ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK — Mini Brand Playbook
Why orange wins
- Visibility = Virality. Orange pops at a glance (cones, sunsets, tigers, Bitcoin).
- Energy & action. It screams “move,” “build,” “ship.”
- Ownability. Most brands drown in black/grey. Orange carves a lane.
Core palette (hex)
- Primary: High-Vis Orange #FF5F00 (impact) or Bitcoin Orange #F7931A (signal)
- Ink/Type: Carbon Black #0B0B0B
- Canvas: Warm White #FFF5EC
- Accent: Electric Cobalt #2563EB (sparingly for links/CTAs)
Usage rules
- 70/20/10: 70% warm white, 20% orange, 10% black/cobalt.
- Never outline orange with black; give it air (padding) to glow.
- Motion: fast, snappy, upward. Easing out, not in.
Typography
- Headlines: Bold geometric sans (e.g., Monument Grotesk / Space Grotesk / Inter Black).
- Body: Humanist sans (Inter, Source Sans 3).
- Tight tracking on headings (-1% to -2%), generous line-height for body (1.5).
UI / Web
- CTA button: Orange background + black label; hover = subtle scale + shadow.
- Links: Cobalt by default; orange only for the single most important action.
- Favicon: Orange circle with black monogram.
Photo direction
- Hunt orange in the wild: cones, cranes, safety vests, street signage, Cali sunsets, neon.
- Desaturate background slightly; let orange stay pure.
- Signature touch: thin orange frame or corner tag.
Wardrobe / IRL
- Safety-orange outer layer, black base, white shoes.
- One orange hero per outfit (jacket or hat or bag). Never all three.
Content hooks (plug-and-play)
- “Signal > Noise. Be seen.”
- “Visibility is a virtue.”
- “Build with blaze.”
- “Orange up.”
Quick wins (today)
- Switch site accent to #FF5F00, background to #FFF5EC.
- Update logo lockup: black mark on orange chip.
- Make a single orange CTA across the site (“Subscribe” / “Book” / “Buy”).
- Add an orange border preset to your photo workflow.
- Order one safety-orange statement piece (cap/hoodie/case).
7-day orange sprint
- Mon: Swap brand colors on web + socials.
- Tue: Shoot an “Orange Hunt” photo set.
- Wed: Publish “Why I Chose Orange.”
- Thu: Drop an orange-themed product or wallpaper.
- Fri: Orange-only CTA campaign.
- Sat: IRL orange pop-up / meetup fit.
- Sun: Recap reel with orange frame.
Want this as a crisp one-pager brand kit or web style sheet? Say “make a canvas” and I’ll spin it up instantly. Let’s blaze. 🟧🚀