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Ribbon Colors and What They Mean

Ribbons are more than just ornamental accents; they are symbols that mark or celebrate various events. Different ribbon colors are displayed all year long to commemorate important occasions, support charitable causes and demonstrate unity. Ribbons are frequently used to provide a festive touch to celebrate special occasions like birthdays, weddings and other private gatherings. They can also offer crucial information and identifiers and formally recognize accomplishments.

Have you ever wondered the following? “What does that yellow ribbon tied around that tree mean?” Or, have you wondered, “Why is someone wearing that particular ribbon color?” Ribbons have profound symbolic meanings that can represent a variety of causes, occasions and recognitions. Knowing these meanings can help you grasp a wide range of events and activities.

The Importance of Ribbon Colors

A ribbon’s color has more significance than just being a decorative choice. Especially when it is used to support a cause or express support for a certain issue. Awareness ribbons, each color representing a distinct message, are frequently folded and fastened into a loop. These ribbons are an easy and effective way to express a position on various subjects. Depending on the color, these ribbons can represent anything from solidarity with a humanitarian cause to supporting a loved one fighting cancer.

Three women working together during an outdoor retreat wearing teamwork ribbons.

Although awareness ribbons are typically linked to particular colors and causes, it is crucial to remember that color has meanings beyond awareness campaigns. For instance, the color of the ribbons still significantly impacts the overall sense of awards or event decorations. However, ribbons used for more intimate and celebratory occasions, such as weddings, graduations or birthday parties, are colored according to their aesthetic value or symbolic significance for the occasion.

Whether ribbons are worn on a jacket, displayed on a tree or presented as a badge of honor, we may better appreciate their role when we understand their broader importance. Ribbons can connect people and communities by expressing messages of celebration, support, remembering and accomplishment.

The Meaning of Ribbon Colors

Colors can shape experiences and influence feelings and interactions. They do more than simply fill or decorate a space. Understanding the different emotions colors create can boost the impact of your message. So, whether you are attempting to promote awareness, build support or create a particular atmosphere, understanding these effects will help you establish the necessary emotional connections.

With this discernment, you can build a more purposeful experience for your audience that appeals to both their conscious and subconscious minds. So, selecting ribbon colors for event decorations or an awareness campaign requires understanding the associations and emotions that different colors evoke.

Blue Ribbons: Why They are so Iconic

From politics to awareness, blue ribbons have been around for a long time. Throughout the year, colored ribbons, especially blue ribbons, celebrate and honor many occasions and holidays. But, unlike any other color, blue is prominent as being the most iconic. Just like every other color, blue ribbons represent many things. From first place at a county fair to showing support for the ACLU, this color is spotted all around the world.

Blue ribbons are a symbol of high quality. The association comes from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners. Prior to that, it comes from Cordon Bleu, which referred to the blue ribbon worn by a particular order of knights. From New York Fashion Week to award shows like the Oscars, models, actors and other celebrities wear blue ribbons to show their support.

A blue rosette for first place with a victory torch on the center button.

Receiving a blue ribbon is quite an honor. At fairs, those with the biggest crop or the best looking livestock receive a ribbon to recognize their achievement. The same typically goes for winning at a sporting event. The winner receives a blue ribbon, while runners up receive other colors.

Blue (this comprises all shades) represents trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, protection, intelligence, tranquility, integrity, healing, understanding and devotion. The use of blue for awareness can represent assault and abuse, natural disaster victims, drunk driving, anti bullying, addiction recovery, cancer, dystonia, education, anti-tobacco, arthritis, free speech and water quality.

Ribbon Colors: Pink for Awareness

Pink is the chosen color for breast cancer awareness. The Susan G. Komen Foundation, established in 1982, has been associated with the color pink since its inception. Their early logo, from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, featured an abstract female runner with a pink ribbon. In 1991, the Komen Foundation handed out pink ribbons to participants in its New York City Race for the Cure. This race is often cited as the first widespread use of the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month officially adopted pink as its color in 1992.

