Dark themes and color palettes have become an increasingly popular trend in WordPress site design over the past few years.
But implementing a dark theme effectively can be deceptively tricky. Finding the right balance between an elegant aesthetic while retaining readability is essential.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll share insider tips and best practices for successfully utilizing dark themes on WordPress sites. We’ll cover:
- Benefits of dark themes and when to use them
- How to optimize dark themes for maximum usability
- A side-by-side comparison of the top options
- Customization tips to create the ideal appearance
- Plugins and add-ons to enhance dark themes
- Beautiful dark theme examples and designs
- The future of dark themes and where the trend is heading
After 15+ years as a web designer and WordPress expert, I‘ll draw upon extensive experience to ensure you have all the knowledge needed to create gorgeous, usable dark websites.
Let‘s dive in!
Contents
Why Dark Themes Are on the Rise
Darker color schemes have experienced a major boost in popularity over the past 5 years:
- According to Google Trends, searches for “dark theme” have grown 5X since 2016.
- Surveys have found over 60% of users toggle on dark mode if the option is available.
- Top frameworks like Bootstrap now include dark theme templates out of the box.
There are several reasons for this growth:
Enhanced Readability
Properly designed dark themes can actually be easier on user‘s eyes by reducing glare and strain:
- Dark text on a light screen can feel overly bright in a dark room or at night.
- Light text on a dark background creates a "spotlight" effect for improved focus.
- Reduced brightness helps avoid eye fatigue and headaches with extended reading.
Multiple vision studies back up these benefits. Dark themes reduce luminosity contrast for a more comfortable viewing experience in many contexts.
Stylish and Modern Aesthetic
Beyond the functional benefits, dark color schemes simply look great:
- Sites take on a modern, sleek, and refined aesthetic.
- Dark backgrounds make other elements like photos, videos, graphics pop out.
- Viewers perceive dark sites as more high-end and polished.
For brands wanting to project elegance and premium quality, a dark theme can be the perfect choice.
Ideal for Visual Content
Dark themes naturally complement and enhance visual media:
- They create ideal showcases for photography, video, and animated graphics.
- Shadows and textures add depth without competing with the visuals.
- Photographers, videographers, and graphic artists often opt for dark sites.
Any content-heavy sites can benefit from the visual focus a dark theme provides.
Flexible Customization
No need to be limited by premade dark theme templates. With the right theme, you can deeply customize:
- Color schemes – blue, green, red, etc for accents.
- Background textures – solid, abstract, geometric patterns.
- Typography -sizeof text, font styles, paragraph spacing.
- Layout – position of sidebars, width of columns, padding.
Dark themes put you in complete control over your site‘s look. Now let‘s explore some of the top theme options for pulling this off.
Side-by-Side Comparison of the Top Dark WordPress Themes
There are many WordPress themes to choose from with dark design options. To help narrow down the options, here is a side-by-side comparison of some of the leading dark themes across both free and premium categories.
I‘ve selected these themes based on their quality, ease of use, customization potential, and performance.
| Theme | Free/Paid | Highlights | Layouts | Customization | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astra | Free | Fast and lightweight, drag and drop builder, starter sites | Blog, business | Colors, fonts, spacing | Blogs, shops, agencies |
| OceanWP | Free | 30+ dark demos, Elementor integration, 1-click import | Any | Style editor, hooks | Portfolios, magazines |
| GeneratePress | Premium | Optimized code, focus on speed, dark skins | Blog, business | Style generator, hooks | Blogs, small business |
| Neve | Free | Super fast, dark templates, Elementor and Gutenberg ready | Blog, business | Style manager, global colors | Personal sites, agencies |
| Stockholm | Premium | For creatives, bold images/text, video backgrounds | Portfolio, agency | Typography, layout, styling | Photographers, designers |
| Kadence | Free | Rich customization, starter sites, page builder support | Any | Global colors, fonts, palette editor | Freelancers, artists, startups |
| Schema | Premium | Drag and drop schema builder, 100+ starter sites | Business, ecommerce | Layouts, styles, custom widgets | Online stores, corporate |
| PopularFX | Premium | 500+ sections, 100 starter sites, animation effects | Creative business | Styling, animations, layouts | Startups, agencies, portfolios |
| Enfold | Premium | 500+ templates, 40+ industries, Avada builder | Business, corporate | Colors, fonts, layouts, styles | Law firms, consultancies, agencies |
| Divi | Premium | Extremely flexible, 800+ layouts, visual builder | Any | Design everything – headers, footers, pages | Blogs, shops, portfolios, agencies |
This chart provides an "at a glance" overview of dark theme capabilities across both free and paid options. Let‘s now look at optimizing dark themes for maximum usability and readability.
Design Tips for Optimized Dark Themes
While dark themes provide many benefits, the risk is compromising readability if not properly configured.
Here are best practice design tips to create dark themes that look amazing while remaining easy to read and scan:
Pick an Ideal Color Palette
Avoid pure blacks or really dark greys for background colors. Go with slightly lighter, muted tones for the best contrast:
- Dark blues – Specifically RGB 15, 20, 40 can work beautifully.
- Desaturated darker greens in the range of RGB 25, 35, 25.
- Greys around RGB 80, 90, 100 provide enough "lightness".
Accent shades tend to look best in brighter, vivid colors in the foreground – yellows, oranges, reds, magentas. This creates a bold contrast against the muted backdrop.
Ensure Sufficient Text and Background Color Contrast
Lack of contrast causes readability issues with dark themes. Use a tool like WebAIM‘s Color Contrast Checker to check your theme follows at least WCAG AA minimum contrast standards:
- Body text should have a 4.5:1 contrast ratio against its background color.
