Cyan Color Code: Hex, RGB, CMYK and How to Use It in a Vector Logo

The short answer

On screen, cyan is #00FFFF in hex, which is RGB 0, 255, 255: no red, with green and blue both at full intensity. In print, cyan usually means process cyan, one of the four CMYK inks, written as C100 M0 Y0 K0. These two values share a name but do not produce the same visible color, and that difference matters most when a logo has to work in both digital and printed form.

Cyan in each color model

Model | Value | Where it applies

Hex | #00FFFF | Web, CSS, digital design tools

RGB | 0, 255, 255 | Screens, digital exports such as PNG and SVG

HSL | 180°, 100%, 50% | CSS and color pickers that work by hue

HSB/HSV | 180°, 100%, 100% | Color pickers in most design software

CMYK (process) | C100 M0 Y0 K0 | Four-color offset and digital printing

CSS named color | cyan (also aqua) | Both keywords resolve to #00FFFF

In CSS, the keywords cyan and aqua are interchangeable; both are defined as #00FFFF. Hue 180° places cyan exactly opposite red on the color wheel, which is why red is its direct complement in the RGB model.

Why screen cyan and print cyan look different

#00FFFF is a very bright, saturated color produced by light on a display. Process cyan ink cannot reach it: it lies outside the range of colors a standard CMYK press can reproduce. Printed process cyan appears deeper and slightly less electric than the screen value. Converting #00FFFF to CMYK by formula yields C100 M0 Y0 K0, but that does not mean the printed result will match the screen.

The reverse also holds. If you want the screen version of a logo to resemble printed process cyan, you need an RGB value that approximates the ink rather than pure #00FFFF. That approximation depends on the color profile used for the conversion, such as the press standard and paper type. No profile-specific values were supplied for this article, so treat any single published RGB equivalent for process cyan as profile-dependent, not universal.

Using cyan in a vector logo file

• Define cyan as a named or global swatch rather than applying raw values to individual shapes, so a later color change updates every instance at once.
• Set the document color mode to match the deliverable: RGB for screen files, CMYK for print-ready files. Do not rely on one master file for both without checking the converted values.
• If a brand needs consistent cyan across print runs, consider a spot color from a matching system instead of process cyan. Pantone publishes a Process Cyan reference, but choosing a specific spot equivalent is a brand decision, and no such match was provided here.
• Record all agreed values (hex, RGB, CMYK and any spot reference) in the brand guidelines that accompany the logo files.

Vector artwork versus raster previews

A color picked from a PNG or JPG preview of a logo gives the rendered pixel value. That value may already reflect compression, color-profile conversion or display settings, so it is not necessarily the color specified in the source artwork. To confirm the intended cyan, inspect the fill values in the editable vector source. A file extension such as AI, EPS, PDF or SVG does not by itself guarantee editable paths, because these formats can also contain embedded raster images. Open the file and check that the cyan areas are vector shapes with fill values, not placed bitmaps.

Being able to download a logo file also does not mean you may change its colors. Recoloring or reusing someone else's logo artwork, fonts or trademark requires permission from the rights holder, separate from access to the file.

What this article cannot confirm

The values above are the standard definitions of cyan in common color models. No evidence was supplied about a particular logo, brand palette, printer profile or spot-color match. For a specific brand, confirm the official cyan values in its guidelines, and test printed output against an approved proof rather than relying on on-screen appearance.