What do a dalmatian, chessboard, and vintage photograph have in common? A high contrast black and white color palette that, for all its simplicity, is visually striking.
Because of its bold contrast, black and white is a timeless combination that is widely used by digital creatives. Not only is it beloved because it’s classic, but also because it leaves plenty of room for experimentation—whether in the form of three-dimensional graphics, interactive visuals, or unconventional typography. Black and white designs make room for elements other than color to stand out, with form, texture, and motion taking center stage.
Here, we look at some of the best black and white website designs online right now—showcasing how sometimes, design constraints can actually unlock creativity.
29 black and white websites to inspire you
1. Shir Daniel
2. Levon Aronian
3. Shay Aloni
4. NexBank
5. Angela Milosevic
6. Dana Barkay
7. Sofia Papadopoulou
8. Bruno Tomé
9. Lucie Bolé
10. Hello From Here
11. LE-QB
12. Alona Zukerman
13. Bon Iver with Spotify
14. Black Dog
15. VIITA TITAN
16. Tal Rozenberger
17. NFTYPE
18. Brother Film Co
19. Alon Peres
20. The Virtual Economy by L’Atelier
21. Raxo
22. Hen Golan
23. Bigfoot
24. Refresh Studio
25. Ronny Levi
26. Opal
27. First on SoundCloud
28. Order
29. Dillinger
1. Shir Daniel
Shir Daniel is a graphic designer who focuses on typography, illustration, and branding. The black and white animated print on her website’s first fold puts the visual emphasis on motion and texture rather than color. Further down the site, built on Editor X, are striking images of her work, which uses lines, shapes, and vibrant colors that pop against the monochromatic background. Daniel uses the Editor X repeater feature, the platforms’ multi-box layouting tool, to showcase her work in a neat (and responsive) grid.
2. Levon Aronian
Levon Aronian is a professional chess player holding the title of Grandmaster. True to his sport, his website is structured by a black and white grid. Font animations add visual interest, and a realistic three-dimensional chess piece, with a grayscale design that appears metallic, guides visitors as they scroll through Aronian’s ratings and awards.
3. Shay Aloni
Shay Aloni is a designer with a focus on UX/UI design and visual identity. His website, built on Editor X, makes use of clean white lines and a black and white logo, as well as a solid black background. This highlights his brightly colored portfolio, which stands out against the black backdrop with its vivid hues of purple, yellow, pink, and green.
4. NexBank
NexBank Capital is a financial services company that offers institutional, commercial, and mortgage banking services. Their black and white design uses trendy elements such as motion, visual texture, and three-dimensional shapes to present their brand as a sophisticated, cutting-edge solution. Most striking is the twisting, wave-like geometrical shape that undulates in the background as the visitor scrolls.
5. Angela Milosevic
Angela Milosevic is a digital designer and art director. Her black and white website design lets her experiment with bold imagery and oversized fonts. The first fold, for instance, presents the visitor with a black and white stipple image that resembles printed ink. Occasionally, a larger-than-life eye drifts back and forth across the page, a testament to the experimental possibilities of black and white design.
6. Dana Barkay
Dana Barkay is a visual designer specializing in font design and lettering, branding, and print media. Her black and white website, built on Editor X, mimics the high contrast of ink on paper, making it an appropriate color scheme for showcasing her custom fonts. The lack of color draws the focus to the form of the letters themselves, putting the spotlight on her typography skills and the design of the site’s layout, made with the Editor X grid tool.
7. Sofia Papadopoulou
Sofia Papadopoulou is a visual designer and art director and a self-described digital native. Her black and white design makes her website more than just a site; it is, in her own words, an “experience.” Indeed, the monochromatic color scheme, combined with the star-shaped cursor, interactive cosmic graphics, and celestial music, plunge the reader into a virtual outer space.
8. Bruno Tomé
Bruno Tomé’s black and white design is perfect for showcasing his area of expertise: fonts. By forgoing color altogether, he’s able to use creative whitespace, flashy fonts, and interactive design. As the visitor moves their cursor, the design changes between white-on-black and black-on-white. Despite the lack of color, this inversion of black and white is playful and almost psychedelic.
9. Lucie Bolé
Lucie Bolé is an interaction designer at Frog Design. Her homepage, black and white on the first fold, offers a pleasing contrast from the brightly colored asymmetrical shapes further down the page. While a colorful background would make these graphics busy or overwhelming, the black and white design of her Editor X website helps Bolé strike a balance between minimalism and whimsy.