1. Orange is More than a Fruit

Color Stories

Jun 3

Orange is another warm color, it sits midway between yellow and red, orange is probably the most radiant color in the spectrum. The primary symbolism of the color is the point of balance between the yellow (the spirit) and red (the libido). Since balance is seldom static, orange could be seen as either divine love or pure lust. Since it’s an extremely difficult task to maintain a balance between the spirit and the libido orange has become the color which most symbolizes lust and infidelity.

Interestingly, the color orange was known as red-yellow until the 1400s when the fruit became more widely known that it was named. {How the orange got it’s name, I don’t know that whole story, but it’s something to add to my list of things to discover.} So the fruit ended up naming the color—much like the stone named turquoise, and the dye plant named indigo.

For a long time orange was a color without an identity—which is counterintuitive given its loudness. In many languages, it’s one of the very last, if not THE last, color named in the rainbow, and there are still many native cultures who see no need to give orange its own label.

In Ireland, orange symbolises the protestant movement in Northern Ireland. In First Nations cultures orange is linked to learning and kinship. In India orange signifies Hinduism. In the Netherlands orange is the national colour because the early Dutch monarchs all came from Orange-Nassau. It is an auspicious colour in Tibetan culture, where many believe that one who wears coral will have success in life, and in China it’s a symbol of longevity.

When we use color in design or when creating a brand identity, we use it to send a message—to tell our audience something about the product or ourselves, to give our followers a cue as to what’s important to us, and what we believe in, and to create a feeling, an emotion.

Are you thinking: Really? By picking a few colors and putting them together, we’re saying all that? Yup, we actually are, or I’ll rephrase, we actually can. Color can work at a subconscious level to create feelings, form opinions, it can change minds, it can stir up a reaction—positive or negative.

So, Orange. It's noisy, it’s exuberant, it’s expansive, vibrant, spontaneous and sometimes frivolous. Orange brings warmth and sensuality, and it can also feel unpretentious and youthful, childlike even.

Orange is a Secondary color—made by mixing the two primary colors—red and yellow—and it’s compliment {or opposite} on the color wheel is blue. Pairing Orange and Blue together creates a scenario where one color will stand out from the other. Want your audience to be drawn to a button or certain part of your website? Try creating an Orange background with a button done up in blue. The viewers eye will go right to the blue button.

One of my own favorite color combos is pairing Orange with Purple or an Orchid-y Pink. In color theory language the relationship between Orange and Violet {or Purple} is called a “split complimentary” so it still possesses some of the same oppositional pull of Blue and Orange, but it’s softer, less “loud”.

So, if you’re considering using Orange in your branding colors, or in a design project, here are a few things to ponder:

Do you want to get someone's attention quickly, and still have the piece feel friendly and approachable? Orange can do that for you.
Orange has a few different personalities: A brilliant orange is vital and vibrant, whereas a lighter shade—peach or apricot—is welcoming and deliciously warm.
If you use Orange as an accent color to direct people to action—for instance on a button or a sign-up form—try using it with its complementary color Blue, and play with how loud you want your message to be.
Terra Cotta-y Oranges are earthier and less “loud”. Think of the weathered colors of a Mediterranean villa or the natural colors of the South West.