[kccqzy]

FFFFFF and 000000 are simply too much contrast for my eyes to read comfortably regardless of which is background and which is text. I prefer a background of ECECEC with text being 333333 if I’m in light mode, or the other way around in dark mode. It noticeably causes less discomfort for my eyes.

[layer8]

You can adjust brightness and contrast so that 000000 looks like 333333 and FFFFFF looks like ECECEC. If that’s what feels comfortable to you, arguably that’s how it should be set.

[kccqzy]

No that’s wrong. If I’m looking at a photograph, then 000000 should look like 000000 and FFFFFF should look like FFFFFF. Sure FFFFFF is just blown highlights but that’s the photographer’s intention. Maybe I’m the photographer and I’m developing the RAW photo myself, and I need to see which settings result in such blown highlights.

But UI elements are different. UI designers should exercise restraint and not utilize the entire brightness range of my display. Setting the brightness and contrast from the display is wrong because it doesn’t know what kind of image is being displayed.

[layer8]

It’s not wrong. There is no absolute 000000 and FFFFFF. It’s relative to a white point and tone curve.

Of course, when you do color grading you want to have those fixed to whatever standard you are working with. But then you also have to control your ambient lighting accordingly, to get the correct impression of what you’re seeing. Even then, IPS displays aren’t capable of displaying true 000000, due to their backlight, or only very coarse-grained with local dimming zones.

Most people aren’t doing that kind of work, however.