This is the same thing that happens with menus at restaurants, especially the ones trying to look fancy with gray on cream or gold on beige. Looks awesome on the designer's screen in a bright office, then you sit down in a dim booth and you're holding the thing up like a phone trying to get a signal. People who test stuff on a backlit monitor always forget that paper doesn't glow at you. Your aunt basically did the only real test that matters, which is can a normal person read this in a normal room. I've started just going darker than feels right on anything meant to be read, because you can always back off a little but you can't fix fog after it's printed.

Who knew airport sleep could actually work out?

I saw a post from a tile guy in Texas saying he's ripped out three showers this year alone for the exact same reason, corners just butted tight with grout and no silicone anywhere. Grout is basically cement, it has zero give, so when the house shifts even a tiny bit those corners crack and water goes straight behind the wall. Backer rod and caulk takes half an hour and costs like ten bucks, skipping it is just lazy.