I have been creating a final outcome for my project, utilising my photoshop skills but also newfound knowledge about printing in the design world.
RGB vs CMYK
I have researched the two main colour formats, RGB and CMYK. RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is used with computer monitors, where red, green and blue lights are used to represent each pixel of colour on screen. This method produces vivid colours. CMYK uses Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black to produce dots of ink on paper, durng printing. Therefore when an image is created on the computer, when it is printed on an industry standard printer it will always use CMYK as a colour mode.
This is where I had been going wrong before. Working in Photoshop or printing from word, I was using RGB as a colour format. When printed, colours appeared very differently to how they were on screen. There will always be a level of variance between results on screen and printed results, however the outcomes I was managing to achieve were not at the level I was happy with. Adjusting colour brightness in program, using a printed outcome as a guide helped slightly, but the real breakthrough came with using a proper CMYK colour mode whilst still in Photoshop.
Now due to RGB being the method used to display colour on screen, using CMYK in program is more of a simulation that allows you to work more closely with a printed outcome in mind. Colours appear duller and some effects cannot be used, but it is better to address these points first than to have to address them from a printed outcome. Also, over reliance on effects is something that I try and stay away from in my work.
The A3 printed outcome that I have managed to create- a launch catalogue for a new skate company, is therefore the most advanced graphic product that I have created so far, because it demonstrates not just skills that I have developed over time, and continue to develop, but knowledge in terms of industry practice that allows me to achieve better work now, and in the future. Knowing which colour format to use in program from the start would have helped greatly (indeed, many of the criticisms I made of my own work were addressed by switching), however, for my next graphical project I will have this knowledge, and be able to achieve a higher standard of work from the outset.
Final Outcome
I am pleased with the look of my final outcome. I think it demonstrates a working level that I am happy with at this stage, but I will always look to make improvements for the next project, and try to set higher standards for myself. I can see my final outcome looking good if well presented, and meeting most areas of my project brief. One area that I would like to address would be where I stated in my project brief that I would like to develop adverts for my brand. I did not expand on this area as much as I would like to have done during the project, working on the main areas of my final outcome first. Not achieving criteria that I set myself is dissapointing, but I am confident that the positive results outweigh the negative in this project.