Pink: The color pink is often associated with feminine qualities and is seen to represent caring, beauty, goodness, and cooperation. In the context of breast cancer awareness, the pink ribbon symbolizes hope for the future. It represents the compassion of individuals and organizations supporting the cause. Pink, for awareness, is also a symbol for birth parents and nursing mothers.

Red Ribbon Week

What is Red Ribbon Week? The wearing of red ribbons started in 1988 to raise awareness of the destruction in America that is caused by drugs. Many schools across the US participate in Red Ribbon Week during the final week of October.

This event started with Nancy Reagan’s help and has become the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention program. During the week, schools develop programs and games to help children be aware of the dangers of drug use. From brightly colored hair to silly outfits, schools fill with excited kids participating in fun festivities.

Design a ribbon that helps spread that “Just Say No” message. Add ribbons to clothing, notebooks or backpacks to show support. These bright ribbons will pledge awareness to this particular cause. Regardless of your ribbon choice, make your statement during your next Red Ribbon Week. So, sport your red and stand for awareness!

Red: This color radiates intense, passionate, powerful energies that motivate us to take action. However, red is also a warning and can signal caution and danger. The use of orange for awareness can include burn victims, cardiovascular disease, courage, inspiration, DARE, stroke, AIDS and HIV.

An Orange Ribbon to Show Support

Throughout the year, colored ribbons celebrate and honor many occasions and holidays. Each ribbon can stand for different things depending on its color. And now, there is a new meaning to an orange ribbon. To shed a “positive orange glow” in Canada, Judy McPherson from Penticton, British Columbia, proposed wearing an orange awareness ribbon to support firefighters, volunteers and their families.

“People just want to do something, anything to show their support. There is never anything said negative about it when I approach people,” said McPherson. “There are so many people doing so many other things, too; I just want to make sure the firefighters see it and know we are supporting them.”

An orange awareness ribbon to show support.

McPherson moved to the Okanagan from the Coast. She said it was while sitting at the beach watching helicopters filling their buckets as they dumped water on nearby fires that she decided she wanted to do something to show her support and gratitude to the firefighters. The idea of the orange ribbon was born, and she started creating them and handing them out to friends, family and even strangers.

Orange: This color exudes warmth and joy, encouraging emotional strength, social communication and creativity. The use of orange for awareness can include cultural diversity, leukemia, malnutrition, ADHD and self injury.

Safety and Going Green Using Ribbons

Going green sometimes has a different meaning from recycling. In this instance, it means remembering the importance of pedestrian safety. Whether wearing mismatched socks, having crazy hair or merely wearing a ribbon, many schools remind their students about pedestrian safety by using green. While telling people about street safety seems simple, a physical device like a green ribbon can sometimes make a huge impact.

A variety of green (rosette, ribbon rolls, badge).

Getting everyone involved is key to this socialization. Parents and kids alike need to be aware of their surroundings. Everyone starts actively seeking safety by dressing in green or wearing a colorful ribbon. Parents can pledge to be more careful when driving, and students can promise to watch when crossing a street.

From blank badge ribbons to custom printed ribbons, design something that helps to get out your safety message. Add ribbons to outfits, notebooks or backpacks to show support and promote safety. These ribbons help to pledge everyone’s awareness. Or you can even tie a green ribbon around anything from car antennas to backpacks and people! So, wear your green ribbon today to help promote safety.

Green: Green inspires harmony and health. It is a warm, relaxing color that helps balance our emotions. The use of green for awareness ribbons can also represent environmental concerns, depression, growth and rebuilding, literacy, mental health, cerebral palsy and tissue donation.

Ribbon Colors: Yellow for Awareness

Many support groups have adopted ribbons as symbols of support or awareness. This ribbon type dates back to 1917, when the yellow awareness ribbon showed up to support the US military while serving abroad. Since then, ribbon colors have been associated with various causes and symbolize various concerns depending on the color and pattern.

Yellow awareness ribbon with a business name imprinted in black.

Yellow is typically a bright, cheerful, energetic color that inspires thought and curiosity. It is meant to boost enthusiasm and confidence. Yellow for awareness ribbons can include hunger, cultural diversity, leukemia, cancer, self injury awareness, support for troops and suicide prevention.

