Design Tip: Never Use Black by Ian Storm Taylor →

Bottom line is: when you find #000000 in your color picker, ask yourself if you really want pure black. You're probably better off with something more natural. And if you're feeling adventurous, try staying away from the left edge of the color picker altogether.

A helpful reminder that we rarely encounter pure black in the real world, which is why the use of toned semi-blacks makes interfaces feel more 'natural'.