Anatomy of Colors in Web Design: Black – A Representation of Style & Mystery

Anatomy of Colors in Web Design: Black – A Representation of Style & Mystery

This series Anatomy of Colors in Web Design is back! One color at a time, we look at web designs from around the world. Over the past few months, in the series, we’ve looked at various colors like Green, Blue and Yellow. Our fourth installment of the series will look at the darkest end of the spectrum of colors – Black.

Everyone has played with color paints or crayons when they were a child. Remember experimenting with various color paints only to realize that the more colors you add the darker the color becomes. Eventually, the paint becomes so dark that it resembles a black or dark brown shade of paint. Black; is it a color or is it an absence of color? Or maybe it is an overdose of color? After all, a scientist would say that black absorbs all the colors of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them to one’s eyes. Today’s exploration of black, the color of space and the universe, will take a look at how the color has impacted our lives.

Anatomy of Colors in Web Design: Black – A Representation of Style & Mystery

Remember to continue watching this space, as we continue to take a closer look at other colors in upcoming months. Subscribe to our RSS feed or Follow us on Twitter so that you won’t miss the full series.

Definition of Black

Black is the color that does not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum. It absorbs all frequencies of light. Hence black is often considered as the lack of all colors of light, or an exhaustive combination of multiple colors of pigment. Although black is sometimes described as “achromatic” or hue-less, in practice, it can be considered a color.

Black is the visual impression experienced when no visible light reaches the eye. This is in contrast with whiteness which is the impression of any combination of colors of light that equally stimulates all three types of color-sensitive visual receptors.

Pigments that absorb light rather than reflect it back to the eye appears to look black. However, a black pigment can result from a combination of several pigments that collectively absorbs all colors. Like the above mention of the childhood paints experiment, if appropriate proportions of three primary pigments are mixed, the result reflects so little light that it appears to be black. This provides two superficially opposite but actually complementary descriptions of black.

Types of Black
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Black is real sensation, even if it is produced by entire absence of light. The sensation of black is distinctly different from the lack of all sensation. – Hermann von Helmholz

The Benefits of Black

Black is stern and formal. It is also authoritative and powerful. It is a color that can evoke strong emotions but it can also be overwhelming when used in excess. Dark colors make a room seem smaller, black being the epitome of darkness is no exception. Even a well lit room would seem dark when a lot of black is used.

Black
Image credit: Ying-yang

Women love to wear black because of its slimming effect. Wearing black also gives women an air of sophistication and class. Used to convey elegance with a touch of mystery, every woman has a little black dress in her closet when she wants to pull out all the stops. On the other hand, black is also a very easy color to match and because of its sobriety, it is often the color of formality and a classic color for office wear.

Against black, other colors are able to stand out better and seem brighter than it would actually be on its own. On its own, black also affects us both physically and mentally. As with everything, there are positives and negatives. Black can make us feel inconspicuous for days we want to blend in and not stand out. It evokes a sense of mystery and allows us to imagine a world of endless potential and possibility. However, black can also be bleak and dreary. Black really is the absorption of all colors into nothingness and emptiness. This can make us feel fearful and drab because black sucked the color out of our lives. Black indeed is a color that can go both ways; good or bad.

Why Choose Black?

Black is associated with many things. Considered the negation of color, black is conservative and goes well with almost every color. Black is serious, conventional, powerful, and elegant, however, it is also often times seen as the color of solitude and despair. Black creates an impression of distinction and is well suited with high quality products such as perfumes, wines, and expensive luxurious cars, electronics and gadgets. Because of its versatility and its ability to establish contrast, black is a favorite color choice in advertising.

In many cultures, black is the color of mourning. Often seen as a color of death, it is not favored at weddings and wearing black to a wedding is a sign of rebellion and taboo. The world’s cultures view black differently; it is the color for little boys in China, and associated with honor and symbol of nobility, age and experience in Japan. Classically viewed as a negative color in the early days of film, the bad guys would often be decked in black and the good guys dressed in white. As seen in the use of the black devil and the white angel in regards to the never-ending battle between good and evil. Because of its association with evil and the dark side, witches are often dressed in black; as such, black is one of the main colors of Halloween along with the color orange.

However, black is not always seen as negative especially in today’s modern context. Think of Batman, the dark knight who is decked out all in black, a hero of the night. Observe James Bond’s classic black tuxedo that exudes style, sophistication and mystery. In fact, even in the early days, black is a color used by heroes like Spanish defender of the people Zorro who dons a black cape, gaucho hat and cowl mask. Black is a color with attitude.

Different Types of Black in Web Design

Dark colors like charcoal gray and dark brown can sometimes stand in for black. An excellent technical color, black assists in targeting a sophisticated high-end market or a youth market because of its association with style and mystery. Too much black may not be a good thing as it can be quite depressing. Although black backgrounds enhance perspective and depth, it also diminishes the readability of text. Black however is very effective for art and photography websites because it allows the other colors to stand out and display its vibrancy.

One might think that black is just black. However, that isn’t the case. Here are various types of black in existence.