Other Important Ribbon Colors

Purple: This color represents spirituality and imagination. People often associate purple with luxury and royalty. The use of purple for awareness can include ADD and ADHD, Alzheimer’s, domestic violence, elderly abuse, epilepsy and March of Dimes.

White: The purity and lightness of white stand for intuition, faith and innocence. The use of white for awareness can include blindness, bone disease, osteoporosis, postpartum depression, peace, adoption, child exploitation, elderly abuse and violence against women and the community.

Black is a deep color that shows formality, strength and elegance. It can be intimidating, but it exudes authority and makes us feel secure and protected. The use of black for awareness can include mourning, including the loss of a child, POW/MIA, anti-terrorism and gun control. People use black medically for narcolepsy, sleep disorders and melanoma.

Gray: The calming influence of gray is peaceful, relaxing and soothing. However, it is also a conservative and unemotional color. The use of gray for awareness can include allergies, aphasia, asthma and brain cancer.

Brown: Standing for stability and reliability, brown is dependable and comforting. The use of brown for awareness can include disability, spinal cord injuries, paralysis and anti tobacco.

Shop for Your Perfect Ribbon

Learn About Awareness Ribbons

Baby Shower Ribbons

Planning a baby shower shouldn’t be a daunting task, and it should be fun and exciting for the new mommy.

Baby shower planning should be fun and stress free. It doesn’t matter if the shower is for a large group of friends or a small family gathering. Make sure to pay attention to the following details for a smooth planning experience.

The first and most important detail is the baby shower guest list. Always consult the mommy-to-be about whom she would like to invite. She probably already has the whole list in her head. However, if the shower is meant as a surprise party, ask her closest friend or mother for help. Once the guest list is finalized and a date has been set, make sure that the invitations go out in plenty of time for those invited to make the shower part of their schedule and also to get an RSVP back to you.

The next few planning areas can be done out of order, just make sure to have the invitations out before really getting in to these areas. Food should be at least a small portion of your planning. Again, check with mommy-to-be on what she wants. The menu can consist of items that pertain to the shower theme, but they do not have to. The best thing to plan for the menu should be several dishes and many of those should be finger food. Try having small finger sandwiches and a fruit tray. By having small, finger foods, there will be less clean up after the shower.

Once a baby shower theme has been decided upon, start planning the decorations and entertainment. Decorations can include a color theme. This is where the planning can really be fun. Order custom ribbon rolls in the theme colors and add text that indicates the baby’s name or gender. Ribbon rolls can be used to make wall decorations, hang them from the ceiling or attach to balloons. They can also be used to wrap around seating at the baby shower. Whatever you choose, make sure to be as creative as you like.

Don’t forget the best part of any shower! Creative favors for each of the guests are an absolute must for any shower. Make your shower favors extra special with personalized ribbons. Use those custom ribbon rolls to tie onto your favors, place cards or packages. Order badge ribbons to create special tags that can be tied to each favor. Each badge ribbon can be customized with a date, a name or anything else to send home as a thank you to each guest for coming.

No matter what you choose, make sure to have fun! And make sure the shower is done according to the mommy-to-be so she has fun too!

Valentine Ribbon Uses

You might be saying to yourself, “Wait! I thought the holidays were over!” But, here comes another one! And what a great way to use some of that left over red and white scrap ribbon! So, pull yourself together and gather all your creativity onto the table. Bring it on… bring on Valentine’s Day!

Simple projects for just about anyone.

Let’s just get this idea out of the way. Super quick, grab a good length of leftover ribbon roll (red or white to match the season) and wrap that perfect gift for your special someone. This could be a beautiful bouquet of flowers or a quick box of chocolates. By adding the ribbon, it shows how much you really care.

Got kids? Do they need Valentine cards for classes at school? Here are a few quick ideas to use up those ribbon scraps.

Idea one – While this doesn’t really use ribbon scraps, it could still be fun! Order badge ribbons with a cute phrase and your child’s name. Then when the time comes, each recipient child will have a unique memoir.

Idea two – At some point in everyone’s life, we’ve all ended up needing paint for something. Remember those paint chip sample cards? Go grab a bunch of those and either punch hearts into them or buy stickers to simply decorate for the kids in your child’s class. Once decorated, use that scrap ribbon roll to tie streamers to the top of the paint chips. These fun and unique Valentine Cards can now be reused as a bookmark.

