RBG: Additive color mixing model
The additive color mixing model allows you to create colors by mixing red, green, and blue light sources. The more light you add, the brighter the color mix becomes, and if you mix all three colors of lights, you will get pure white light. TVs, screens, and projectors use red, green, and blue (RGB) as their primary colors, and then use those to create other colors. It is best to use RGB and not CMYK when working with files for any screen.
CMYK: Subtractive color mixing model
The subtractive color mixing model includes any color you see on a physical surface, such as paper, signage, packaging, etc. This model tends to be the most well-known because it is what we were taught in school at a young age. Subtractive in this case refers to removing the light from the paper by adding more color. The primary colors red, yellow, and blue were replaced with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black since this color combo produces a wider variety of colors on paper.
The color wheel consists of three primary colors (red, yellow, blue), three secondary colors (colors created when primary colors are mixed: green, orange, purple), and six tertiary colors (colors made from primary and secondary colors, such as blue-green or red-violet). Draw a line through the center of the wheel, and you’ll separate the warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) from cool colors (blues, greens, purples). Warm colors are generally associated with energy, brightness, and action, whereas cool colors are often identified with calm, peace, and serenity. When you recognize that color has a temperature, you can understand how choosing all warm or all cool colors in a logo or on your website can impact your message.
By utilizing the color wheel, designers develop a color scheme for all marketing materials. There are three different types of schemes – complementary, analogous, and triadic. Complementary colors are opposites on the color wheel. Using a complementary color scheme in your business marketing offers sharp contrast and clear differentiation between images. Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. When a designer is creating an analogous color scheme, one color will be dominant and the other will be the accent, this color scheme tends to be pleasing to the eye and effectively guides the consumer to take action. Triadic colors are evenly spaced around the color wheel and are typically bright and dynamic. Using a triadic color scheme in your marketing creates visual contrast and harmony simultaneously, making each item stand out while making the overall image pop.
