Jocelyn MandrykThat first hit of orange
Orange: the color you notice exactly two seconds before the sun sets, or before someone tells you your Aperol spritz is “more of a summer drink.” It’s not shy. It’s not subtle. And yet, in 2025, it’s somehow still sort of controversial to incorporate into a brand’s colorways - like we’re all collectively scared of looking like a creamsicle.
The backstory nobody asked for
In The Secret Lives of Color (porn for chroma freaks like me), Kassia St. Clair reminds us that orange hasn’t always been this “fun.” Hermès didn’t choose it as a flex. Their original cream-and-gold packaging dyes ran out during WWII, and the supplier basically said, “All we’ve got is orange, take it or leave it.” Hermès took it. Now Pantone 1448 is worth more in brand equity than most luxury ad budgets. Moral of the story: sometimes constraint = icon.
Image Source: Glam Observer.
Of course, orange has baggage depending on where it’s applied. Buddhist monks wear it to signal renunciation; high-vis construction crews wear it to signal “please don’t run me over.” Somewhere between spiritual purity and traffic cone is the sweet spot we like to operate in.
Here’s some proof if you’re still reading:
Hermès “Astonishing Orange” – Spring 2023
Tim Walker shot their signature box exploding like it was a Kubrick set piece. It’s packaging as protagonist - orange is the superhero.
Jacquemus x Nike JF1 Drop (2023)
The caption was a simple 🍊 emoji. The product sold out before you finished reading this sentence.
IKEA “Lamp 2” Commercial (2018)
Spike Jonze resurrected a sad, abandoned orange lamp - yeah, an actual lamp - and somehow made us feel something. Proof that orange works even in the least glamorous of contexts.
How We’d Do It
We use orange like a caffeine shot for your campaign: medium dosage, maximum buzz. Burnt clay for mood, saffron for warmth, traffic-cone neon for when subtlety has left the brief. We’ll pair it with concrete, blush, an olive skintone, or a blue-bird sky in Lisbon so it pops.
Image by Will Bemridge
For brands who still think beige is a personality
Quick fixes if want to dabble in the warm stuff:
- Accessorize, don’t baptize - one orange chair in the set is a a nice little gateway drug. Try a hoola hoop if you’re feeling fancy.
- Seasonal orange - terracotta in autumn, coral in summer. Experiment with hues that best compliment your brand.
- Pick your mood - saffron = artisanal, neon = night-life, tangerine = “Yes, we have an in-house DJ.”
Summary
Half the planet is on fire and we’re here arguing about the merits of a color. But orange is exactly that. It’s reckless, necessary, and hard to ignore. Just like most campaigns we like to shoot.
Thanks for reading. If feel like getting too much of a good thing, enjoy this Pinterest board.