Bourn Creative

Transforming Businesses into Extraordinary Brands

  • Services
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Praise
  • Start Your Project
Meaning of the Color Brown
standard icon

Color Meaning: Meaning of The Color Brown

November 25, 2010 Jennifer Bourn

This post is part of the Color Meaning Blog Series, detailing the meanings associated with colors such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, grey, black, white, brown, pink, turquoise, gold, silver, and beige.

Brown, the color of earth, wood, stone, wholesomeness, reliability, elegance, security, healing, home, grounding, foundations, stability, warmth, and honesty, is a natural, neutral color that is typically associated with the seasons of fall and winter.

The color brown is a warm color that stimulates the appetite. While it is sometimes considered dull, it also represents steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health.

Shades of brown when combined with green create a palette often used to convey concepts of recycling, earth-friendly, or all natural. Dark brown can be used in place of black and brings warmth to color palettes.

The brown color says stability, reliability, dependability, and approachability. It is the color of our soil, growth, fertility, and earth, and it is associated the concepts of “all natural” and “organic.” Brown is the color of the Earth and is comforting and nurturing.

The color brown affects the mind and body by creating feelings of wholesomeness, stability, and peace. Brown provides feelings of organization, history, and connection, as well as cozy feelings of relaxation and warmth.

Brown is believed to help create a wholesome feeling, a connection with the earth, and a sense of orderliness and convention. Brown is a stable and grounded color that is believed to help you feel like you fit in and belong.

Other meanings associated with the color brown:

  • The term “brown bottle” refers to a bottle of beer.
  • To “brown” something is to cook or burn it.
  • The saying “brown-nose” refers to someone who sucks up, or kisses butt to someone of authority.
  • The phrase “brown study” is used to describe someone who is aloof, indifferent.
  • The expression “brown out” refers to a partial loss of service.

Additional words that represent different shades, tints, and values of the color brown: sienna, bay, sand, wood, dapple, auburn, chestnut, nut-brown, cinnamon, russet, tawny, chocolate, tan, brunette, fawn, liver-colored, mahogany, oak, bronze, terra-cotta, toast, umber, cocoa, coffee, copper, ecru, ginger, hazel, khaki, ochre, puce, snuff-colored.

Related Posts

  • The Meaning Of The Color Red
  • The Meaning Of The Color Orange
  • The Meaning Of The Color Yellow
  • The Meaning Of The Color Green
  • The Meaning Of The Color Blue
  • The Meaning Of The Color Purple
  • The Meaning Of The Color Grey
  • The Meaning Of The Color Black
  • The Meaning Of The Color White
  • The Meaning Of The Color Brown
  • The Meaning Of The Color Pink
  • The Meaning Of The Color Turquoise
  • The Meaning Of The Color Gold
  • The Meaning Of The Color Silver
  • The Meaning Of The Color Beige
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

Category: Graphic Design Tips Tags: Color Meaning

Subscribe To Our Blog & Never Miss A Thing

Sign up to get new our latest posts and announcements delivered straight to your inbox. Seriously, at this point, what’s one more email?

About Jennifer Bourn

Creative Director · Digital Strategist · WordPress Evangelist

As founder of Bourn Creative, Jennifer is an award-winning designer who has been working in the branding and design trenches since 1997. Today she consults on brand development, website strategy, and content strategy, works closely with clients on graphic design and web design projects with WordPress as her platform of choice.

When not immersed in client projects, Jennifer manages the Bourn Creative brand and our internal systems and processes. She speaks often on podcasts, summits, and at live events, and writes not only for our blog, but for several other websites, sharing her expertise on freelancing, client services, agency growth, blogging, marketing, and branding. Jennifer also co-organizes the Sacramento WordPress Meetup and is lead organizer for WordCamp Sacramento.

Discover What We Can Do For You

Have a project you think we'll like? Click the button below and tell us about it.

We love working with enthusiastic clients who are as passionate about their business as we are about strategy, design, and development. If that sounds like you, we should talk.

Start Your Project

Bourn Creative

  • Follow Us On Twitter
  • Like Us On Facebook

Copyright © 2023 Bourn Creative, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy | Disclaimer