Cosmic Orange it is!
New York, Oct 4 (EFE).- By Sarah Yáñez-Richards
Apple and Taylor Swift, two global marketing powerhouses, have both chosen orange this fall to define the visual identity of their new releases: the iPhone 17 Pro in “cosmic orange” and an orange vinyl edition of “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift’s 12th album.
José Mendoza, director and professor in business programs at New York University, described the coincidence as a “welcome” one, particularly for Apple.
“That a star like Taylor Swift chooses a color palette similar to one of the options for her phone is like a happy coincidence. It wouldn’t have been the same if it were Samsung launching a device in the same color at the same time, because it would have diluted the impact of the iPhone launch,” Mendoza told EFE.
Mendoza does not believe either brand copied the other, noting that both projects involve months of preparation and that Apple and Swift announced their choices weeks apart.
Instead, he said, the decision likely reflects broader trends, pointing to Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz, an orange tone, as well as orange’s prominence on fashion runways earlier this year.
Swift’s fans were not surprised by the orange theme, as each of her albums has been tied to a distinct color, Midnights was dark blue, Reputation black, and Lover pastel pink.
In the run-up to her latest release, orange increasingly appeared in her wardrobe, in costumes for her 150-concert tour, and in the official Eras tour book, which fans interpreted as clues for the coming era.
Orange trending on social media
Following Swift’s announcement, made on the New Heights podcast hosted by her fiancé, NFL star Travis Kelce, and his brother, former player Jason Kelce, orange exploded on Pinterest searches.
The platform told EFE that compared with September 2024, searches for “Taylor Swift orange aesthetic” surged 988 percent, “autumnal orange nail colors” 9,555 percent, and “orange suit design” 3,176 percent.
By contrast, Pinterest reported “no significant increase” in searches for “cosmic orange,” the shade Apple selected for the iPhone 17 Pro.
Mendoza said while both Apple and Swift chose orange, the symbolism differs.
For Swift, it signals a new creative chapter. For Apple, it is a marketing tactic: releasing a one-off iPhone color to create scarcity and fuel desire.
“A user might think: ‘Oh, it’s my favorite color. I need this model,’ knowing it won’t come back again. That exclusivity makes the product more valuable simply because of its limited-edition color,” Mendoza said. EFE syr-sk
