10 Colors That Were Chosen For A Reason

Fire hydrants

Fire hydrants have different colors to represent how many gallons per minute (GPM) they can produce. Different fire hydrants are used to stop different types of fires, depending on the size. The most popular colors are red, orange, green, and blue.

Commercial airplanes

A lot of commercial airplanes are painted white to reflect sunlight. This will help reduce the damage caused by the sun and prevent the plane from overheating. Painting airplanes white also helps them take less time to cool down when they’re parked.

Tires

The rubber that is used to produce tires is actually white, but carbon black is added to extend their lifespan. This consequently makes them black. Carbon black increases the strength and durability of the tires by conducting heat away and protecting them from UV light.

Traffic lights

By now we should all be familiar with the 3 colors of traffic lights. Red means stop, green means go, and yellow means proceed with caution. However, there is a reason why these colors were chosen. Red is the color with the longest wavelength which means it can be seen from a bigger distance, allowing drivers to see it from far away. Yellow has a shorter wavelength than red but it’s longer than green. These wavelengths make it clearer when the lights change from green to yellow or from yellow to red.

Zebra crossings

The contrasting black and white colors in zebra crossings makes them visible from afar. This gives drivers enough time to reduce their speed and let people cross the road. These 2 contrasting colors also help pedestrians stand out against the background.

School buses

The color yellow on school buses was selected for security reasons. The contrasting yellow and black colors on school buses help them to be easily noticed by students, especially in the morning when they’re being picked up. These 2 colors also help other drivers notice the school bus during darker hours.

Taxis

Similar to school buses, the color yellow used on taxis makes them easy to recognize. Yellow is a color that easily stands out from others on the road.

Soccer balls

When soccer balls started to be made out of plastic, they were bleached all white. However, the company Adidas decided to also add black to them. Black and white balls were easier to spot on TV because at that time, the pictures on TV were black and white as well.

Toilet paper

Toilet paper has the color white because it’s bleached. Without the bleach, the paper would have a brownish color. Toilet paper is not found in many other colors because companies would have to dye it and it would cost them more money. This means that toilet paper is white because it’s more cost-effective.

However, that’s not the only reason for their color. Colored toilet paper wouldn’t decompose as quickly. Also, when the colored toilet paper was created, many doctors associated it with increased health risks. White was a safe choice.

Social media platforms

Although social media platforms have different colors in their logos, a lot of them use the color blue. This is because the color blue is associated with the intellect and the mind which are connected to the act of communicating. This color also represents safety and reliability. Social media companies want people to feel safe while communicating with others, so they decided on the color blue.