source:
http://www.fatrabbitcreative.com/blog/psychology_of_the_color_orange_and_what_it_means_for_your_businessPsychology of the Color Orange and What it Means for Your Business
Understanding color and the impact it has on our minds and attitudes is essential to making marketing-smart color decisions, both online and offline. Establishing this understanding is critical when seeking to bridge the gap between what you are trying to communicate and what is actually perceived. We’ve explored this reality with a few colors already—blue, red, green, yellow, black and white and purple. Let’s now look at the psychology of the color orange and what it means for your business.
INITIAL OBSERVATIONS
The color orange is a fun, dynamic color that tends to elicit strong reactions. A close relative of red, orange seems to spark more controversy than any other color. It’s bold, vivid and obnoxious at times. And there is usually a strong positive or strong negative association – you either "love it" or "hate it.”
ORANGE’S CONTRADICTION
Orange signifies a rather interesting contradiction. The two primary ways in which the color communicates speak to two opposing ideas—activity and caution. Orange can encourage our attitude to be more energetic and lively, while at the same time can instill a sense of restraint. Without at least a basic understanding of how orange works, this conflicted color may lead to an unclear message.
Activity
The best use of orange to represent activity is its prevalent usage throughout dozens of sports teams. Some of these teams include the Baltimore Orioles, the San Francisco Giants, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Phoenix Suns, and of course, our favorite, the Syracuse Orange. The use of orange throughout these athletic brands may vary but the intended message is the same—the communication of energy, life, motivation and activity.
Another subconscious association with activity that the color orange creates is through it’s occurrence within nature, specifically citrus. Tangerines, oranges, clementines and nectarines are all naturally orange, yes, but they represent something deeper. As great sources of vitamin C, we’ve come to associate these fruits and the color orange with life and energy.
Caution
Orange seems to decorate our highways more and more. As a symbol of safety, orange is used to set things apart from their surroundings. Its use is usually found on traffic cones, stanchions, tow truck lights, barrels and other construction zone markers. The vibrance that orange exudes and the attention it demands, makes it the ideal color for such scenarios.
Another use of orange as caution is that it means “high” in the color-coded threat system established by presidential order in March of 2002. This system is designed to quickly inform law enforcement agencies when intelligence indicates a change in the terrorist threat facing the U.S. Orange is therefore a symbolic representation of potential danger.
BRANDS THAT USE ORANGE
Home Depot
Designed with the color orange to inspire activity and productivity, especially within the home.
Tang
The logo of this popular fruit-flavored drink is paired with the color green, representing nature and drawing direct ties to citrus.
Nickelodeon
The use of orange in this logo is vivid and overpowering, but in a fun way connects with the demographic it was designed for, making it the right choice of color.
Gatorade
Connected with athletics and fitness, the Gatorade logo is another example of an orange logo that promotes activity and energy.
