Assignment 3, RGB v. CMYK
Design a collection of animated, printed, and physical graphics which articulate the differences between RGB and CMYK color models.
This is a design research project. It is considerably more open-ended and self-directed than the previous two assignments. The goal is to understand the fundamental distinction between additive and subtractive color, as manifest by RGB and CMYK color models. 
Week 1: Starting in a library, find books that detail the distinctions between the two color models. Let the selection of books help to guide the next steps in the research process. Continue the research online. Prepare a five-minute presentation to be shown in Week 2 which concisely identifies the differences between RGB and CMYK color.
Week 2: The most effective way to learn about color is by directly making it and looking at it. Therefore, proceed empirically, comparing printed colors to screen colors. For example, what happens when you print the brightest on-screen green and compare the printed sheet to the glowing screen? 
Using these practical experiments as a guide, refine the inquiry to one part of this broad problem. For example, investigate how printed ink fades over time and discover if there is a corollary effect on screen. Or focus only on the color green which is tricky to render in both models. Or investigate sub-pixels on-screen and halftone dot patterns on the printed page. From there explore the limits of what either system can handle. All of these experiments are just that, hands-on experiments. This is a design research project where thinking and making are collapsed into one fluid activity. 
Weeks 3–4: The final products of this assignment are variable and completely open. 
Where the previous assignments were prescribed and directed, the working method for this project should more accurately reflect the lateral thinking and meandering processes that are the stock and trade of a lively design practice. For the final review, bring not just one project, but everything made over the course of this concerted research effort. The result may more closely resemble a science fair than a graphic design critique.

Continues in class . . .
loading...