Color Basics for Print Designers

Name: Color Basics for Print Designers
Rating: 4.2 (53 reviews)

From Rainbows to Pantone®: Understanding Color in Print Design

(53 ratings)

527 students

Created by Joseph Caserto

Last updated 12/2013

English

English [Auto]

Description

Have you ever been surprised by how a different color looks when printed on paper, compared to how it looks displayed on screen? Do you get frustrated by endless discussions with clients about why a printed piece looks different than the pdf they approved? This 35-minute course will explain why the colors that you see is much different from that which your monitor can display, and what your printer can output. By the end, you'll have scientific proof that you simply cannot reproduce all the colors of nature.

Who Should Take This Course

Print designers and producers who want to learn the essentials of working in color.
Print designers who aren’t familiar with production techniques, and who want to gain a foundation for understanding the 4-color printing process, and how spot colors, such as Pantone® inks, can supplement it.
Beginner print, web, and mobile, designers who want to understand color theory.
Writers and editors who want to gain insight into the design process. These students should please note: this course is technical in content, and color theory will not be covered.
Users of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, who want to understand the pre-press process as it relates to color separations, and the use of spot colors, such as Pantone® inks.

What’s Required

A desire to explore the covered topics.

Suggested Resources

Notebook & something to write with, or equivalent tools.

Featured review

Donald S.

140 courses

18 reviews

2 years ago

The course was a very good, introduction to color in print and in digital. The Instructor spoke in a clear and understandable voice. He was concise and to the point with good visual aids. The class was short enough to digest in one sitting and in depth to allow you to go on to more in-depth books or courses on color in digital or print use. The review was great, the Instructor summed up the material in a clear and concise way. I enjoyed the 30 + minutes of the course.

Joseph Caserto

Design Professional :: Educator :: Consultant

4.2 Instructor Rating
304 Reviews
6,247 Students
5 Courses

I'm Joseph Caserto, a design professional, educator, and consultant. I have over 30 years of experience as a publication art director and designer and worked on the staff of several national magazines before starting my own business. Since then, I've worked with many publications, including BusinessWeek, Marie Claire, PC, TV Guide, and Vibe. My projects have included helping to produce several issues of the iPad edition of Fortune, and consulting on the launch of Parents for iOS (Apple iPad) and Android (Samsung Galaxy).

I'm also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Digital Communications and Media, at New York University, School of Professional Studies, and an Adjunct Instructor at Pace University in the Masters in Publishing program. Formerly, I was an Adjunct Lecturer at the City College of New York, in the Art Department's Electronic Design and Multimedia Program. I have several online tutorials published and have been a guest critic and speaker at Cooper Union, and SUNY Fredonia.

I've consulted with clients including FP Design, The Archdiocese of New York, and The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York to help them learn and maximize the potential of their software, and to explore graphic design principles.

I earned a BFA, with Honors, in Graphic Design from Pratt Institute, where I completed one of the first classes that explored graphic design produced with a Macintosh. I'm a member of AIGA, Freelancers Union, the Graphic Artists Guild, and The Society of Publication Designers. A lifetime resident of New York State, I've lived in Brooklyn since the late 1980s.