How to optimize your email designs for dark mode?

Designing emails that remain clear and consistent in dark mode is an important step toward accessibility and a better subscriber experience. With Batch’s Email Composer, you can design emails that adapt perfectly to both light and dark themes. To ensure the best display, check out this article with all our recommendations.

Why Dark Mode Design Matters

Dark mode is no longer just a trend. Most email clients and devices now offer it, and more and more users prefer it for comfort and readability. But the way email clients handle dark mode varies a lot. Some leave colors intact, others partially invert them (for example, a blue may turn brown), and some invert the entire template. To complicate things further, even a single provider - like Gmail - may handle colors differently depending on the platform (web, iOS, Android).

That’s why optimizing your emails for dark mode is essential. It ensures your message remains accessible, your brand identity stays consistent, and your campaigns look professional across every inbox.

Best Practices for Dark Mode Email Design

1. Use Transparent PNGs

   Avoid images with white backgrounds. Transparent PNGs prevent white boxes from appearing around logos and visuals when dark mode is enabled.

2. High Contrast Best Practices

   Make sure your text and background combinations remain accessible in both modes. Email Composer makes it easy to fine-tune colors for better readability.

3. Add Shadows and Borders

   On dark backgrounds, some visuals may blend in too much. Adding subtle shadows or borders helps them stand out.

4. Prefer HTML Text Over Images

   Text blocks in Email Composer adapt to dark mode and stay sharp. Avoid saving important copy as images, since it can distort or become unreadable.

5. Avoid Pure Black and Pure White

   Colors like #000 and #fff are often automatically changed by clients. Instead, use dark gray or off-white for a more consistent result.

6. Test With Dark Backgrounds

   Use previews in the Email Composer to see how your email behaves in dark mode. This step helps catch issues early and ensures consistency across devices.

Dark mode is here to stay. By applying these practices directly in the Email Composer, you’ll make sure your campaigns remain readable, accessible, and visually consistent, no matter how or where they’re opened.