Color Modes
Working with graphic designers you often get buried with designer slang and this can be quite confusing. I assure you we don’t do it on purpose. We’ve just been working in this world for so long we assume everyone knows these terms.
** Drumroll ** Luckily I am here to reveal the Designer Slang secrets! Today’s topic: Color Systems.
The most common color systems
You got your new brand - it's looking flashy and great but you can not make heads nor tales of the files that use RGB and CMYK. What does it all mean?
When working with color, there are many technical considerations for a designer to keep in mind to ensure their finished design look the way they intend it to look. There are 3 common color systems, which are the most widely recognized:
RGB (Red, Blue and Green)
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black)
SPOT (continuous tone)
RGB (Red, Blue and Green)
RGB is typically used for web based design and images. The 3 colors (red, blue and green) correspond to the primary colors of light. Color on screens is achieved via the thousands of RGB colored pixels. The pixels that create the colors on the screen are literally red, blue and green lights that are on different brightnesses and mixed together to form the correct color
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black)
CMYK is not used in digital circumstances, as screens only emit 3 colors. But most printed materials is produced in CMYK. C - Cyan, M - Magenta, Y - Yellow and K - Key/Black are the 4 inks used in the printing process to create every other color. Have you ever looked closer at a printed color ad in the newspaper or magazine? The images consist out of tiny small dots printed on top of each other to create the exact color match of your digital image. CMYK printing s pretty variable as it relies on the quality of the printer.
SPOT (continuous tone)
Spot Colors or PMS (Pantone Matching System) colors are not created by printing several colors on top of each other, but are a continuous color and blended at the printing stage, just like you'd pick and blend paint at a hardware store. If you're looking for special features such as fluorescents, pastels or metallics SPOT color is the way to go. A lot of larger brands have their own PMS color, the Dunkin' Pink is PMS 219 C, as it ensures that the same color is being used continuously and consistently.
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