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design Intermediate 21 lessons

Dark Mode Design

Design for low light. Master contrast ratios, elevation with gray scales, and color shifting strategies for effective Dark Mode UI.

Dark Mode is a user expectation, not just a feature. This course teaches the specific rules of designing for dark interfaces. You will learn why 'pure black' is bad, how to use desaturated colors to prevent eye strain, and how to communicate elevation using lightness levels instead of shadows. We cover handling text contrast, recoloring images, and implementing system-level toggles. Essential for modern app design.

✅ 100% Free & Lifetime Access
⏱️ 5-Minute Lessons (Bite-sized learning)
🚀 21-Lesson Path (Independent modules)
📱 Mobile Friendly (Learn anywhere)
UI Devs
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Secure Enrollment via SSL

Complete Course Syllabus

  • 1
    Dark Mode Physics
    Why pure black causes smearing and eye strain.
  • 2
    Elevation & Depth
    Using lighter grays to show surface height.
  • 3
    Color Adaptation
    Desaturating accents to pass contrast checks.
  • 4
    Text & Hierarchy
    Opacity rules for primary, secondary, and disabled text.
  • 5
    Images & Shadows
    Recoloring assets and handling shadows in the dark.

Estimated completion time: 21 lessons • Self-paced learning • Lifetime access

Career Outlook

Estimated Salary
$90k - $130k

Career Paths

UI Designer $90k-$130k
Mobile Designer $95k-$135k
Design System Lead $120k-$160k

What You Will Learn

Create readable Dark Mode palettes avoiding pure black
Communicate elevation using lightness levels vs shadows
Adjust saturation of accent colors for dark backgrounds
Ensure WCAG contrast compliance in low-light settings
Design seamless toggles between Light and Dark themes

Skills You Will Gain

Dark UI Color Theory Accessibility Material Design Dark Theming

Who Is This For

UI Designers
Product Designers
App Developers

Prerequisites

UI Design Basics

Dark Mode Design FAQs

Just invert?

No, simple inversion breaks hierarchy and contrast.

Pure black?

Avoid it; use dark gray (#121212) for OLED safety.

Accessibility?

Crucial; dark mode is an accessibility feature.

System setting?

We teach designing for the OS preference toggle.

Need more info?
All Reork courses are 100% free, self-paced, and fully accessible on mobile devices. No prior experience is required. Read our full Platform FAQ.

Tech Stack & Tools

Figma
Contrast Checkers
Tokens Studio

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