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Inspiration in the color burnt orange.

Learn the history and meaning of the color burnt orange, a smokey orange symbolic of autumn, pride, and comfort.

Design with burnt orange

Get inspired with burnt orange design templates.

Play with the color burnt orange to ignite a familiar sense of comfort and togetherness.

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What is the meaning of the color burnt orange?

One look at burnt orange color and you might picture autumn leaves or angry flames. The color burnt orange is said to evoke both positive and negative emotions. Its popularity, though, highlights its best qualities. Orange is usually made by mixing red with yellow, but burnt orange color is made by mixing red with yellow and a little blue. The “burnt” quality of the color burnt orange comes from the slight blue tinge.

Burnt orange color can evoke warmth or aggression, depending how it’s used. It’s popular throughout design, décor, and fashion.

The history of burnt orange color.

The color burnt orange was used before it earned its name.

Burnt orange color has always been around, although it hasn’t always had a name. Before its definition, the color burnt orange was used from ancient times into art of the Renaissance and Impressionist Era. The Cardinal (1510) by Raphael and a long list of works by Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec were acclaimed for their use of burnt orange. The color burnt orange was finally coined in English in 1915.

Burnt orange color stirred debate after its adoption by a sports team.

The color burnt orange was named in 1915. Shortly after, it was adopted as one of the official colors by the University of Texas and the football team the Texas Longhorns. The university trademarked the color burnt orange in 1966 to unify its team under one color, because at the time, two different shades of burnt orange were in popular use.

The color burnt orange in interiors and fashion.

Burnt orange color had its heyday in fashion and interior design in the 1970s. Then, the bright colors of the 1980s came in to replace it. By 2019, the color burnt orange gained popularity again, and Etsy even named it a top trending color for the year.

The color burnt orange across different cultures.

The debate around burnt orange color.

Even after the designation of burnt orange in 1915, colors ranging from red-orange to the barely-orange paper bag were called by the color’s name. The University of Texas and Auburn University both adopted burnt orange as an official color in the 1900s, but the two institutions defined it differently. It was the shade of deep orange with blue undertones used by the University of Texas that won the Pantone shade in the end.

The psychology of the color burnt orange.

Burnt orange color is a warm and stimulating tone. The undertone of blue is what makes the color burnt orange look smokey and what cools its intensity down. Burnt orange color is comforting as a result. Its intensity, though, is not totally subdued. The color burnt orange can also be associated with flames, aggression, and headstrongness.

Texas and the color burnt orange.

After the two ideas of burnt orange from Auburn University and the University of Texas went head-to-head, the shade used by the University of Texas won the Pantone description of burnt orange color. There was a time in post-WWII when the dye used for the uniforms was unavailable, and then the team went back to its original (brighter) orange. Coach Darrell Royal took the color burnt orange color back in the 1960s. Burnt orange color has also become a symbol for all-things Texas.