I used to pick colors by just looking at them, now I actually check the numbers

For years on my client's website projects, I'd just eyeball colors in Photoshop and call it good. Then a client in Dallas printed their logo on a banner and the blue looked totally wrong, way too dark. I realized I was just trusting my screen. Now I always start with the hex code and check the CMYK values before anything gets printed, even for digital stuff. It's saved me from three bad color matches in the last six months alone. Anyone else have a simple step they added that fixed a ton of color problems?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela_wilson781mo ago

Honestly, doesn't checking the numbers just move the problem to a different screen? My monitor at home shows a hex code differently than my laptop. I've had stuff look perfect in the software but still print weird because the printer profile was off. Maybe the real fix is just accepting that colors will never match perfectly across every single device and material.

michaeladams1mo ago

Saw a graphic designer say we're all basically chasing a color ghost that doesn't exist. It's a calibration nightmare for sure.

-1

nathanking12d ago

Oh man, @angela_wilson78 totally nailed it. I spent like two days trying to match a deep navy blue for some flyers and it came out looking almost purple on the final print. I finally just gave up and adjusted it by eye against the swatch book, hex codes be damned. Feels like you're never done chasing that perfect color.