K is the new black.

Ever wondered why you print something out and the colours look completely different?

So apparently there are millions of colours. Billions even. And as if it wasn’t hard enough to choose the perfect logo colour already, to we also have to worry about colour modes. Send help. The top line is: RGB colour mode is best for digital designs, and CMYK is used for print.

RGB

Screens work by using red, green and blue light. They can create a wide variety of colours by mixing these and varying their intensity. As all of these start out as black, overlaying all 3 creates white. If the final destination of your graphic will be on screen, you should use RGB. The best file formats for this are JPEGs and PNGs. RGB colours appear more vibrant compared to the CMYK alternative.

CMYK

You may recognise the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black) colour combination from your printer ink cartridges. This explains why CMYK colour mode should be used for printed graphics. These colours work in the opposite way to RGB, meaning that they start out as white and mixing them together produces black. PDFs and EPSs are the best file types for this colour mode, however JPEGs can also be used.

Pantone

Pantone is a universal colour matching system that allows designers to pin point a specific colour. Every colour has its own unique code which can be passed onto printers to ensure that the exact colour is reproduced every time. It is a good place to start when trying to find a specific shade, as choosing from a full colour wheel can often lead to unattractive colour combinations!

If you’re anything like me, you’d get excited about looking at a Pantone swatch or two.