Why your logo looks different on different screens

You approved a logo with a specific shade of blue. On your laptop it looks right. On your colleague's monitor it looks completely different. Here is why that happens.

Colour looks different on different screens, in different print environments, and on different materials. This is not a design failure. It is a technical reality that is worth understanding so you can make good decisions and set realistic expectations.

Why screens show colour differently

Every screen, whether a laptop, a phone, a television, or a monitor, produces colour using light. The way it produces that colour depends on the quality of the screen, how it has been calibrated, and the colour profile it is set to use. A brand new, high-quality monitor will display colour more accurately than an older laptop screen. Neither is wrong. They are just different.

This is why designers often work on calibrated monitors and why, if colour accuracy matters for your brand, it is worth asking your designer to specify your brand colours in a way that accounts for this variation.

RGB and CMYK

When you see colour on a screen, it is created by mixing red, green, and blue light. This is called RGB. When you see colour in print, it is created by mixing cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks. This is called CMYK.

The two systems do not produce identical results. Some colours that look vivid on screen simply cannot be reproduced accurately in print. Bright greens, electric blues, and neon shades are particularly prone to this. A colour that looks striking on a website can appear dull or slightly different on a printed leaflet.

This is not a mistake anyone has made. It is a fundamental difference between light-based and ink-based colour reproduction.

What this means for your brand

If your brand includes colour, your designer should supply you with colour specifications for both digital and print use. For digital, this is typically a hex code (a six-character code like #C8FF00) and RGB values. For print, it is a CMYK value.

Having both means that whether you are briefing a print supplier or updating your website, you have the right reference for the right context. If your designer has only given you one set of values, ask for both.

A practical note on monitors

If you are signing off on design work, it is worth being aware that the colour you see on your screen may not exactly match what your designer sees on theirs. This is normal. For most design work it is not a significant issue. For projects where precise colour matching is critical, such as branded packaging or large-format print, a physical proof from the printer is the only reliable way to confirm what the final result will look like.

About the Author

Dan Deveney is a digital designer, educational specialist, and developer based near Dartmoor in Devon. Through Granite & Glitch, he works with small businesses, charities, and community groups to create accessible, high-performance digital projects, drawing on more than 15 years of experience across design, education, and development.