The world is full of amazing colours, many of which have interesting and bizarre names.
Then, there’s international orange.
But don’t be fooled by its unimaginative name – international orange is one of the
most recognisable colours in the world.
International orange is a tone of orange that’s specifically used to set objects apart from
their surroundings.
It’s used on aerospace suits and black boxes, where the bright orange of these objects makes
them easy to find in all kinds of terrain after a disaster.
International orange is also used on tall towers and bridges, to make them more visible
in contrast to the sea and sky.
We’ll talk more about this bridge in moment.
So how exactly is International Orange specified?
And how are other colours defined?
Apple users will be very familiar with colour wheel.
For everyone else – the colour wheel arranges the colours in a circle, which shows how the
primary colours relate to secondary and tertiary colours.
Orange is a hue that can be made by mixing red and yellow.
But there are other ways to make new colours.
Most colour printers use the CMYK model of colour-mixing.
In this model, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink are mixed in different ratios to
create different tones and shades.
There are many different tones of orange, in fact, even within international orange
there are different hues!
But they are all created with practically no cyan, lots of magenta, heaps of yellow,
and very little black.
The colour we’ve just created with this unique combination is called Golden Gate Bridge
International Orange.
It isn’t as bright as safety orange.
But it’s instantly recognisable as the colour of the most famous bridge in the world.
As iconic as the colour is, the Golden gate bridge is named for its location, not its
colour – and it’s just as well.
Golden Gate Bridge International Orange Gate Bridge doesn’t exactly roll of the tongue.
So the bridge isn’t named after the colour – so then how was the colour named?
Bear with me for a quick dip into the deep ocean that is - Colour: the Universal Language
and Dictionary of Names.
One of the seminal documents on descriptive colour names (at least in English).
This tome published by the excitingly named Sensory Environment Section of the US National
Bureau of Standards, seeks to classify colours as well as collecting their common names into
a dictionary.
In it, are such gems as Rainbow Mist, Pomp and Power, and of course our new friend – International
Orange.
The entries for International Orange indicate that this colour was originally predominantly
used by the US Army, Navy, and Bureau of Yards & Docks.
International Orange, like many colours, was basically an agreement between different parties
that ‘this’ is what the colour should look like.
And because ‘this’ colour was perceived as being a good high-visibility colour, it
was agreed upon to be the colour we know today as International Orange.
Colours aren’t invented – they exist outside of our definitions of them.
But it’s our definitions that can give colours meaning, and help make that meaning communicated
with others.
Some colours have abstract names, some have abstract yet evocative names, and some have
utilitarian names.
As utilitarian as the naming of International Orange is – the colour itself has become
iconic.
It communicates visibility and evokes a feeling of boldness in contrast to its surroundings.
While all colours can communicate meaning, and make us feel something, above else, they
exist outside of our definitions of them.
Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on my next video, and check out my other
videos here.
Thanks for watching.