: How should I match Pantone / CMYK / RGB colors for my designs? I am going to buy Pantone (C/U) and CMYK (C/U) patterns. How should I choose the colors for my designs? First CMYK, then Pantone

@Miguel516

I don't think it matters which order you pick your colors in since they're all used differently.

The point of Pantone is that you get the exact color you pick every time it's printed anywhere. CMYK can vary from printer to printer and RGB can vary from display to display.

Also, you can't just pick a Pantone color in Illustrator/Photoshop, then change the color system to CMYK/RGB to get those values and think it will be equivalent. The conversion color values will vary depending on your color profile. It's an ok way to start, but you'll have to test and probably tweak them to make sure they work for your artwork.

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@Cofer715

Pick your Pantone colours. It's important to pick these in a light that you will view them in typically. If your designs will be viewed outside, see what they look like in daylight (if you can, at different times of the day as the light will change and time permitting on a cloudy / sunny / rainy day).
Once you have picked your Pantone, then you should the be able to make your CMYK match too.
Now you pick your RGB. Remember that so far we have picked colours that your eye see with reflected light and RGB is projected light (see this for more info). Don't try to get an exact match, remember different monitors have different contrast and lightness settings, so these can effect your colours quite a lot. Pick you colour that work well over multiple monitors (and if possible check it on a TV as well, I recommend this as you never know when your logo will appear on a TV or projector at an event).

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