If you want to get noticed without screaming, consider orange — it demands attention. The softer oranges such as peach are even friendlier, more soothing. Peachy oranges are less flamboyant than their redder cousins but still energetic.

Orange brings up images of autumn leaves, pumpkins, and (in combination with Black) Halloween. It represents the changing seasons so in that sense it is a color on the edge, the color of change between the heat of summer and the cool of winter. You might use shades of orange to indicate transition or a bridge between two opposing factors.

Orange is also a citrus color. It can conjure up thoughts of vitamin C and good health and while orange is often synonymous with autumn, the brighter oranges are a summer color.

Orange is mentally stimulating as well as sociable. Use it to get people thinking or to get them talking.

• Orange Goes With...


Take a look at orange on the color wheel.

• Harmonizing colors for orange: Red and Yellow
harmonizing colors (adjacent) often work well together but if too close in value they can appear washed out or not have enough contrast

• Complementary colors for orange: Dark Pink and Yellow-Green
complementary colors printed side by side can cause visual vibration making them a less then desirable combination

• Opposite color for orange: Medium Blue
colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are said to clash — not always a bad combination if used carefully

• Orange Color Combos


These color palettes feature shades of orange. Although I've made a few suggestions here and there about the 'amount' of each color to use, experiment. For best results don't use even amounts of each color in the palette. Choose one or two dominant colors and use the rest for accents. Keep in mind that due to the differences between color in print and on the Web that these colors may not appear the same on paper as they appear here on the screen.

These aren't just random color combinations. Each of these are based on actual historic and modern formulas used in posters, packaging, ads, and other design work over the past century. For a much more comprehensive selection of color combinations refer to The Designer's Guide to Color Combinations by Leslie Cabarga.

C65Y35K15 | M90Y100 | M35Y100 | Y70 | C10K35 | C40K100
The orange and yellows of sunflowers with light green are the centerpiece of this palette.

C7M5Y10 | C7M90Y100 | C100M85Y10K6 | C40M25Y25K7 | C40K100
Bold blue and orange are tamed by shades of gray from silvery to charcoal.

M45Y100 | C40K100 | M3Y15
Orange and black (or charcoal gray) don't have to be just for Halloween. Pale yellow provides a lighter note.

M50Y100 | C100M37K15 | C25M10K4 | White
Opposites attract in this orange-blue palette. Vary the look by using orange as the accent or the medium blue as the accent.

C4M65Y100 | C80M10Y40 | M90Y50 | C30M100Y80K20 | C20M40Y85K5 | C45
Shades of pink with a burst of orange. Placing the blue between the orange and pink helps avoid visual vibrations.

C100M40 | M47Y100 | C10M95Y5
Orange with a complementary pink and an opposite of blue to suggest the sixties.

C70M5Y100 | M100Y100 | C53M100 | White
Red and green isn't just for Christmas. Make it an orangy red and throw in a dash of purple and white for a vibrating sixties color scheme.

C25M80Y90Y25 | C65M3Y65K15 | C5M85Y90 | C5M55Y85 | M20Y40 | C40K100
An earthy palette of brown, green, and orange.

A modern mix of peach, orange, yellow, and dusky purple.