Why you should avoid a black background.

When I first got into web design, I loved nothing more than to create a lot of bright, cheerful colors on a black background. It looked good to me and that was all I really cared about.

When I started to design websites professionally, I quickly learned that a solid black background is not the way to go. – Especially when it comes to reading a lot of text. It puts unnecessary strain on the eyes. … I never realized how much strain it can put on the eyes until today. I just got a brand new high quality monitor. Very crisp colors. Very white whites and very dark darks. Viewing a friend’s blog was a major wakeup call.

If you really want a dark background with bright writing, go with a dark grey or brown. Perhaps #333333. And instead of white, try light a light version of your background color, such as #cccccc writing on your #333333 background.

You can also use light on dark sparingly in objects such as your navigation menu, icons, and graphics.