Orange Is Important..

By Denise Turner, ASID, CID, CMG

“Did you ever notice the color of Mary Poppins' petticoats? They were kind of orange and apricot and red. I think she had a secret life going on there.” -Julie Andrews

ORANGE is associated with: adventure, high energy, liveliness, extroversion, socializing, celebration, confidence, and enthusiasm.  

Ask anyone, what’s the color of the sunset and they’ll invariably say “orange.”  

Orange’s meaning is linked directly to the sensation of radiant energy, heat and the long glowing presence of the setting sun. Orange evokes all things luminous and hot. It is sometimes perceived to be the hottest of all colors; even hotter than red, because it takes on the heat from two radiant sources, yellow and red. 

Orange takes on many personality traits. It is less passionate and intense than red; it incorporates yellow’s sunny disputation. Red may be the symbol of fire, but orange is color of fire. 

Interestingly, orange has practically no negative cultural or emotional associations. In the U.S., orange has the positive associations of citrus, fall foliage,

Halloween,Thanksgiving, as well as sunsets.   

Bright oranges are viewed as high-energy, exciting, stimulating and fun, whereas light oranges are viewed as cheerful. Earth-toned oranges, shades leaning towards brown, evoke warmth, comfort, and reassurance. These can be used anywhere and are particularly good as a backdrop colors in stressful environments. 

Have you ever wondered why there’s so much orange used in the fast food industry? Orange’s inherent personality traits of fun, active, stimulating, and appealing to the appetite seem to shout “Look at me! Look at me!”, making it the perfect choice for fast food restaurants.  

There’s science behind this too. Orange is a known appetite stimulant. Being closely related to red, it has been shown to exert a measurable effect on the autonomic nervous system to stimulate the appetite.  

Have you ever wondered why orange is used for hunting vests and construction zone equipment? “Safety Orange” is used to help set objects apart from their environments, particularly in complementary contrast to the azure color of the sky. 

Downside: Orange is an “advancing color” and depending on the hue of orange, it can make a room look smaller. If you’ve already painted the walls of a considerable space orange, introduce blue to cool the orange down.  

This full overview of the color spectrum will help you apply the best color for every occasion.

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

denise@Colorturners.com 

www.colorturners.com 

https://www.facebook.com/denise.turner.