The Original

What comes to mind when you think of the letter V? I naturally think of Verity, and I’m pretty confident that most of my coworkers do as well. The big orange V is part of our culture here at Verity. We get pleasure and a sense of pride from seeing it displayed larger than life on our headquarters building at Northgate.

I also think a lot of us here feel a connection to what we call Verity orange -- the specific PMS color we use on our website and marketing materials. I’ve heard coworkers use the term “Verity orange” in every day conversation, to describe the color of a flower or a t-shirt or even a car. I know a few of us around here (I won’t name names, but you know who you are) feel a certain sense of ownership over that color, like we invented or created it. It shocks us to see the color used in places that aren’t related to Verity. Don’t they have to get our permission to use that color? How dare they!

I’ve noticed lately that the color orange has been used a lot more in marketing and advertising. Think of Vonage and WAMU. Yes, WAMU is using orange now! Also, the letter V is becoming more popular. The other night I saw a commercial for Viactiv, a nutritional supplement for women. The commercial draws attention to V-shaped things: a peace sign made with two fingers or a pair of open scissors. I went to the Viactiv website and they have a “V Spirit” club you can join to get email updates and newsletters about nutrition. I have V Spirit already, thank you.

A couple years ago, it seemed like Verity had the market on orange and Vs. It looks like the trend has caught on. Everyone wants to be vivacious, victorious and full of vitality. But there is one thing we will always be that these others won’t – the original orange V!