Inverted-Color (White on Black) Text
Inverted text is text that has been switched from the default black-on-white color scheme to white-on-black. It is strongly suggested that you don't use this format of text for most printed materials - but what's the right thing to do for websites?.
Why Inverted Colors Are Not Suggested for Print
The following are some facts gathered by years of market research in the field of advertising:
- Inverted text is proven to DECREASE readership by as much as 50%.
- Inverted text is exactly opposite from the format of text people are used to reading (black-on-white).
- Readers cannot easily focus on any one piece of text for a long period of time.
While inverted text may look "cool", it's obviously not the best choice for any text that you want your users to actually read.
Why Those Rules Don't Necessarily Apply to the Web
One might expect the rules of print to transfer readily to the web, but as we saw in our Font Analysls: Serif vs. Sans-Serif, the web is a significantly different medium with different rules.
The following are some reasons why the web might work better with inverted text (and is the reason we use inverted text on Transio.com)
- Unlike paper, a monitor is a light-emitting device that transmits light energy directly (rather than indirectly) to the reader's eyes. For that reason, the amount of light transmitted by the device cannot be controlled by atmosphere as it can with a book or magazine (i.e. by turning down the lights in the room).
- Every photon transmitted through a monitor reduces the life of the monitor. Using darker color schemes will prolong the lifespan of the equipment.
- Initial market research into legibility and color-inversion for digital media has unclear results. Many say that pure white screens are harder on their eyes than pure black screens.