Thunder's colors are working already

Style probably isn't a word that's tossed around too much when discussing NBA uniforms.

Strip away all the details and most uniforms would look the same. Knee-length shorts. Sleeveless jerseys, tucked in of course. Loose but not sloppy. Roomy enough for players to run, jump, dive and dunk.

So, what sets one NBA uniform apart from another?

The colors. For the Thunder's new uniforms, it's white for home and sky blue for the road.

White is a high visibility color, said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. White will make the players and uniforms stand out on the court against their opponents.

"White is an attention-getter,” she said.

The road color, sky blue or Thunder blue as it will be called, is the most universally understood, Eiseman said.

"Most people associate it with dependability, loyalty, the trueness of a sky that never falls. ... People just associate blue with an optimist viewpoint.”

There's a positive feeling attached to it, she said. "More people have positive feelings to blue than any other color.”

Accent colors red-orange and yellow offer a good balance to the coolness of blue and the starkness of white. Energy is associated with red-orange, and yellow conjures images of sunlight and evokes cheer and friendliness. Those colors are very approachable, Eiseman said.

The Thunder's Nick Collison, who modeled the white home uniform for the media, said at first he wasn't sure he would like so many colors. But he does, he said.

Looks like the power of blue and attention-getting white are already working.

Linda Miller is the Fashion Editor for The Oklahoman