’ve created have light backgrounds. I like them better because they look cleaner and they’re easier to read.
Mario
April 8th, 2009 8:04 am
Ligth backgrounds. Just because of the readability.
Aldis
April 8th, 2009 8:31 am
I better prefer the light one (white), because it’s easier to read. For example try to read an article in blog, which have dark background and after reading try to look somewhere else. I think that the feel won’t be very nice, but better effect for reading articles is white ( light) background. So I choose better white backgrounds on blogs.
It would be also interesting to here answer for question: What do you prefer better, reading on paper or monitor screen. And here I think the answer will be only one – paper, but it’s more expensive, so I think it is very good question to discuss.
Sorry for off topic.
indiandigg
April 8th, 2009 8:50 am
i think light is better then dark because in light background u can sape your blog a simple look
http://indiandigg.com
Ani Long
April 8th, 2009 8:51 am
I was taught at a writing class in college that it’s best to get a dark background with light text. In fact, I prefer it. White backgrounds are too ordinary and can make your site/blog look too bright. Dark backgrounds with light text has that constant pulled-in power, especially if you are going to look into it for a while. To me it also makes your site/blog a little dramatic.
The Scrub
April 8th, 2009 11:02 am
Black backgrounds make my eyes hurt. If I spend any time on a site like that it gives me a headache.
Play Games Win Prizes
April 8th, 2009 1:00 pm
Dark…or Light…you will have a different crowd of visitors. It’s just like a average person and a gothic or punkish person.
-Mike
Lisa
April 8th, 2009 1:11 pm
White on black makes my eyes go squiffy. I will always prefer dark text on a light background.
Bibokz
April 8th, 2009 1:34 pm
It depends upon the blog, but most of all i prefer dark colors.
Bibokz
April 8th, 2009 1:35 pm
It depends upon the blog, most male likes dark but female likes light. i prefer dark colors.
Lisa Cummings
April 9th, 2009 12:30 am
Always light! 2 reasons:
1) Dark hurts my eyes and makes it difficult to read long passages
2)Dark (esp. Black) backgrounds often look like a Star Trek or 1992 design. Not always, but often.
Trula
April 9th, 2009 4:25 am
Dark backgrounds are ok but most of the time when a dark background is used, they don’t use a font color to go with it that is soft on the eyes. White on black, for example, is much harder to read than black on white.
BGmarketing
April 9th, 2009 8:26 am
Dark is for art, light is for info. Lighter blogs are way easier to surf through.
Great topic, I love dark but its no place for a blog.
Peace.
Mohammad Afaq
April 9th, 2009 11:32 am
It really depends on the blog because if you have a business blog then you have to think about putting a color that helps you put the advertising banners without having any trouble and without making your site look bad. On a personal blog I really love dark because light colors are sort of dull.
Mohammad Afaq
http://afaqtrafficblog.blogspot.com
ChristiaanH
April 9th, 2009 4:29 pm
Still working out if I should change the appearance of my blog, it’s very minimalistic and easy on the eyes, but could thing be better if I just went to the tried and tested Black fonts on white screen?
Most blogs (all blogs..) I follow are black on white.. with links in classic blue.
Maybe I”ll just have to blog about my blogs color scheme and ask for help for my trusty readers.
Feel free to take a peek and comment on my colors.
Dan Alderson
April 9th, 2009 6:30 pm
This is very interesting. Currently my blog has a dark theme which I have thought about changing for a while now. I do use white text to try and keep it clear the only text that is hard to read is the tagline under the blog title which I admit is only in that colour due to laziness.
Anlina Sheng
April 10th, 2009 8:02 am
Always dark text on a light background. The main page background is unimportant as long as the content is dark text on a light background.
Crazy Creek Quilts
April 10th, 2009 2:12 pm
I like light backgrounds. If I find a blog and it’s on a dark background with light print, I won’t even bother reading it.
Teri Lussier
April 10th, 2009 6:32 pm
Light background for text heavy blogs. Dark background with light text is fatiguing on the eyes. However, photo blogs can be lovely with a dark background.
Headless Mom
April 11th, 2009 1:43 am
I won’t read blogs with a black background and white text. My eyes can’t take it. If it’s something that I want to read then I’ll subscribe in my reader, read there, and only click through if I feel compelled to comment.
Seth W
April 11th, 2009 8:37 am
LIGHT – Extremely nice when reading lots of text and tutorials. I think it is best even if you have a dark background to provide a light background behind the text. Preferably white.
DARK – I would use dark only on blogs with lots of images and logos. Even then they seem to be too modern and not enough about content. I always feel when going to a dark site that there wont be enough content. Maybe I am just weird though.
dadshouse
April 11th, 2009 9:47 am
I get really tired of seeing so blogs with white backgrounds. Gray is easier on the eyes. (That’s why I chose gray for my blog)
JoAnn B
April 11th, 2009 1:13 pm
I do like the lighter backgrounds more than dark ones.
The text is harder to read on the dark ones. There are some occasions where the dark is ok, but very rare.
I notice that photographers use dark background
showing off their photographs. I definitely dislike the
dark backgrounds.
Bright backgrounds are good too.
Happy blogging everyone.
JoAnn
diabetes signs
April 11th, 2009 4:53 pm
I love dark….and the articles more light cause give more focusing from visitor
The Casual Observer
April 12th, 2009 6:56 am
I went with a light yellow. I initially used white, but some people didn’t like it. The yellow seems to be friendly to the eyes.
Richard
April 12th, 2009 8:18 am
I prefer dark text on a light background. It is much easier on the eyes. It doesn’t cause a severe eye strain when trying to read. Especially if the post or article is a long one.
diabetes man
April 12th, 2009 3:30 pm
for me not too important, and focus on what is preferred by the visitor is more important
Lynn
April 13th, 2009 12:37 am
There’s a reason you don’t find novels on black pages. Hmm, now I’m wondering if there are any out there… :)
Lynn at Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile
http://infantbibliophile.blogspot.com
Shawna
April 13th, 2009 1:00 am
Dark backgrounds, provided text is an appropriate light color. (Not necessarily white.). It’s much easier on the eyes. There’s a reason writers tend to prefer a dark background/light text setup while writing – and plenty of specific software aimed at writers to prove it. Besides… a white background just looks lazy. And that cream-ish fake resume paper stuff just looks ridiculously pretentious.
Movie Links
April 13th, 2009 10:49 am
I have read that you should never use a Black color blog, but for some reasons there allways the one’s i build, I think the dark colors with white text, stand out, I guess the Niche should determin your color scheme, But like I said I allways go Back to Black
Guruadda
April 14th, 2009 5:42 am
Black backgrounds make my eyes hurt. If I spend any time on a site like that it gives me a headache. Light Background is very nice for me.
http://www.Guruadda.com
Augustina Peach
April 16th, 2009 12:33 pm
After a while of reading light text on a black background, my eyes start to jitter, even when I look away from the computer screen. The same seems to be true with any light color on black. With other dark colors, like brown or blue, I don’t seem to have the same problem.
HR
May 11th, 2009 11:23 am
I think having a white color as your background is not good for your eyes.
Also if your background is black and your letters are all white. It is the same thing. It is not good for your eyes.
Remember when you look at your computer you are looking at a light bulb. Make the background a little darker so that less light shines out of your computer to your eyes.
So, I think you need to have a little dark enough background (I like e6e6e6) and your letters should be all back or something really dark. Then you can protect your eyes better while you are updating and working on your blog or website, right?
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