With its bright hue, orange is a colour of benign power. Orange combines the energy of red and the lightness of yellow. Unlike red, which is associated with heat, orange brings to mind the warm sunshine. Through its yellow side it is associated with happiness & joy.
Orange is thought to increase appetite - if you have a picky eater, try to fill his/her plate with some orange bits. Maybe that's why carrots are such universal snacks; I still have to meet a child who doesn't like carrots at all. If, on the other hand, you're trying to watch your diet - don't use orange (plates, place mats, or food itself).
Be aware of the dark hues - having more red than yellow they tend to be more aggressive and dominant.
On the other hand - the gold hue has for centuries associated with prestige, high-quality, even wisdom.
If you're looking to match orange try one of the main 3 scheme:
- Analogous (colours that are close to each other on the colour wheel). One colour is used as the main one, while its analog is used to enrich the combination.
- Combine Orange with Red for a very energetic feeling
- Combine Orange with Yellow for a beautiful sunny feeling
- Split complementary (main colour + the 2 adjacent to its complementary). The combination provides high-contrast without the tension of the bold complementary scheme (2 opposed colours on the wheel).
- Combine Orange and Blue or Violet for a 'summer garden' feeling.
- Triadic (3 colors evenly spaced on the colour wheel). This combination provides perfect balance, while maintaining contrast and providing colour richness
- Combine Orange with Blue-Green with Violet-Red for a fantasy feeling.
What is your relationship with orange?
