Color Meaning: Orange

Orange is the happiest color – Frank Sinatra

Orange fills so many moments of our lives with energy. Awakening to a brilliant sunrise with strokes of every shade splashed across the sky, all encompassing that big orange ball of life, is a boost to anyone’s day. The sound of freshly squeezed juice filling a glass and then recharging our bodies to get through the day. Orange, a combination of red and yellow, carries the power and energy of both, but manages to do it in a “friendly, guy next door” kind of way. In traditional color theory, orange is a secondary color, but in art and life, orange is a first rate hue that is repeated in nature from carrots, to sweet potatoes, precious saffron to the every changing leaves of fall.

Historically, orange carries a very spiritual message. Hindu and Buddhist monks have both donned robes of saffron orange, a representation of the inner fires that burn when one gives up worldly possessions and transforms to a more spiritual being. In the early Christian Church, orange was a symbol of glory and the fruits of the earth. Once known as the wisdom ray, the color orange was thought to increase immunity, sexual potency and to help in digestive ailments according to old wives tales.

Lighter shades of orange, such as melon, peach and salmon, are known to be soothing. They are associated with health, and vitality. These colors tend to be more cautious, and offer a feeling of self control. These shades work well in areas that you want clients to feel relaxed yet interested. Web pages containing information and assistance would benefit from the use of these tones.

Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow – Wassily Kandinsky

True orange has many associations, prison uniforms, hunting, traffic warnings and Halloween are all emblazoned with this confident shade of orange. Below the surface of these obvious associations there is a optimism when using orange to convey a message or product. Consumers think of orange as a social color, one of friendship and get togethers. True orange is full of enthusiasm and subconsciously sends messages of “you can do it” “you are enough” and “you can buy it”. It is also an excellent color when used in the food industry as it feels fresh and it is a known appetite stimulator. Use this color to grab attention, but use it wisely, as true to dark shades of orange can be polarizing, some people love it in large amounts, and others do not.

Darker shades of orange, such as persimmon, burnt orange and spice are excellent when used as accent colors. These colors, much like other dark hues, are well liked in small amounts, but when used over wider areas, they carry underlying feelings of overconfidence, opportunism even aggression. I found this feelings interesting because when I think of burnt orange, it brings me right back to a shag rug next to avocado green appliances in my parents home circa 1973. Dark orange can also be associated with autumn, bonfires, family gatherings and nostalgia of times forgotten.

Orange is a great go to color when you want to portray an image of calm, forward thinking and friendly. Just keep in mind that too much of a good thing is indeed- too much! This can be exemplified in Amazon’s Smile logo, that little orange dash makes their logo less reserved and less intimidating, it offers a hint of orange but just enough to do that magic- Remember “you can buy this”? Amazon does. Orange attracts the fun loving risk taker as well, Harley Davidson and Nickelodeon logos can attest to that. Orange is an excellent tool in attracting attention and in telling your story without a word, just remember to let it speak softly.

Join us next week as we explore the color purple.