Last week, we focused on font styles and learned the basics of typography—how to choose fonts that align with your signature style and elevate your stationery designs.

Today, we’re shifting our focus to color. I’ll walk you through how to create custom color palettes in Adobe and set yourself up for success when choosing, editing, and pairing colors.

Let’s dive in!

UNDERSTANDING COLOR CODES FOR STATIONERY DESIGN

Before we start designing, let’s cover an essential foundation: color codes.

There are several ways to identify colors, and depending on the final printed product, different color models are used to ensure accuracy.

🎨 CMYK: Best for Print

CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black). This is the standard color mixing model for inkjet and professional printers.If you’re designing for print (which is most of what we do as stationers!), you should always work in CMYK mode in Adobe.

💻 RGB & Hex: Best for Digital Design

• RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue and is used for digital projects like websites and social media.
• A Hex code is another way to represent RGB values and is mainly used in web design.

If you’re designing invitations, signage, or anything that will be printed, avoid using RGB colors, as they won’t translate correctly to print.

🖋 Pantone (PMS): Best for Letterpress & Spot Printing

The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a universal color system that helps designers and printers achieve consistent colors.

Screens can cause color variations, so PMS ensures that no matter where something is printed, the color remains the same.

PMS colors are often used for letterpress printing and high-end stationery. If you plan to offer letterpress designs, I highly recommend investing in a Pantone swatch book.

ADOBE INDESIGN TUTORIAL: CREATING CUSTOM COLOR PALETTES

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s jump into Adobe InDesign to create a custom color palette together!

CONCLUSION

Understanding color is essential for creating professional, high-end stationery designs. 

If you’re just getting started with stationery or if you’re looking to level up your business, you can begin by understanding the 3 color codes. They are:

• CMYK – Best for print design (invitations, signage, stationery).
• RGB & Hex – Used for digital designs (web, social media).
• Pantone (PMS) – Ensures color consistency for letterpress and specialty printing.

With these 3 color codes, you can create your intentional color palettes in InDesign (view my tutorial here!) and set yourself up for success when choosing, editing, and pairing colors.

And one last thing – if you’re feeling excited about stationery design and want to define your signature aesthetic, click here to take my FREE quiz to find your unique stationery style!

I can’t wait to see the palettes you create!