Carbon Black

Carbon black is a dull and dirty black.

Mulletized
Carbon Black

Charcoal Black

Charcoal black is one of the darkest shades and closest to black itself.

Mobily
Charcoal Black

Ivory Black

Ivory black is a black with a touch of ivory shine and feel.

Reinvigorate
Ivory Black

Brown Black

Brown black is a slight mixture of brown with black, which is darker than dark brown.

Carsonified
Carsonified

Using Black with Other Colors

Black goes well with everything! Well, almost everything. Be careful when using black with very dark colors. It can work, but if the colors are too similar, visibility will drop as the colors bleed into each other.

Black with Red

A classic and stylish color scheme is the use of black with red.

Stampede Design
Stampede Design

Black with White

Another classic color scheme very often used is black and white. These two colors express two mutually exclusive sets of ideas and values elegantly. Think Yin and Yang; good and evil.

Demain Jarrete
Demain Jarrete

Black with Yellow

Black is the darkest color of all the colors in the spectrum. When used with light and bright colors like yellow, the contrast is at its greatest and the lighter colors really pop and stand out.

Postography UK
Postography

Black with Light Blue

Despite being a conservative combination, black and light blue produces an interesting and unique look.

Tripping Words
Tripping Words

Black with Green

Luscious and naturally pleasing green softens the intimidating and harsh black and creates a down to earth and calming feel.

Heineken Beer
Heineken

Showcase of Freelancers

These freelancers have chosen to use black as a base for their identity and brand. As you have observed, black goes well with almost every other color. Many of these freelancers have chosen another color to reduce the harshness of black to create a more friendly and personal touch to their site. These are some of the examples of the amazing use of black in web.

Victoria Mach
VK Mach

Trevor Sheridan
Trevor Sheridan

Thibault Jorge
TJ Todo

Thiago Leao
Thiagoleao

Szeroki Kadr
Szerokikadr

Russ Kirby
Russkirby Portfolio

Paul J.noble
Paul Jnoble

Flurin Müller.
Outstander

Daniel Cork
Orking Design

Nashy
Nashy

David Arazim
Mediocore

Maxi Millian
Maxi Millian

Mark J. Maloney
Mark Jmaloney

Michael Dick
M1k3

Steven Ligatsa
Ligatsa

Matteo Larghi
Kubimedia

Katie Merris
Katie Merris

Justin Cline
Justin Cline

Jonah Levine
Jonahl

Jesse Dodds
Jesse Dodds

Jefff Inley
Jefff Inley

Ismael Burciaga
Ismael Burciaga

Simon G
Ins.pire

Harry J. Husni
Harryjh

Goksel Eryigit
Geryit

Alexey Chenishov
Ft Designer

Franky Aguilar
Franky Aguilar

Esteban Munoz
Esteban Munoz

David Roach
Dr Web Design

Brad Madigan
Dizzy Tree

Dijital Park
Dijital Park

Daniel Schutzsmith
Daniel Schutzsmith

Christoffer Radsby
Christofferradsby

Chanelle Henry
Chanelle Henry

Miguel Carino
Cargo Collective

Ben Good
Ben Good

Andrew Canham
Andrew Canham

Alex Coleman
Alex Coleman

Alan Marcos
Alan Marcos

Aifosvn
Aifosvn

Aaron Moody
Aaron Moody

Dave Lam
Dave Lam

Drew Dellinger
Drew Dellinger

Joshua Lane
Blissfully Aware

Neftali Loria Bonilla
Kin3tico

Ole Martin Kristiansen
Piraja

Daniel Naranjo Mack
Naranjo

Dave Gamache
One Twenty Seven

Izabela Kurkiewicz
Izabela Kurkiewicz

Bart Claeys
Bart Claeys

Blake Allen
Blake Allen Design

Kardo Ayoub
Kardo Ayoub

Daryl Campbell
Daryl Campbell Studios

Thomas Prior
Thomas Prior

Showcase of Agencies

Creative agencies have also adopted the color black into their themes and color schemes.

Rehybrid
Rehybrid

DandyPark
DandyPark

Charlie-x
Charlie-x

Studio Ten and a Half
Ten and a Half

Dewitte Casse
Dewitte Casse

Circus Family
Circus Family

Margaret London
Margaret

Do You Know Clarence
Do You Know Clarence

Horologe Australia
Horologe

Postmachina
Postmachina

Showcase of Black in Web Design

Check out these sleek and cool websites that make use of the essence of the color black into their design.

XQS Band
XQS

Lewebdefi
Lewebdefi

Black Estate Vineyard
Black Estate

QUE proReader
Que

Creative Joomla Design Book
Creative Joomla

Expression Tints
Expression Tints

The Dark Knight of Colors

Black is a color that is unavoidable. It is everywhere. Instead of shunning it, perhaps it is time to embrace it and learn how to view it in a positive light. Make black work for you.

Is black a favorite color of yours? Do you have a fear of using black in design or everyday life? But before you can use black in your site design, you will need to register a domain name first.

If you’ve come across other websites that use black in a creative manner, share them with us.

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