Orange is a secondary color that was named after the fruit. The color orange is created by mixing red and yellow pigments or light. While orange contains red as one of its components, it is generally not considered a shade of red. There are some key differences between orange and red that help define orange as its own distinct color.
The Color Wheel
On the traditional color wheel used by artists and designers, orange falls between red and yellow. The color wheel arranges colors into a circle to show how they are related to each other. Neighboring colors like red, orange, and yellow contain common hues and can be mixed to create new colors.
Red, yellow, and blue are considered the three primary colors. Secondary colors like orange, green, and purple are created by mixing two primary colors. Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary and secondary color. This organized structure shows that orange is related to but distinct from red.
Color Properties
Red and orange also differ in their visual properties. Red is associated with warmth, fire, aggression, excitement, energy, and violence. Orange contains some of the warm attributes of red but also brings brightness, vibrancy, and youthfulness.
| Color | Hue | Saturation | Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 0° | 100% | 53% |
| Orange | 39° | 100% | 74% |
As seen in the table, red and orange have different hues. Red is located at 0° on the color wheel while orange is 39°. They share full saturation but orange has a higher brightness than red. These attributes give orange a more energetic and inviting feel compared to the intensity of red.
Color Symbolism
Red and orange have their own symbolic meanings and associations. Red is connected to passion, danger, anger, romance, and heat. It has significance in various cultures including symbolizing good fortune in China, mourning in South Africa, and purity in India.
Orange is linked to creativity, joy, success, balance, and encouragement. Orange represents the fall season and harvest in the United States. In Hindusim, orange signifies sacrifice, renunciation, and strength. Orange is also connected to the military, with orange smoke indicating a contaminated area.
While red and orange can both represent energy, their symbolic meanings diverge in other ways. This demonstrates that orange is not simply a lighter or brighter shade of red but its own distinct color with unique cultural significance.
Uses in Design
Red and orange are used differently in graphic design, interior design, fashion, and other fields. Red commands attention, provides contrast, and conveys urgent messages. It is commonly used for warning signs, emergency vehicles, clearance sales, and calls to action.
Orange brings a more friendly, energetic tone. It is widely used in children’s products and youth brands to capture a sense of excitement and fun. Orange adds vibrancy when paired with cooler tones like blue and purple. It can highlight important elements without being as overpowering as the color red.
Both colors are eye-catching and energetic. However, red’s intensity and associations with danger necessitate more careful use compared to the brighter, safer orange. Designers leverage these differences when selecting either red or orange for their projects.
Mixing with Other Colors
When red is mixed with yellow, it makes orange. However, mixing orange with other colors produces very different results compared to red:
- Orange + Blue = Brown
- Orange + Purple = Terracotta
- Orange + Green = Olive
- Red + Blue = Violet
- Red + Purple = Raspberry
- Red + Green = Burgundy
The new colors created when red and orange are combined with secondary and tertiary colors show their inherent differences. This demonstrates that orange has its own mixing properties beyond being a lighter red.
Lighting Effects
The way red and orange are perceived changes based on lighting conditions. In dim or candlelight, red surfaces appear black while orange items retain their color. This shows that orange pigments reflect and absorb light differently compared to pure red.
Red also seems to advance and come forward under lighting while orange remains steady. These lighting properties stem from contrasts in the two colors’ undertones. Once again, orange is shown to be a separate color from red rather than a simple variation.
Computer Color Codes
On web sites and computer programs that use the RGB color model, red and orange are defined by distinct numeric color codes:
- Red = RGB(255, 0, 0)
- Orange = RGB(255, 165, 0)
Hexadecimal color codes also differentiate red and orange:
- Red = #FF0000
- Orange = #FFA500
The fact that red and orange have their own codes rather than orange being considered a lighter red demonstrates its status as an independent color, not simply a red variant.
Language and Culture
Across languages and cultures, orange is referred to as its own distinct color with a separate name from red. In English, the word “orange” was first used as the name for the fruit and later became the name of the color in the 16th century. The fact that a new word entered the English language shows orange becoming defined as its own hue.
The same differentiation occurs in other languages. For example, in both French and Italian, “red” translates as “rouge” and “rosso” while “orange” is “orange” and “arancione.” If orange was merely red in another shade, it would likely not have its own color terms across multiple languages.
Pigment Origins
Natural pigments also indicate a separation between red and orange. Red ochre is a red pigment made from clay containing iron oxide that has been used since prehistoric times. The mineral realgar yields an orange pigment that was also used in cave paintings and illustrations before synthetic pigments were created.
These traditional natural pigments demonstrate that red and orange were considered their own distinct colors rather than variations of the same hue. Red ochre and realgar imbued two different colors, not different shades of red, even before the name “orange” formally developed.
Why It Matters
Categorizing orange as red would blur the boundaries between colors. It would diminish the definitions and understanding of hue, saturation, brightness, and other color properties. Designers, artists, psychologists, and others rely on these established distinctions.
Orange has developed its own cultural symbolism, practical applications, and aesthetic impact. Considering it interchangeable with red negates centuries of orange establishing itself as a color in its own right. From mixing qualities to technical specifications to linguistic terminology, orange differs too significantly from red to be simply seen as a form of red.
Conclusion
While orange contains red as an ingredient in its makeup, it stands alone as an individual color with unique attributes. On the color wheel, in color theory, and across cultures and languages, orange is recognized as distinct from neighboring reds. Calling orange a version of red ignores all the evidence of hue, chroma, symbolism, uses, and definitions that set it apart. There is a clear consensus from artists, designers, scientists and the general population that orange is considered its own color, not a form of red.
