We give strong unconscious reactions to different colours, therefore - knowingly or unknowingly - we are bombarded by "colour-coded" stimuli many times a day. I have a passion for colours since my very early teenage years. I even aspired to be an artist for a while, but then I finally chose psychology and for several years after graduation I was involved in a research dealing with the symbolism of colours. In this series, I would like to share this passion with you by having a closer look at the meaning of one colour at a time.

After exploring the meaning of red, blue, yellow and green, we continue our journey with a real "exhibitionist", orange, which is also a secondary colour (together with green and purple).

Orange is uninhibited

Orange is a combination of dynamic red and cheerful yellow - both very active and high-energy colours, therefore orange also means a tremendous energy boost. It increases the oxygen supply of our brain and stimulates mental (and physical) activity. This high energy level is probably the reason why many sports teams use orange as their branding colour (eg. San Francisco Giants, Denver Broncos, Houston Dynamo, Aalesunds etc.)

This youthfully impulsive side of orange is captured in most advertisements of Fanta:

It is less dominant and aggressive than red, and it is filled with the joy of life and vitality. Orange is the colour of "carpe diem", it represents a way of life in which nothing can stop you from seeking pleasure and entertainment (no limits, no inhibitions, no restrictions - just pure enjoyment). Orange tends to elicit strong emotional reactions as well as to encourage exhibitionism (or on a minimum level it gives us the freedom to be ourselves).

Having this impetous side of orange, this color also represents adventure, risk-taking and a high-level of independence.

Orange is social

Orange opens up people and fosters friendly and heartfelt conversations. All shades and tones of orange (peach, salmon, terracotta etc.) would make a perfect party decoration: it makes people talk, puts them in a good mood and they will all end up having a wonderful time.

Orange also increases appetite, this is the reason why many restaurants use it as a decorative element in their interior design (so this is the colour to avoid in your kitchen and dining room area if you are on a diet…).

Orange is alerting

This is the colour that we can see most easily in dim light or against the water, so orange is widely used on many safety equipments from life jackets and buoys until the flight data recorder (the so-called "black box") of airplanes. (Probably this is the reason why prisoners are dressed in orange: to make them to see if they tried to escape.)

The Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco is also painted orange, because this way it is easier to see it in the fog.

Orange is encouraging

Orange gives us confidence and offers emotional strength in difficult times. It helps us to recover from grief, sad periods, disappointments and despair. It helps us to get rid of our pessimistic thoughts and bad feelings and to be able to "look on the bright side of life".

What does orange tell about you…

If you choose orange to be your favourite colour, then you are probably someone, who can never stop, you are constantly on the move. You are a real extrovert, a loud talker, a party-face having many friends and being in the center of all types of social gatherings. (Maybe you are a performer, having a "top of the table performance", too?) You are concerned about what others think about you (you are eager to be adored and considered as a unique person).

You enjoy independence; you are definitely not the type of person that can be tied down. You follow your instincts and desires, therefore chances are that you cannot really resist temptations (of any kind). You enjoy all sorts of entertainments and adventures, you are happy to try out new things.

Orange in different cultures

• Orange is the national colour of the Netherlands. The royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau was one of the most influential royal houses in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• When the Dutch settlers of South Africa rebelled against the British in the 19th century, they established the so-called Orange Free State.
• Orange is the political colour of most Christian democratic political parties.
• In Ukraine in 2004, there was a popular movement, called Orange Revolution which carried the reformer Viktor Yushchenko into the presidency.
• In Confucianism orange is the colour of transformation, while in Buddhism it is associated with illumination, the highest state of perfection. The orange (saffron) robes of the monks were defined by the Buddha himself as a sign of commitment to the order.
• In Greek-Roman mythology Bacchus (Dionysus), the god of wine, ritual madness and ecstasy is traditionally dressed in orange.

Interesting facts about orange

• The orange colour of different vegetables (pumpkins, carrots, oranges, etc.) as well as the colour of the beautiful autumn leaves comes from carotenes, a type of photosynthetic pigment. When the weather turns cold and production of green chlorophyll stops, the orange colour remains.
• Before the 18th century, carrots coming from Asia were usually purple, while those in Europe were white or red. Dutch farmers were the first to bred a variety that was orange.
• In Europe and North America orange (and many cases yellow) are the colours most associated with amusement and entertainment.
• Impressionist and post-impressionist painters used orange and azure blue together, because they found out that both of them would look brighter if they placed these two colours next to each other. Vincent van Gogh wrote this in a letter to his brother Theo "there is no orange without blue".
• In China and India, the colour is called saffron.
• Orange is associated with the second (Swadhisthana) Chakra that is below the belly button. It is related the sense of taste, (the tongue) and to reproduction (the genitals).

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If you are interested, here you can read the previous parts in this series:

Introduction
Fiery Red
Cool Blue
Golden Yellow
Forest Green
Royal Purple
Chocolate Brown
Baby Pink
Mesmerizing Turquoise

Literature used

• Max Lüscher: "The Lüscher Colour Test", Remarkable Test That Reveals Your Personality Through Color
• Victoria Finlay: Colour: Travels Through The Paint Box published in North America as Color: A Natural History of the Palette
• https://www.colorpsychology.org/orange/
• http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-orange.html
• http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-orange.html
• https://www.fatrabbitcreative.com/blog/psychology-of-the-color-orange-and-what-it-means-for-your-business
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange(colour)
• http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let659/letter.html

Sources of pictures

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