Font Friday #2

Darkmode

The typeface Darkmode on a mobile phone in a headline, body text, a pull quote and the labels of a button and navigation. Half of the phone is set dark text on light background, the other half is set in light text on dark background.

Sans-serif typeface

from Dalton Maag
designed by Matt Burvill, Eduardo Rennó

Variable Font

3 axes: Darkmode on/off, Weight, Slant

18 Styles

9 Weights: Hairline to Black
2 Grades: On and Off
with matching italics

Best for

  • Headings (display text)
  • Long reading text (body text)
  • User Interfaces (functional text)

License starting

around $45 (one style)
around $350 (bundle)

Specialty

Darkmode tackles a problem most UI designers face. For dark text on light background everything works fine, but when the same text is set light on a dark background it suddenly seems rater bold.

Get Darkmode

My thoughts on Darkmode

Darkmode tackles a problem most UI designers face. For dark text on light background everything works fine, but when the same text is set light on a dark background it suddenly seems rather large and bold. To compensate for that, Darkmode has a lighter style to maintain a visually consistent appearance on all backgrounds. It also comes with the most common UI icons, which is pretty handy. A highly legible and friendly font for your next app design.

Screenshot of Darkmode in a webdesign. The left half is black-on-white text, right half is white-on-black text
I used Darkmode in a web design for a federal association for the blind in Austria. Having excellent legibility for white-on-black text is not only trendy in this case, it’s required.

In my talk with type designer Eleni Beveratou, she highlights in her second tip why the features of Darkmode are made with accessibility in mind by comparing it to often recommended Arial.

Font Pairings for Darkmode

Darkmode is a dynamic, linear sans-serif typeface. If you want something contrasting and wild for headings, choose the very different dynamic serif typeface PP Migra.

Darkmode
Darkmode
  • Headings
  • Copy
  • UI Text
Migra
Migra
  • Headings

Learn more about pairing typefaces using the Font Matrix.

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