Color Models: RGB

There are many models used to measure and describe color. The RGB color model is based on the theory that all visible colors can be created using the primary additive colors red, green and blue. These colors are known as primary additives because when combined in equal amounts they produce white. When two or three of them are combined in different amounts, other colors are produced. For example, combining red and green in equal amounts creates yellow, green and blue creates cyan, and red and blue creates magenta.

As you change the amount of red, green and blue you are presented with new colors. Additionally, when one of these primary additive colors is not present you get black.

RGB Color in Graphic Design

The RGB model is so important to graphic design because it is used in computer monitors. The screen you are reading this very article on is using additive colors to display images and text. Therefore, when designing websites (and other on-screen projects such as presentations), the RGB model is used because the final product is viewed on a computer display.

Types of RGB Color Spaces

Within the RGB model are different color spaces, and the two most common are sRGB and Adobe RGB. When working in a graphics software program such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, you can choose which setting to work in.

• sRGB: The sRGB space is best to use when designing for the web, as it is what most computer monitors use.
  
  
• Adobe RGB: Because the Adobe RGB space contains a larger selection of colors that are not available in the sRGB space, it is best to use when designing for print. It is also recommended for use with photos taken with professional digital cameras (as opposed to consumer-level), because high-end cameras often use the Adobe RGB space.

About the CMYK Color Model

The CMYK color model is used in the printing process. To understand it, it is best to start with RGB color. The RGB color model (made up of red, green and blue) is used in your computer monitor, and is what you will view your projects in while still on screen. These colors, however, can only be viewed with natural or produced light, such as in the computer monitor, and not on a printed page. This is where CMYK comes in.

When two RGB colors are mixed equally they produce the colors of the CMYK model, known as subtractive primaries. Green and blue creates cyan (C), red and blue creates magenta (M), and red and green creates yellow (Y). Black is added to the model because it cannot be created with the 3 subtractive primaries (when combined they create a dark brown). The K, or “key,” stands for black.

CMYK in the Printing Process

The four-color printing process uses four printing plates; one for cyan, one for magenta, one for yellow and one for black. When the colors are combined on paper (they are actually printed as small dots), the human eye sees the final image.

CMYK in Graphic Design

Graphic designers have to deal with the issue of seeing their work on screen in RGB, although their final printed piece will be in CMYK. Digital files should be converted to CMYK before sending to printers, unless otherwise specified. Because of this issue, it is important to use “swatches” when designing if exact color matching is important. Swatches provide a designer and client with a printed example of what a color will look like on paper. A selected swatch color can then be chosen in Photoshop (or a similar program) to insure the desired results. Even though the on-screen color won’t exactly match the swatch, you know what your final color will look like. You can also get a “proof” from a printer, which is an example of your printed piece provided before the entire job is run.

The Design Pricing Formula

Pricing is a task a lot of designers struggle with, and I’m regularly asked how I work it out. As much as I want to, I can’t tell you what you should be charging, and the design pricing formula explains why.

No-one knows better than you how much talent you have, and every project specification is different. If your client is asking for a rush-job, they’ll expect to pay a higher rate.

The physical location of my clients doesn’t change what I charge, but it could alter what the client is willing to spend.

Here are some pricing articles to help

About design pricing

• 12 Realities of Pricing Design Services, by Steven Snell
• Nine Factors to Consider When Determining Your Price, by Collis Ta’eed
• Is Charging More the Right Thing to Do? on Men With Pens
• The Subtle Effects of Pricing on the Mentality of Clients, on FreelanceSwitch

And a few previous ones here on my blog.

• First steps to graphic design pricing
• Design pricing and when to talk money
• How 20 designers charge their clients