Rivalry Revisited: Evaluating the UF Aesthetic

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Colors

Alright. Honeymoon’s over. Let’s get into this.

Florida’s colors have never sat well with me, but I’d never really analyzed just why. It’s not just the rivalry. After all, I think Miami’s colors are sharp. And, taken on their own, I have no problem with the colors blue and orange—I like plenty of schools’ looks that feature one of those colors.

But Florida’s orange doesn’t work: I’d compare it to the overbearing orange of Clemson and Tennessee—schools that look like they’re aiming for the aesthetic of a construction zone. On the other hand, I think it looks great as employed by teams like Virginia, Illinois, and Oregon State.

The reason? Contrast. Orange is about as bright a call as you can make, color wise. If you’re going to go with a color that vibrant, you better have a dark contrast that sets it off, makes it pop, and also provides some visual relief. Then you’ve got the bright, loud, flamboyant covered, along with the strong, deep, steadiness represented by the darker color (the same way the gold plays off the garnet, and vice versa). That’s why it works when combined with navy at UVA and Illinois. Or the black at Oregon State. Or even the dark green at Miami.

But bright orange on bright blue is just too much. It’s a chef trying to fix an already too-sweet recipe by adding more sugar. The colors are that of a sideshow, a novelty gag, an inflated gorilla in front of a used-car dealership.

They’re not strong colors, suited for football. They’re light and playful, ideal for marketing to children or women’s gymnastics. Or tenting your house to spray for termites.