When people ask me, “What is Orange?” My first response is usually:

“Well, orange is a color.”

There’s actually a decent range of orange colors on the Pantone matching scale that are used in all kinds of designs and marketing efforts. 

That’s because orange makes a unique and bold statement. 

Every artist knows the color orange is derived from mixing two other colors.

We originally chose Orange as a name because we were looking for a way to illustrate the power of combining two things to get a different outcome.

We say this all the time:

“Two combined influences make a greater impact than just two separate influences.”

So when we decided to pick a color to illustrate the principle . . . we ended up with orange. 

Orange was just a logical choice for a number of reasons.

Pink was out—it was already being used for Breast Cancer.

Green was already designated as the color for environmental causes.

Somebody suggested purple, but we said no . . . we were pretty sure Prince already owned purple.

So we went with orange.

Here’s why it worked so well:

If orange is the result of combining red and yellow, using the color would help us give everyone an everyday visual reminder of what drives us as an organization.

Our mission is to simply influence those who influence the faith and future of the next generation.

More specifically, we want to influence parents in the home and leaders in the church to influence how kids see God, the world, and themselves.

So think about it this way:

When you influence the heart of a parent and you influence the light of the church 

at the same time
to be on the same team
to actually work together
something magical and powerful can happen.

The Church + the Home
Yellow + Red = Orange

When those two things mix, you make a brighter, bolder, deeper, and more vibrant impact in a generation.

Simply put:
Orange wants to help churches win
And to help families win
And to help churches help families win

We are content and experience creators for leaders, parents, and kids.

Orange is more than just a symbol to us—it’s a mission.

But we do love the fact that you can see Orange everywhere . . .

Sunsets and sunrises
Halloween
Traffic cones
Carrots
Monarch Butterflies
Flowers
Furniture
Clothes
Extension cords
Company logos
Tonka Trucks
Football teams

. . . oh and that last one can actually get you in trouble.

It’s the reason a few people have an aversion to orange.

If you are . . .
Georgia you don’t like Florida
Alabama you don’t like Auburn
Oklahoma you don’t like Texas

So we have to remind a few avid sports fans that Orange is a bigger idea than football. (That’s a stretch for some.)

I get really excited when people show up and actually wear the color orange as a symbol.

Some of us have worn orange every day for the past 15 years as a reminder of why the home and church matters so much and why we need to make the next generation a priority.  

It can be tricky, though, because the color orange looks better on some people than others.

If you are a pasty, pale, old, bald guy you have to be careful how and where you wear orange.

So you need to wear it in your shoes or socks or belt or woven into the design of a shirt or coat. Some people just can’t get away with solid blocks of orange next to their face like others can.

It’s also interesting that the right shade of orange goes with almost every color.

It can look good with
Pink
Blue
Brown
Green
Teal
which speaks to the flexibility and multiple possibilities of Orange.

Our Orange staff likes to say . . .

“Orange is the new beige.”

Because Orange resources and curriculums are designed to compliment a variety of church styles. 

We actually work with over 50 different denominations. And we do everything we can so you can customize it to fit in your context.

Orange is gray.
Our experience suggests that issues facing this generation are rarely just black and white. That’s why we work to help churches live in the complicated spaces of loving people with diverse perspectives. We believe Jesus came to help us re-imagine what it looks like to love God and our neighbors. 

Orange is transparent.
We want your community to see through Orange to your church. We believe the brand of the local church is more important than the brand of Orange. So if Orange doesn’t make your ministry bolder and brighter, then we aren’t doing our job. 

In research related to the psychology of colors, Orange evokes feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth. The color is often used to draw attention to something.

We want those who have influence to pay attention to the potential of the next generation.

Oh. We might also admit that some people really love the color orange and some people really hate it. That’s okay too. We know that haters hate, hate, hate—and we can’t change that.

Orange is even a color that’s been used in revolutions, which we think is actually a good idea right now.

What would it look like to incite a faith and character revolution in every community?

Those of who us who are parents and leaders just believe
if we work together
if we respect each other
if we become partners
we can color the world Orange.

Oh, and if you are looking for orange in a crayon box you will find
Burnt Sienna
Mango Tango
Neon Carrot
Macaroni & Cheese
Outrageous Orange 

But if you are looking to find out more about Orange, go to THINKORANGE.com.