>#000 is already dark gray on any normal real-life screen
So? The contrast between 'black' and 'white' is still extreme relative to what people normally have around them. The same goes for the neon colors. They are 'diluted', but they're still incredibly garish and generally look unnatural. If you don't like the word 'unnatural' just replace it with 'digital looking'.
Now, looking 'unnatural' isn't necessarily bad (especially for a website interface) and something like text should definitely have a high contrast, but it's definitely something to keep in mind.
> The contrast between 'black' and 'white' is still extreme relative to what people normally have around them.
It's actually the opposite. The truth is, our eyes are able to easily register extreme levels of contrast -- clearly taking in a bright sunlit day through the window next to a dark but still clearly visible interior.
Computer screens (and film and camera sensors) don't achieve anything close to the level of contrast our eyes can take in, which is why things like exposure and blowout require so much careful attention -- why you simply can't take a photo of a bright landscape in the window of a dark room without artificial-looking HDR.
If you stand in an office and look around, it's not like computer screens stand out as blazing white with inky black figures on them. To the contrary — they fit in rather harmoniously in terms of brightness. (And in dark rooms, we tend to reduce brightness in order to keep the harmony.) The idea that computer screens have extreme levels of contrast in comparison with the surroundings is simply not true — it's entirely the opposite.
> our eyes are able to easily register extreme levels of contrast
>Computer screens (and film and camera sensors) don't achieve anything close to the level of contrast our eyes can take in
And I didn't say anything to the contrary. It's about what people are used to, not to what is physically possible. Again, digital neon colors are definitely not even close to the most extreme you can get - that doesn't mean they're not garish and ugly.
> clearly taking in a bright sunlit day through the window next to a dark but still clearly visible interior
Do you think most people would call that 'natural' and pleasant lighting conditions?
>If you stand in an office and look around, it's not like computer screens stand out as blazing white with inky black figures on them
If you look at them from their intended viewing angle, they're absolutely going to stand out (unless your display is just really dumpy).
>The idea that computer screens have extreme levels of contrast in comparison with the surroundings is simply not true
Feel free to name all the items in your (normally lit) office that have a higher or even just comparable contrast to your screen.
So? The contrast between 'black' and 'white' is still extreme relative to what people normally have around them. The same goes for the neon colors. They are 'diluted', but they're still incredibly garish and generally look unnatural. If you don't like the word 'unnatural' just replace it with 'digital looking'.
Now, looking 'unnatural' isn't necessarily bad (especially for a website interface) and something like text should definitely have a high contrast, but it's definitely something to keep in mind.