Brown Color Psychology and Meaning

Brown is a mix of red and green color, with a low saturation. It sits between red and yellow on the color wheel. Colors that are similar to brown are orange, yellow and green. The hex code for brown is #964B00.

The history of color brown

The first recorded use of brown as the specific description for a color was in 1000. The term was added to languages after red, green, yellow, black, and white. It has been an important part of artworks since prehistoric times. Monks of the Franciscan order used it as a symbol of their humility and poverty in the Middle Ages. The greatest use of color brown in artworks happened during the 18th century. Later on, color brown started representing simplicity, naturalness and wellness.

The psychology of color brown

Color brown is usually associated with resilience, probably due to its earthy tones. It is viewed as a color that provides safety and security. It improves our lives by reminding us about the things that are most important-our connections to earth, home, family. Therefore, it inspires us to appreciate the small things in life.

Brown is not about luxury and extravagant things, but values basic necessities in life. Brown is also described as a natural color, which inspires warmth and comfort. Dark shades of brown represent wood elements, while light browns stand for earth.

Brown is not considered a color that stands out. It is mostly one of the shades that are looking to blend in with the crowd. However, even when it is out of the spotlight, brown doesn’t lose it’s strength. Moreover, it always keeps both feet on the ground.

The brown personality type

People with the brown personality type are down-to-earth and confident. To some people, they may seem arrogant, but that’s not who they truly are. They simply have high self-esteem and they never let anyone push them around. They have too much respect for themselves. They believe they should treat others the same way, at least until proven otherwise.

When someone hurts browns, they don’t hesitate to stand up for themselves. Brown personality types belong to a group of reliable and responsible people. They are usually never late, they never miss appointments, and they expect the same from others. They like structure and predictability, so adventurous lifestyle doesn’t really suit them.

At the same time, they are quite friendly, open, approachable. Browns enjoy physical comfort and simplicity. As friends, they are loyal and trustworthy. They make it easy for people around them to open up, and seek encouragement and support. Even if sometimes they seem rigid, especially in a working environment, browns have a way of showing their warm and kind side.

Negative characteristics of color brown

Color brown is considered dull by many, even though it is one of the most dominant color on the planet. Brown cannot produce any surprising effects. It lacks spirit, liveliness and energy. Sometimes it is associated with passiveness. That is why color brown can evoke feelings of sadness, numbness, emptiness.

Brown can be isolated and match badly with other colors. It prefers functioning on their own because it doesn’t like surprises. It also likes to have control over things, it doesn’t provide spontaneity, because of which, it is sometimes hard to like color brown.

Color brown in business

Brown is not liked by many people, but it is one of the colors that guarantees loyalty, trust, maturity, strength. Not many colors can guarantee the same. Having brown represent your business means that you are confident, reliable, responsible, sincere, and that there is no room for false promises in your business. Brown reassures people that their past disappointments would not be repeated again. In the end, what color is the chocolate, coffee, and dark beer?

Color brown in branding and marketing

Being associated with reliability, trust, loyalty, brown represents brands such as Hershey’s, UPS, J.P. Morgan. Brown is common in nature and it has meanings such as natural, wholesome, protective, which is why it would be a good color for products or services that are related to food, natural products, environment etc. It is supposed to provide comfort and trust. It is a better choice for brands that are already popular, because brown color doesn’t guarantee sales. Even though, positive connotations of color brown, such as resilience, reliability, loyalty, can improve consumer-seller relationships.

Color brown in interior design

Brown is considered a rich and classic decorating color. It is one of  the best colors for creating a cozy and warm vibe. Brown is linked with maturity and strength, which is why men use it in interior design more often than women. In a combination with other colors, it can provide a sophisticated, elegant look, but also create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere. Colors that can help brown accomplish neutral look are grey, silver, beige. For a strong neutral background, brown should be paired with some bright shades, such as orange, red, yellow.

Information about Brown / #964B00

In a RGB color space (made from three colored lights for red, green, and blue), hex #964B00 is made of 58.8% red, 29.4% green and 0% blue. In a CMYK color space (also known as process color, or four color, and used in color printing), hex #964B00 is made of 0% cyan, 50% magenta, 100% yellow and 41% black. Brown has a hue angle of 30 degrees, a saturation of 100% and a lightness of 29.4%.

Color conversion

The hexadecimal color #964B00 has RGB values of R: 58.8, G: 29.4, B: 0 and CMYK values of C: 0, M: 0.5, Y: 1, K:0.41.