Idea three – When was the last time you really used all of the baking cups for cupcakes or muffins? Have any left over? Stack a couple of these together, cutting and trimming some of them, to create a stacked look. Use a fun sticker for the middle of this fun rosette ribbon. Once completed, each rosette still needs the streamers. Use those ribbon roll scraps and attach a couple to the bottom of each rosette. These can now be attached to a piece of card stock or given as is.

While these ideas are to use leftover ribbon pieces you might have, don’t hesitate to order new ribbon rolls, rosette ribbons or badge ribbons to meet your needs. Be creative and, most importantly, have fun!

Introducing: Pantone Color of the Year

Pantone Color: What is it and how do we use it here at Coller Industries?

Every year since 2000, Pantone has released a “symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.” This color selection becomes more prominent throughout each year following the announcement, and is mostly seen in home décor, fashion and other similar areas.

And, for the first time in Pantone’s history, they have released a two-color scheme as the Color of the Year 2016; welcome Rose Quartz and Serenity!

As consumers seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colors that psychologically fulfill our yearning for reassurance and security are becoming more prominent. Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.

In a webinar presented by Laurie Pressman, VP of the Pantone Color Institute, she expressed the means by which Pantone chooses the annual color release. “These colors are emotionally reflective of a social mindset,” explained Pressman during the webinar. “They truly are reflective of the tranquility and inner peace that consumers are looking for.”

While Personalized Ribbons doesn’t specifically take part in Pantone’s yearly celebration of the Pantone Color of the Year release, we do accept its importance.

However, as a custom ribbon provider, Personalized Ribbons is limited to how these colors might be expressed. While one simply cannot buy ribbons in Serenity or Rose Quartz, there are still several options to incorporate them into an order.

Single face satin ribbon can be ordered in Quartz, but it is not a guaranteed color match to Rose Quartz; it is, however, close. But there is no close match for Serenity. Personalized Ribbons does offer several blues that will compliment Quartz.

There are several other ribbon roll options for quartz, including organza. Full color ribbon may also be personalized to a PMS color for either color or to include a logo or custom text. Badge ribbons can also be purchased using full color printing.

Here is a side note for color matching:

Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors are the best way to let us know what colors are expected. Personalized Ribbons will make reasonable efforts to match provided PMS colors. However, due to variations in materials, printer ribbons, equipment, and environmental factors preclude any guarantee of color. The color of imprinted logos and surfaces are also limited to available materials.

Thank You and Happy New Year Wishes

As we come to a close of this great year, Coller Industries has to send a thank you to the most important aspect of our company: you, the customer.

We have seen growth in our company in many ways, and we have many people to thank for that. First, we have made several changes to our website and as such it has made ordering even easier. And to aid in those changes, we have also seen growth in our inventory. We have started offering more fonts for our customers this year. These fonts have made ordering badge ribbons easier and give a better variety to meet everyone’s needs. We have also added several new rosette ribbons to our product line. Rosette Ribbons are a great way to show appreciation for someone’s hard work.

We have seen growth inside our company as well. We have a strong Customer Service Department who is ready and available to assist in any need a customer may have. They are a wonderful addition to our company. And, as customer service is our main goal, we want and need to make sure that our customers are happy with our products and that they match to the customer’s needs. Our Customer Service Department sees to that need and fulfills it with flying colors.

Production and Shipping also do a wonderful job with making sure all orders are produced and shipped appropriately and in a timely manner. Again, they assist with making sure that our customer’s needs are precisely met.

We have also seen growth in our Marketing and other departments. Marketing has made our name tag and name badge website fully mobile and is working on our other sites to make sure that you, as our customer, are highly satisfied with our quality and selection. And, as our first goal is to see that our customers are happy and satisfied with our products, we want to make sure that all needs are met when you are seeking personal identification products.

We would like to thank all of our wonderful customers for an outstanding year! You are the reason we are in business and we want to acknowledge that. And with that thank you, we also wish you a wonderful and happy New Year!