- Headings should have a 3:1 contrast ratio at minimum.
Adjust your colors until reaching these AA ratings to optimize readability.
Set Line Height, Spacing, and Whitespace
Proper spacing ensures dark themes feel open rather than too dense and cluttered:
- Line height of around 1.6 to 1.8 em is ideal for body text readability.
- Paragraph spacing of 1 to 1.5 em provides proper visual separation.
- Use ample whitespace between elements like sections, columns, buttons.
Review your theme and adjust these spacing values under the Typography settings.
Select Matching Images and Media
When using a dark theme, you‘ll want images that complement the palette:
- Stock sites like Unsplash have great moody, dark photos for free.
- For product images, use a photo editor to darken or apply a subtle grayscale filter.
- Screen recorders like Loom work great for dark-friendly video walkthroughs.
Properly tone-matched imagery creates cohesion and elevates the dark aesthetic.
Highlight Key Call-To-Actions
Since a dark theme is lower contrast by nature, make sure visitors notice your calls to action:
- Use brightly colored buttons that stand out clearly from the background.
- Underline links a different color from body text so they grab attention.
- Spotlight your email signup forms and checkout buttons.
Bold, contrasting accents for anything clickable ensures maximum visibility.
By following these best practices, you can craft beautiful dark websites that check all the boxes for:
- Readability
- Scannability
- Visual hierarchy
- Clear calls to action
Now let‘s look at some ways to extend the functionality of your dark theme using plugins.
Essential Plugins and Add-Ons for Dark WordPress Themes
While themes provide the core foundation, plugins supercharge your site‘s capabilities.
Here are some especially useful plugins perfectly suited for enhancing dark WordPress themes:
Slider Plugins
Image and content sliders are a great way to add engaging visuals with a dark theme. Our top picks:
- Soliloquy – Provides beautiful responsive sliders and galleries.
- Slider Revolution – For more advanced sliders with layers, effects and tools.
- MetaSlider – Lightweight option great for beginners.
Contact Form Plugins
Capture leads and connect with visitors using optimized forms:
- WPForms Lite – Very customizable and user friendly forms.
- Ninja Forms – Drag and drop form builder with advanced features.
- Caldera Forms – Visually build forms without writing code.
Popup Plugins
Display on-theme popups for offers, contact forms, or ads:
- OptinMonster – Create popups and slide ins tailored for conversions.
- Popup Maker – Visually build custom popups with animations.
- RafflePress – Gamify your popups into giveaways and contests.
eCommerce Plugins
If selling products, integrate a store seamlessly:
- WooCommerce – Most popular WordPress eCommerce platform.
- Easy Digital Downloads – Focused on selling digital products.
- MemberPress – For subscription sites and membership communities.
Each of these plugins have dark themes or modes to match the appearance of your site.
Next let‘s look at some inspirational examples of beautifully designed dark WordPress websites.
Site Inspiration: Effective Uses of Dark Themes
One great way to spark ideas is browsing examples of effective dark WordPress themes in the wild.
Here are a few beautiful sites that demonstrate creative and professional use of dark colors across different niches:
1. NU Agency – Web Design Agency
NU Agency uses a bold, modern dark theme that feels sleek. The selective pops of brighter colors draw attention to the menu, CTAs, and animated graphics:
2. Postmodern Studio – Architects
This studio uses a minimalist, mostly black and white theme that projects an elegant and artsy feel:
3. Analog – Video Production Company
Analog uses a bold dark background video and selectively strengths the brightness and saturation of their vivid photography:
4. Square Space – Website Builder
Squarespace darkens photos while keeping videos bright to maintain visual hierarchy on their fashion showcase site:
5. Spotify – Music Streaming
Spotify uses a pure black background to keep all focus on browsing the vibrant album artwork:
These are just a small sample of the creative ways top brands effectively leverage dark themes to deliver beautiful, engaging websites.
The Future of Dark WordPress Themes
As we look ahead, the trend towards darker websites and apps shows no signs of slowing down. What can we expect next for dark themes?
Even More Customization Control
Top WordPress themes like Astra, GeneratePress and Kadence are constantly expanding customization capabilities. We‘ll see more granular control over colors, typography, spacing, and layouts.
Page Builder Integrations
Native integrations with Elementor, Beaver Builder and other top page builders will continue improving. This makes crafting custom dark designs more seamless.
Dark Mode for More Plugins
Plugin developers will ensure compatibility and dark modes for popular extensions like forums, galleries, popups, social feeds etc.
Dark Images and Illustrations
Stock sites will grow their library of moody, darker photos and vector art so creators have plenty of imagery options.
Enhanced Optimization
Next-gen dark themes will incorporate smarter accessibility and readability enhancements based on vision science research.
Complementary Layouts and Features
We‘ll see innovative new page templates, menus, footers, headers, blog layouts, etc tailored specifically to match and enhance dark schemes.
If past trends hold steady, dark themes will continue growing in popularity and sophistication. Expect them to become the new norm in the coming years.
Final Thoughts
Dark themes require extra care and consideration to implement in a usable way. But when designed thoughtfully, they can add beauty and elegance to all types of WordPress sites.
Hopefully this guide provided ample inspiration and tactical tips to help you build your own stunning dark website or blog.
The key is finding a theme with the right balance of visual appeal and readable content presentation. Test candidates thoroughly with your own content and plugins to evaluate properly.
Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments! I look forward to seeing the unique dark designs you come up with.
