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DavidJackson

posts: 945

Jan 12, 2009 10:05 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I`m absolutely amazed at how many websites I`ve visited that are written in reverse text.

What`s reverse test?

Reverse text is light colored or white text on a dark or black background.

If used correctly, reverse text can produce an impressive visual impact.

However, a little reverse text goes a long way. And if you have a whole webpage of reverse text, it`s very difficult on the eyes.

Why? Because according to readability studies, reverse text is not suitable for reading because of its poor legibility even in normal lighting conditions. It`s just not user-friendly.

When designing your website, it`s best to use black text on a white or light-colored background.

But if you decide to use reverse text, use it sparingly.

David Jackson

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Powerful, Free Marketing Tips to Help Grow Your Business!
Free-Marketing-Tips-Blog.com Follow me on Twitter @FreeMarkTips

Jmes

posts: 98

Jan 12, 2009 10:16 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I agree
I`d also like to add that this goes for most of the eye candies out there
If you include 1 picture in your main page, it has that much more effect than if you include 5
If you include a special sale tab, colored in a different way than the rest, it will jump out. but if you add 3 of these they won`t be seen
You should always try to focus your visitors on what YOU want them to focus on, whether its with reverse text, or any other method

Jmes

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mywebwork

posts: 14

Jan 12, 2009 2:06 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Yes, it amazes me whe I see a site done with yellow text on a black background - how do they expect anyone to read that?

Another thing to keep in mind is that what looks good on your computer may not look so great on another one:

Make sure you look at your site using as many different web browsers as you can. What looks good in Firefox may be very different in Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome or Opera. I`ve even had pages that looked great in Opera on the PC but were flawed with Opera on LINUX. Test with as many platforms as you can get your hands on.
Another difference, especially with sites that use a lot of graphics, is that images and colors can appear different on CRT`s and on LCD`s. There are still a lot of users with CRT`s out there so try and make sure you test with both.
Different screen sizes - if you design for a larger screen or a widescreen you may be creating something unusable for those with small screens or who choose to use lower resoloutions. Again you should check your site on as many screens as possible.

Bill

kevinholesh

posts: 3

Jan 12, 2009 8:13 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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It`s all about the contrast.

White text on a black background has a very high contrast, just like black text on a white background. The higher the contrast, the harder it is to read.

I prefer to use a slightly gray text on a white background. It`s a high enough contrast that it is easy to read and it isn`t hard on the eyes after a while.

PS I usually make a custom CSS style (with firefox) to switch back the reverse text. Otherwise, I`d go crazy.

DavidJackson

posts: 945

Jan 12, 2009 8:23 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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It`s all about the contrast.

White text on a black background has a very high contrast, just like black text on a white background.

This is not even debatable.

Black text on a white background is far easier to read for most people, than white text on a black background.

That`s why books are printed black text on white paper - readability.

David Jackson

-------------------------

Powerful, Free Marketing Tips to Help Grow Your Business!
Free-Marketing-Tips-Blog.com Follow me on Twitter @FreeMarkTips

kevinholesh

posts: 3

Jan 13, 2009 8:48 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Black text on a white background is far easier to read for most people, than white text on a black background.

I`m not saying a white background and dark text is as hard to read as white text on black. I completely agree with your thoughts there.

However, I think the black text on white is harder to read than other colors at smaller sizes because of the high contrast. That is why I prefer a slightly gray text on a white background. I believe this is why most of the books I`ve read are black text on an offwhite paper. It`s not 100% white to lessen the contrast between the background and the text, which makes it easier to read for long periods of time.

DavidJackson

posts: 945

Jan 13, 2009 9:42 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I`m not saying a white background and dark text is as hard to read as white text on black. I completely agree with your thoughts there.

Sorry, I misunderstood the point you were trying to make.

David Jackson

-------------------------

Powerful, Free Marketing Tips to Help Grow Your Business!
Free-Marketing-Tips-Blog.com Follow me on Twitter @FreeMarkTips

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