RGB vs CMYK Colours + What is a Difference Between Them

Whether you choose to DIY your brand or hire a brand & web designer, you need to understand the difference between the most common colour modes which are RGB and CMYK. The colours play a big part in the design, therefore it’s crucial to use the correct colour modes depending on whether you’re going to use the graphic for web or print.

Today we’ll cover what are RGB and CMYK colours and what is a difference between them.

Let’s dive in, shall we?!

RGB vs CMYK colours:

What’s a difference between RGB and CMYK colours?

In short:

RGB colours are for digital usage (website & social media graphics)

CMYK colours are for print usage (printed stationery e.g. business cards)

What’s RGB?

RGB (R-red, G-green, and B-blue) refers to a system for representing the colours to be used on a computer display. Red, green, and blue can be combined in various proportions to obtain any colour in the visible spectrum. RGB uses light to mix colours on a screen. The RGB files are prepared for website usage and any other digital (not print).

What’s CMYK?

CMYK is a scheme for combining primary pigments. The C stands for cyan (greenish-blue colour), M stands for magenta (purplish-red), Y for yellow, and K for Black (Key). CMYK uses ink to mix colours on paper. CMYK files are prepared for printing usage, in case you want your logo to be on paper for example on your business cards.

RGB and CMYK are two distinct colour specifications, so they appear different on a computer monitor.

I always provide my brand & web design clients with the necessary final files in both RGB and CMYK colours (even if they have online business and I’m only creating digital/web brand collaterals for them) to make sure they have access to necessary files, in case they decide to use their brand assets differently.