The United Colors of Aeroflot: The Russian airline Aeroflot is embarking on an image makeover to shed its old Soviet associations in favor of a sprightly new, post-postmodern look, and the make-believe-nonsensical-consultant-spawned language of color is a huge part of the process.

The color scheme of the new Aeroflot was chosen by the British image firm Identica. The new Airbus planes will be mostly silver, with the belly and rear section painted blue, and the two areas separated by an orange stripe:

The three colors were chosen to represent the carrier’s new image and the design of the tail coloring will feature a fluttering Russian tricolor.

“The new colors convey the message that we want to pass on to our passengers,” Tatyana Zotova, Aeroflot’s marketing-department chief, said by telephone Tuesday.

“Blue relates that we are professional and able to provide security for the passenger, while orange shows the passenger we are comfortable and dedicated to customer service. It also sparks images of sunrises, cupolas, golden autumns and poetry,” Zotova said.

It’s official: the orange stripes near the tail section are not intended to spark images of flames.

Says Blandor the Imponderable: “Silver evokes metalness, a desirable quality in an airplane, while blue conjures industrial cleaning fluids and a general sense of ennui. Orange, however, summons visions of a baboon’s ass, which always makes me frisky. Grrr!”