The Word of the Day: ORANGE

by Jackie Piper

I don’t know about you, but all the time I spend training for Challenge Walk MS gives me a lot of time to think. And wonder. On a walk this week, when I should probably have been thinking about what I’m going to make for dinner or how many of loads of laundry I needed to get done, I was thinking about how ORANGE got to be the “color” of MS. You want to know the answer to that too, right?

I used the “contact us” feature on the National MS Society website.  I simply asked, “How was ORANGE chosen as the awareness color for MS?”  In less than 24 hours I got an answer. (That’s how good they are!)

So here’s the scoop on the color ORANGE and the message behind the MS logo, from Kathryn Finlaw-Heitz of the National MS Society:

“The logo has four primary components: the MS letters, the orange color, the supporting typestyles, and what is called the 'gesture.' The MS letters are set in a contemporary typestyle, Jigsaw, which suggests movement.

“By adding a simple mark to the letters ‘MS’, we express our opposition to the disease in the most direct possible way. This mark also celebrates and expresses movement—and uses that movement to make a statement against MS. The MS and the mark remain readable and the message is clear.

“The color, a warm orange, creates the urgency and visibility that enables it to stand out in a crowded cultural marketplace. Through research, we also know that orange means some very powerful things to people. Orange is generally regarded as:

• Optimistic
• Contemporary
• Cutting edge

Orange is... a symbol for MS around the world.”

I’m looking at the logo in a whole new way. And I cannot wait to paint Door County optimistic, contemporary, cutting edge ORANGE!!!