![](https://newspaperdesign.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1703253559839-1.jpg)
by Liv Ajse
Graphic designer and illustrator at Weekendavisen, a Danish weekly broadsheet newspaper published on Fridays
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black), and it is a color modeling system used primarily in printing. CMYK is a subtractive color model, which means that colors are created by removing (or “subtracting”) light when ink is applied to paper.
Key (K): Black, which is used to add depth and contrast.
Cyan (C): A bluish-green color.
Magenta (M): A reddish-pink color.
Yellow (Y): A pure yellow color.
![](https://newspaperdesign.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1723140616206-1024x1024.jpeg)
In printing processes, these four inks are mixed in different amounts to create a wide spectrum of colors. By overlapping different amounts of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, you can produce almost every conceivable color. Black (Key) is added to improve color depth and to ensure that black areas are completely dark, as a combination of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow alone can result in a dark brownish color rather than pure black.
On the occasion of the Olympic Games, Amalie Langballe has written about the athletic body, and I have illustrated the text and designed the front page of the Culture section in Weekendavisen.
“Body Possible” was my own rubric for the text, and the idea of the illustration is possible body registrations combined with my love for analogue print on paper.