Orange You Glad You Can Wear that Neon Sweatband Again?

It’s the best kind of Tic-Tac, the signature shade of Halloween, and now the official color of 2012. Pantone, the reigning authority on color and color systems, has taken a wacky turn with 2012’s color of the year: Tangerine Tango. While 2011’s “honeysuckle” was a demure rose pink, there is nothing bashful about this year’s fiery choice. SmartSign had decided to pay homage to the show-stopping shade by highlighting our orange offerings.

Whether you’re a spook fanatic or you’re just in it for the treats, it’s never too early to start prepping for Hallow’s Eve. Our Holiday mats at XpressMats make great gifts for fellow trick-or-treating enthusiasts. Even beyond the ghoulish celebration, nothing says warmth and welcome like an orange pumpkin-printed mat in the foyer. Even better, with the Pantone seal of approval for 2012, you’ll just be en vogue with your bold color choices. Nobody needs to know about the candy corn you bought in December to satisfy your Halloween hunger.

Beyond mats, the traffic sign world also has a place for this tangy tone. Building off of the assumption that such a loud hue would catch drivers’ attention, orange was established as the color for construction and maintenance signs in 1971. These signs were developed by 3M specifically to demarcate work zones, and then later picked up by other companies. RoadTrafficSigns has an entire section devoted to Orange Road Signs, because they are universally recognized and comply with MUTCD regulations. While most of these signs can only really be described as “construction-sign-orange,” the fluorescent reflective delineators are close enough to Pantone’s tangerine that your signs can still be the life of the party this year (and hopefully for years to come).

Orange signs have even sparked controversy in the news. Our sister blog, ParkingSigns.net, covered the story of nine Amish men in Kentucky who were jailed for not placing Slow Moving Vehicle signs on their horse-drawn buggies. Their reasoning was that the flashy nature of the orange reflective signs conflicted with their religious beliefs. If your beliefs don’t hinder your passion for flashin’, check out the interior of RoadTrafficSign’s Slow Moving Vehicle Signs. These signs’ burn orange shade closely resembles the lauded Tangerine Tango and really pops with a bright red outer border.

Though Tangerine Tango has been described as a sunset or Cajun shade, the sign industry celebrates orange in all forms. Most accidents occur at dawn and dusk, which is why fluorescent signs are incredibly useful. Fluorescent devices convert ultraviolet and short wavelength light rays to visible light. In essence, they grab wavelength from both sides of the regular orange spectrum and increase brightness. Orange is a color that was made to be seen. Here at SmartSign Blog, we are happy to celebrate such a sassy color of the year.

– S. Sridhar

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