Which color mode should you use for web?

Which color mode should you use for web?

• A. RGB color mode
• B. CMYK color mode
• C. Lab color mode
• D. Pantone color references

Answer: (A)

Web content is displayed on screens that emit light, so the color system must be additive. RGB uses red, green, and blue light that, when mixed at different intensities, creates the visible colors we see on monitors. Designing in RGB ensures your colors map directly to how screens render images, making them look predictable online. Often you’ll work with the sRGB profile for web because it’s the standard color space browsers expect and interpret consistently across devices. CMYK, by contrast, is a subtractive system used for printing with pigments, not for digital displays, so colors designed in CMYK don’t translate accurately to the web. Lab is a broader, device-independent color space used for color management and conversions, but it isn’t the default choice for web workflows. Pantone references are a color matching system used mainly for branding and print, not a color mode for web graphics. Use RGB (ideally with the sRGB profile) to ensure web colors render correctly.

Web content is displayed on screens that emit light, so the color system must be additive. RGB uses red, green, and blue light that, when mixed at different intensities, creates the visible colors we see on monitors. Designing in RGB ensures your colors map directly to how screens render images, making them look predictable online. Often you’ll work with the sRGB profile for web because it’s the standard color space browsers expect and interpret consistently across devices.

CMYK, by contrast, is a subtractive system used for printing with pigments, not for digital displays, so colors designed in CMYK don’t translate accurately to the web. Lab is a broader, device-independent color space used for color management and conversions, but it isn’t the default choice for web workflows. Pantone references are a color matching system used mainly for branding and print, not a color mode for web graphics. Use RGB (ideally with the sRGB profile) to ensure web colors render correctly.