Dark interfaces break down when every surface uses the same near-black value. Cards disappear into the background, borders stop working, and text hierarchy depends entirely on font weight.
A better system uses several layers: a dense page background, a slightly lifted card surface, a visible border, and one controlled accent glow. That creates depth without relying on gimmicks.
Typography matters even more in dark mode. Large headlines need open line-height, supporting copy should stay in the high-gray range rather than pure white, and metadata must remain legible at small sizes.
The result is a blog that feels technical and premium, but still reads like a publication instead of a dashboard.