Orange colours

The orange family in numbers

• 27 catalogue colours, from CIELAB lightness 22 to 92 (median 62).
• Most saturated: Amber; least: Umber. Median chroma 47.
• 27 lean warm, 0 lean cool, 0 sit neutral.
• 8 of 27 are dark enough to use as body text on white (4.5:1).
• 18 of 27 fall within, or at the edge of, what premium coated offset print can reach.

The history of orange: names, pigments and meanings

What is documented about orange

True of the family in the stated context, not of every shade in it and not everywhere. See methodology.

• Common association

  Orange is often associated with energy, warmth and enthusiasm.

• Branding

  Orange is commonly used in retail branding and signage to suggest affordability, friendliness or urgency.