Why Is Home Depot Orange? + 5 Other Common FAQs (Guide)

Home Depot has become the go-to store for home improvement supplies in the U.S., with hundreds of stores that have a signature orange logo and orange aprons for employees.

But what is the secret behind the orange color of Home Depot? Read on to find out what I’ve discovered about this, along with other interesting facts about the company!

Why Is Home Depot Orange?

Home Depot’s iconic orange color was chosen as it symbolized “energy” and “value” and was used to help customers find Home Depot employees wearing orange aprons. Additionally, the Home Depot orange, called “new wave orange”, was incredibly popular in the 1970s when Home Depot opened its first store.

If you want to learn more about why Home Depot employees wear aprons as uniforms, what were the first Home Depot stores like, and much more, keep on reading!

Why Do Home Depot Employees Wear Aprons?

Aprons have been a staple of the Home Depot experience since its very first store.

The co-founder, Bernie Marcus, believed that bright orange aprons would stand out like a beacon to customers, and so these were made the uniform for store employees.

Although the original aprons looked slightly different from modern-day Home Depot aprons, the orange look and style have lived on throughout the company’s history.

What Is The Home Depot Font?

If you’ve ever been to a Home Depot store, you must have noticed the unique font of Home Depot.

This unique brushed typeface is named HOMER in honor of its mascot, Homer D. Poe, and is exclusive to Home Depot stores.

While it may not look as functional as the traditional Times New Roman, it certainly adds flair and character to the store.

It was designed to mimic the smudgy edges you can get after painting to add to the home improvement atmosphere of the store.

Can Home Depot Workers Customize Their Aprons?

Can Home Depot Workers Customize Their Aprons?

Ever since the aprons evolved from Bernie Marcus’ first idea, Ron Brill (Home Depot’s first treasurer and finance chief) helped refine the design.

He removed the white name tags, and encouraged workers to write their own names on their own aprons.

Ron then developed this further by creating a tradition of employees adding some of their personality to their aprons with pins and badges.

It was a way for employees to share their accomplishments in customer service, and since then, the designs have consistently improved.

Even distinguished guests to Home Depot such as Barack Obama and George Bush are gifted with their very own decorated apron.

What Were The First Home Depot Stores Like?

Home Depot was born when Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were fired from their managerial jobs at the Handy Dan hardware chain and decided to create their own discount hardware store.

The first few stores to open in Georgia were around 60,000 square feet, and there wasn’t nearly enough stock to fill them up.

However, a brilliant idea came about from employees: they would simply stack and pile empty boxes and paint cans on top of the upper shelves where no customer could reach.

This would give Home Depot the feel of being a busy and successful store that was fully stocked with items.

Marcus and Blank even sped around the stores on forklifts after hours and created many skid marks from slamming on the brakes.

This was to give it that perfect warehouse atmosphere for customers and really bring home that hardware warehouse feels.

Is There A Private Home Depot?

Over in Pinewood Studios in Fayetteville, GA, there’s the country’s one and only private Home Depot.

The store is only open to cast and crew members for film studios, and the store primarily stocks lumber, screws, and other standard supplies for sets.

Once Home Depot realized that studios would spend up to 30% on construction supplies alone (which would be a big boost for profits), it created a standalone private store there.

If you are interested to know more about Home Depot, you can see our related posts on Home Depot dress code, where is the biggest Home Depot store, and Home Depot Homer Awards & Badges.

Conclusion: Why Is Home Depot Orange?

Home Depot has a colorful history, from trademarking the orange color of its discarded circus tents to creating a store specifically for film sets, and it’s still the most popular hardware store in America.

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