If you are involved with the marketing department for your school, you may need or be requested for logos and images in CMYK or RGB. So, the question is, do you know the difference between these two colour modes?
The simplest explanation is CMYK is used for images that are going to be printed in prospectuses or on stationery, and RGB is used for imagery that is going to be featured digitally on websites, social graphics or on-screen presentations.
If you have had logos or other work created by a design agency they may have supplied you with RGB and CMYK versions of your logo or artworks, depending on the agreed deliverables. Generally, if you are working with a design studio they will be able to convert your RGB images to CMYK when working on your project, if agreed.
So, what’s the importance of getting these two colour modes right?
To ensure that you brand is consistently represented. If RGB is incorrectly used for print and CMYK is incorrectly used for web there will be a difference in colour. One example where consistency is key is if you have letterheads, business cards and a prospectus printed and one of the logos is in RGB, when each of these are positioned next to one another the artwork that featured the RGB image instead of CMYK image will be different in colour. Sometimes printers’ software will change RGB to CMYK but don’t assume or rely on this as some don’t. If you are using a design studio to create your artwork they will normally correctly set artworks up ready for print or digital use, but always check to see if they will do this when you brief them on a project. The best way to ensure that your images or logos have the best possible chance of coming out in the correct colours is to know their intended use – will it be used for print or digital? By doing this it will help you decide what colour format to supply or use.
An important tip to remember: When getting anything printed always ask for a printed proof from your printer before final production, so that you can look at the colours and see if they are printing out correctly. Sometimes paper weight, material type and many other factors can affect colours, hence why a printer’s proof is always important. For RGB files the images can be looked at on a computer, sometimes it’s well worth looking at the same image on a second screen or different brand of computer screen if available to check the image, as different colour settings that have been applied to that screen can show another visual representation of the image.
By taking note of the above information you will be ever more likely to keep your school’s brand consistent in visual appearance.
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