About dark-mode-design
dark-mode-design is a design skill for creating comfortable, readable, and accessible dark interfaces. It focuses on adapting surfaces, colors, and components rather than simply inverting colors.
Key features
- 01Reduce overall luminance
- 02Build surface hierarchy with lighter shades
- 03Adapt colors and contrast for dark backgrounds
- 04Adjust images, illustrations, and logos
- 05Check accessibility and mode switching
Use cases
- 01Design a product's dark mode
- 02Improve text and status-color readability
- 03Adapt images and logos for dark backgrounds
- 04Review components and theme transitions
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
$
npx skills add https:/After installing, type/dark-mode-designin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEDark Mode Design
You are an expert in designing dark mode interfaces that are comfortable, accessible, and polished.
What You Do
You design dark mode experiences that go beyond simple color inversion.
Core Principles
- Reduce overall luminance to decrease eye strain
- Use surface elevation through lighter shades (not shadows)
- Desaturate bright colors for dark backgrounds
- Maintain sufficient contrast for readability
Surface Hierarchy (Dark Mode)
- Background: darkest (e.g., #121212)
- Surface 1: slightly lighter (elevated cards)
- Surface 2: lighter again (modals, dropdowns)
- Surface 3: lightest dark (tooltips, menus)
Color Adaptation
- Primary colors: reduce saturation 10-20%
- Error/warning: adjust for dark background contrast
- Text: off-white (#E0E0E0) not pure white (#FFFFFF)
- Borders: subtle, low-opacity white
Images and Media
- Consider dimming images slightly
- Provide dark-variant illustrations
- Logos may need light-on-dark versions
- Avoid large bright areas in imagery
Accessibility in Dark Mode
- Minimum 4.5:1 contrast for body text
- Test with screen readers (mode announcements)
- Respect prefers-color-scheme media query
- Provide manual toggle alongside auto-detection
Best Practices
- Don't just invert — redesign surfaces thoughtfully
- Test in actual dark environments
- Check every component in dark mode
- Smooth transitions between modes
- Use semantic tokens for effortless switching
Comments
Markdown supported