Okay, so you’ve gotten some beautiful work from a designer. You love it. (Yay!)
Buuut…. Why did you get it twice??
They tell you, “Oh, well, one is RGB and the other is CMYK.”
What the heck are they talking about?
I think when someone does a certain thing or job for a while, we forget that other people haven’t had any reason to learn the jargon and acronyms that get thrown around.
So here’s the quick explanation of RBG vs CMYK. And don’t worry — it’s super simple.
RGB stands for red, green and blue.
CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
So what’s the difference?
An RGB file is intended for digital use. Screens create colour using light, combining red, green and blue light to produce a very wide range of colours. This can include some particularly bright and vibrant colours that can’t be reproduced using standard printing inks.
A CMYK file is intended for printing. CMYK describes the four inks commonly used in full-colour printing: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Because you’re working with physical inks rather than light, the range of colours that can be reproduced is more limited.
That means there are some colours you can see beautifully on your screen that a printer simply can’t reproduce exactly.
So why can’t I just use the same file for everything?
You can sometimes use an RGB file for something that will eventually be printed, but it’s generally better to start with the appropriate colour mode for the job.
Your designer may create an RGB version for things like:
- Your website
- Social media
- Digital presentations
- Other screen-based applications
And a CMYK version for things like:
- Business cards
- Brochures
- Posters
- Printed reports
- Merchandise and other printed materials
You may notice that the colours look slightly different between the two versions, particularly if your brand uses very bright or saturated colours. That’s normal — we’re working with two different ways of producing colour.
The good news is that a good designer will take this into account when creating your files, so your brand still feels like the same brand whether you’re looking at it on a screen or holding it in your hands.
And really, that’s all there is to it.
RGB = made with light and used for screens.
CMYK = made with ink and used for printing.
So don’t panic when your designer gives you two versions of your lovely new artwork.
Let your lovely colours fly!
Good design should make things clearer, not more confusing.
Honeybird Creative creates thoughtful visual communication for brands that need to work in the real world — on screens, on paper, and everywhere in between.