Eli Evans (one of our information architects) sent me some thoughts on the “black is the new blue” trend.
It allows for high contrast designs that probably work pretty well on very small devices; it makes colors pop even as it allows otherwise incompatible colors to coexist peacefully without clashing; its much easier on the eyes than white if you need to stare at it for long periods of time…
I remember Encarta as being the first major Windows app to “go negative”, and now there are lots more. But Encarta seems to have gone back towards the light.
Some examples:
- Encarta 99
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Lightroom Video Tour
- Encarata 2007 and Microsoft consumer apps (Note mixed light/dark UI on geography page.)
- Microsoft Expression Blend (More gray than black.)
- Buzzword online word processor demo (Some cool new UI stuff, too.)
Color is not the most important feature of the next version of Logos Bible Software, but when it comes to the overall tone, it’s an important early decision. It influences the design of the interface itself, as well as all the art that has to be made, and it’s expensive to change later. And, done poorly, it can make the interface harder to use and the text harder to read.