Orange is a color that pops out but also draws you in at the same time.
It doesn’t shoo people away with its boldness but rather invites them in with its energy.
The combination of a passionate and furious red with the good and eye-catching optimism of yellow makes orange a color that presents positivity in a passionate way.
From fruits to vegetables, the orange color is created from carotenes which is a type of pigment used to convert light energy into chemical energy for the plants’ growth.
Due to the scientific background of orange, the color is usually used to signify growth, health, and even good taste.
The amazing use of orange in a t-shirt design gives the product warm and positive energy which is usually related to youthfulness and fun.
When put into fashion or interior design, it is usually used on certain parts of the house or the shirt that the designer wants people to focus on.
Basically, the color screams out “hey, look at me!” in a cheerful and inviting tone.
What makes orange, orange?
Let’s start with some known facts about orange.
Orange is a secondary color.
This means that in order to get this color, two primary colors have to be mixed namely yellow and red.
When it comes to the visible light spectrum, the color sits between both yellow and red.
When it comes to the traditional painter’s wheel, the color sits vibrantly between warm yellow as well as a warm red.
It is generally considered a warm color as opposed to other popular cool colors like green or blue.
Different types of orange
Orange has a very wide range of hues coming from neons all the way to either red, brown, or even yellow-infused tones.
Every single tone adopts a number of characteristics that come with its infused colors.
Orange is known to be a pure and vibrant color but it can be mixed with small amounts of other colors in order to create subtle versions of incarnations of the color orange.
The mixtures below show different categories of orange that can be used as either color in the t-shirt design or the t-shirt itself.
- True orange
This bright orange is very cheerful and gives a completely vibrant feel.
Whenever used in designs or as the shirt itself, the color projects a tropical clime and a feel of energy and most of all, confidence.
- Brown orange
These types of orange give off a calmer and more sophisticated mood compared to other oranges.
Although a lot of people think of orange as too “eye-catching,” it can also be used in a warmer, more in-depth design.
The versatility of the color is good for autumnal design schemes.
- Red orange
This color gives off a more earthy and even Meditterranean feel reminiscent of terracotta clay.
This color works really well with neutral colors and natural texts.
It keeps a very chic and contemporary look.
- Yellow orange
This almost golden, amber-like color gives off a very enlightened feeling that also stimulates mental activity.
This makes the color very good for details when it comes to clothing.
It can also be used for the whole piece itself.
Most of the time, this color is seen in kitchens, offices, and dining areas
- Pink orange
This bittersweet almost tangy-sour color gives it the relaxing color of orange combined with the energy of orange.
This color can be used to give off a modern chic feel and a stylish summer vibe.
What is the meaning of the color orange?
Orange is a very natural color found in vegetables and fruits.
Due to what types of food are colored orange, it is oftentimes associated with zest, health, vibrancy, taste, and even excitement.
There are also a wide range of other meanings associated with orange.
The different meanings of orange, of course, depends on where it is used culturally, religiously, socially, and more (depending on the context).
When using orange in designs, it is important to know when to use the color to highlight certain images, texts, or other details in the design.
- Orange in historical terms has been associated with entertainment, amusement, and also frivolity.
When it came to the gods, Bacchus, the frivolous Greek god of wine, made an entrance as he always dressed in orange robes.
In other historical contexts, clowns also wear orange-colored wigs.
- The orange shade “saffron” has a religious significance.
Saffron is oftentimes associated with Buddhism and Hinduism, as this is the color that monks and other holy men wear across Asia.
- Orange means danger!
This is one of the common meanings of orange.
It is usually used on warning signs due to it being eye catching and visible despite low light surroundings.
The color “safety orange” was actually developed in order to provide contrast directly against azure-blue skies.
Other positions in society require orange to catch people’s attention and let the surroundings be aware of them like prisoners.
The color is also revered in certain professions of importance like lifeguards and astronauts.
The color is a good color to maximize visibility.
- Orange is a good sports color.
Due to the intense energy of orange, it becomes a really good sports color.
There are a number of teams that like to sport the color orange since they automatically draw attention from every player.
- Orange is a very corporate color.
Orange in business usually signifies optimism and vitality while also making the company more visible to the market.
Certain brands like Fanta, Orange, Sainsbury’s, TNT, Nickelodeon, EasyJet, and FedEx have skillfully learned how to incorporate orange into their logo to help them stand out.
How to make a T-shirt design with orange?
Due to orange being a secondary color, it remains very very versatile.
The color can blend very easily with an accent color as well as a neutral color making it virtually insertable in any type of design should one wish to do so.
