Which color codes do you need for your website, design or printing? RGB or CMYK? What is the difference? And what other kinds of colors are out there?
“Hey, can you send me the color codes of my brand colors?”
This is a question you will often receive or ask. But which types of color codes are there and what do you use them for? Keep scrolling to find out!
The difference between CMYK and RGB
CMYK and RGB both are color models that are used in different ways and for different purposes. In digital media RGB is most commonly used, whilst CMYK is the color model used to create colors for printing.
RGB colors
RGB stands for Green, Red and Blue. All colors from the RGB color model are built up from those three colors.
In addition to black, you can also create very bright colors with this color combination because the starting point is light. Think of a computer screen. A switched-off screen is black (colorless), by means of added light the colors are created. RGB therefore finds its application in digital screens such as television and computer monitors. So all designs you make for your website, social media, etc. are in RGB colors.
CMYK colors
CMYK stands for Cyaan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (zwart). Dit wordt gebruikt voor print- en drukwerk, zoals posters, flyers en brochures. Door de kleuren cyaan, magenta en geel te mengen ontstaat geen zwart, hooguit donkerbruin, daarom is de kleur zwart (K) toegevoegd. Door deze vier kleuren in verschillende doseringen met elkaar te combineren kunnen alle kleuren in het CMYK-spectrum worden nagebootst. Open je printer maar eens. Dan zie je dat de cartridges altijd geel, roze, blauw en zwart zijn.
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black). This is used for printing, for example for posters, flyers and brochures. By mixing the colors cyan, magenta and yellow you cannot achieve a black color, it will become a dark brown at most. So, therefore the color black (K) has been added. By combining these four colors in different doses, all colors in the CMYK spectrum can be simulated. Just open your printer. Then you see that the cartridges are always yellow, pink, blue and black.
PMS (Pantone) colors
In addition to RGB and CMYK colors, there are also PMS colors. There are over 1.100 colors defined by the company 'Pantone', each of which has its own unique number. These numbers guarantee that a color is exactly the same, anywhere in the world. This makes Pantone colors extremely suitable for company logos and brand colors, because the colors for both web and print will always be close to each other.
Pantone colors cannot be recreated well with the CMYK color model, because Pantone colors are only made by 15 basic pigments (including black and white). By mixing certain amounts of a specific pigment with certain amounts of another pigment, one Pantone color is created.
Color codes
A color code is a unique combination of numbers and/or letters to identify a color.
HEX color codes are intended for online use. They consist of 6 numbers (hexadecimals) that make it clear which color it is and always start with a # (hashtag).
Well-known HEX color codes are #000000 (deep black) and #FFFFFF (white). Everything in between forms a color. The first 2 numbers are red, the second 2 numbers are green and the third 2 numbers are blue.
If you ever work with design programs (such as Photoshop or Canva), you can easily enter the color code to get the correct color.
You can always convert a HEX code into an RGB code. The RGB code consists of three numbers from 0 to 255, each of which determines the intensity of the colors Red, Green and Blue.
So, to sum it all up: RGB and HEX is for online use. CMYK and Pantone colors are useful for printing. At Digital Lane you will always receive everything in CMYK for print work, and RGB for online versions. When creating a brand identity, you will receive all the codes you can possibly need.
Do you want to know more about design, or want tips for growing your business online? Check my blog, Instagram or Facebook for more info. Do you want to get in touch? Contact hello@digitallane.nl and I look forward to receiving your email!
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