Colour codes
For screens: use HEX or RGB in a defined colour space.
Understand. Compare. Create.
Colour charts: choose the right system
Compare digital, RAL and Pantone colour charts to choose colours for screens, paint or printing.
Which chart suits your project?
RAL colour chart
For paint or coatings: record the reference and validate the finish with a sample.
Pantone colour chart
For a graphics reference: specify the Pantone system and substrate.
What to send your designer or supplier
A useful colour brief identifies the output as well as the shade. Start with the chart that belongs to your production method, then send a written specification alongside the visual reference. A screenshot alone loses information about the intended material and finish.
| Final output | Information to provide |
|---|---|
| Screen or app | HEX or RGB value, colour space such as sRGB, and intended role: text, background or accent. Include the neighbouring colours so contrast can be checked. |
| Paint or coating | Full colour system and reference, substrate, finish and an approved physical sample. Confirm that the supplier can produce that specification on the chosen material. |
| Printed brochure or packaging | Paper and printing process; either CMYK values with the agreed output profile, or the complete spot-colour system and reference. Request the printer’s export requirements and proof. |
The system name matters: RAL CLASSIC references use four digits, while its physical standards distinguish matt and glossy finishes. A number without its system or surface specification leaves room for misunderstanding.
In the Pantone Graphics system, C and U identify coated and uncoated paper. Preserve that suffix in the print brief. It does not specify a paint finish, and an RGB approximation cannot guarantee a paint match.
One identity, three separate approvals
For a shop’s website, brochure and painted sign, create three entries in the brand guide. Record the website’s sRGB colour and test its text/background combinations. For the brochure, approve a proof using the intended paper and printing process. For the sign, approve a coating sample on the intended substrate with the specified finish.
Keep the visual intention consistent, but do not label these three specifications as exact conversions. Adobe’s colour-mode guidance distinguishes additive RGB light from subtractive CMYK printing. Different production methods can require different approved values to achieve an acceptable result.
Compare, validate and record your choice
Shortlist a few shades, then compare them beside the surrounding materials under the lighting in which the finished work will be used. Evaluate the actual sample or print proof; a photographed swatch introduces another display and lighting dependency.
Before ordering, ask the supplier to confirm the reference, material and finish in writing. Keep the approved sample and record its date or version. For a repeat order, compare the new sample with that retained reference.
A HEX code, RAL reference and Pantone reference are not interchangeable ways of specifying the same physical colour.
Use a PDF to shortlist, a sample to approve
The site’s RAL and Pantone PDF catalogues are digital reference documents for browsing and organising choices. They do not replace the relevant physical standard or a supplier’s sample. Use the digital document to communicate your shortlist; base production approval on the agreed physical reference and output conditions.
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30 palettes. Your next idea starts here.
Get my free kit →Get the free colour kit: HEX/RGB codes and a project worksheet.