The color teamed up with red, as an example, gives lesser energy making it feel even more neutral.
Whenever it is paired with a complementary color, blue, orange can also become a much more energetic color.
This gives it more prominence and a stronger presence as well.
Orange is good in both corporate and creative designs due to its eye-catching, contemporary, and optimistic priorities.
It can be used to highlight certain parts of the design to make it stand out against the rest.
When teamed with different types of colors, it can bring out a number of different moods and characteristics.
When it comes to interiors, orange can also make the spaces feel very energizing and optimistic.
Orange is a color that stimulates creativity and mental action which can work very well as a whole tone or in combination with other colors as well.
In furniture, it can be used to create beautiful spaces that inspire and motivate work like in the kitchen or in the office.
It also gives a very relaxing feeling when used in the bedroom. When the color is teamed along with gray, black, and other warm wood, orange gives a very “homey” and cozy feeling inviting the audience to relax and enjoy.
When making a t-shirt design, it is important to pinpoint what the end goal should look like.
The misuse of orange can actually be quite irritating as it can be too eye-catching sometimes.
However, when used correctly, it allows either the whole design or certain parts of the design to stand out.
When designing a t-shirt with orange, it is important to also know exactly how much orange should be used.
If the majority of the shirt should be in orange or should the orange just be a way to highlight certain things in the design.
With the right mixture, the designer will be able to come up with not just an inviting design but an intriguing one as well.
There are a lot of things to learn from orange and it has a lot to do with what orange makes the viewer feel or think.
Orange, due to being the combination of red and yellow, still includes the two primary colors’ bold properties like passion and optimism at the same time.
The use of orange in the design can make or break it but when used properly, the end result is quite rewarding.
It’s actually quite rare for a t-shirt to be able to pull off an orange design.
Usually, most designers would stick to easier colors but for those that want to experiment further, going with orange could be a good challenging next step.
What types of colors work well with orange?
The use of the right color combination brings out the best in the color.
This is very true with orange since it can either be very relaxing or very energetic.
This depends on the color scheme that it is used with.
Picking the right color scheme can have a very significant effect on the outcome.
Orange is the happiest color.
Frank Sinatra
As long as orange is used with the right color, the feeling of “too much orange” won’t really be irritating to look at.
Some people do not like overly bright colors and this is fine as well since orange can be used in a very calm and inviting way.
- Monochromatic orange
This type of color scheme works with paler tints as well as darker shades of orange in order to create very complementary orange palettes.
- Complementary orange
This type of orange actually incorporates blue in it.
Blue’s neighbor colors along with orange are violet and green.
They are also complementary with yellow and red respectively.
- Analogous orange
This type of color scheme uses the bordering orange on either side of the whole color wheel.
This gives a very warm feel with neighboring colors warm yellow and warm red.
- Triadic orange
This type of orange includes both purple and green and since they are very equidistant from orange when it comes to the modern color wheel.
The bold variation gives a stronger appearance to the design and an interestingly creative appeal.
There are still a number of orange color schemes to discover with different significance as well.
When trying to design with orange, it is important to first decide whether the design is more corporate or creative.
There is a whole step by step process when it comes to designing with orange.
How to design with orange
Designing with the color orange gives the designer a range of options to portray.
Once they understand how to truly understand the capacity of the color orange, they will be able to play with the color and use it to portray what they want to achieve.
- Understand orange
As mentioned earlier, orange has a lot of properties and can invoke certain emotions, feelings, or perceptions.
Once the capabilities of the color orange are understood, it is easier to use the color to make a design.
- Have a goal
“I want to use orange to portray ____” is something the designer might want to ask themselves.
Pinpointing the purpose of orange in the design will help the designer know where it should be used and in what quantity as well.
- Use the right color scheme
Using the right color scheme is important.
Unless the design is basically a pure orange t-shirt, the designer should make sure they get the right color combination to avoid the final design being irritating.
The thing about color schemes is that they have been tested and proven and allow their users a shortcut to using the right colors to get the right designs.
- Experiment with orange
The thing about orange is that the limits have not yet been fully discovered.
Some people like to add a personal touch with how they use orange and this usually comes out as a very unique piece in the design.
There has been modern art that uses orange as some sort of “shocker” to give a bang to an otherwise contemporary design.
Once you learn how to properly incorporate orange into your designs, you’ll be able to come up with something not only effective but unique as well.
Thank you for reading, and we hope you found this useful. If you have any questions or you want to follow us for more related discussions, follow us on Twitter.
