What is the meaning of brown? Is it the impersonal neutral of office carpeting? Is it the rich, supportive warmth of oak flooring? Do we find meaning in the withered leaves that mark the impending winter? Brown is everywhere, begging us to interpret its tones.
Whether you root for the Cleveland Browns or pick out the brown M&Ms, there’s no escaping the rich, warm tones of earthy brown. It’s a grounded color – the hue of trees, soil, and the landscape in winter.
But what do we really know about brown and its effect on us?
Brown is a relaxing color. It’s been linked to an increase in tryptophan (related to sleep and our immune systems) and serotonin (linked to mood.) Brown typically gives us warm, settled feelings, reminding us of connections to earth, home, and family.
Brown is a humble color that functions as a warm neutral, providing an earthy balance for more vibrant tones.
Brown is a symbol for winter, the dormant time after autumn’s splendor and the tender shoots of spring. It’s the color of soil – provider of nutrients for the food we grow. Brown is a humble color, the hue of recycled paper, and brown functions as a warm neutral, providing an earthy balance for more vibrant tones.
We associate brown with fallen leaves and Thanksgiving. It’s the color of a perfectly cooked turkey and dependable, reliable UPS. We connect brown to coffee, to warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and with golden, sun-kissed skin. Brown is hearth and home, and it’s the color of our roots and of history.
Color meaning of brown - dependability, stability, solid, reliable, and approachable.
We tend to associate brown with death, with the end of the year when we’re tired of cold weather and shorter days. Since brown is a neutral, much of its meaning comes in comparison with other colors: It’s the opposite of green’s vitality, and it’s far more rooted and practical than ethereal turquoise or cheerful pink. Brown can be a staid, even boring color, though it’s value as a contrast and balance for strident hues is essential.
The brown recluse spider has incredibly potent venom, but they are very shy and typically escape, rather than biting humans. They live for 2-3 years, and females can produce as many as 250 spiderlings.
Browned butter is made by heating butter until the milk proteins cook and turn brown. It’s sometimes called beurre noisette, which is French for hazelnut butter because of the fragrant, nutty aroma browned butter possesses. Browned butter is a rich, complex component of many delicious dishes.
Brown thrashers are songbirds that are difficult to spot – due to their mottled brown color – but they are beautiful to listen to. They have a more varied song than most bird species.
A signature color is different than a favorite color although for some people they many be one and the same. It is all in how you express yourself with a color and how consistently you wear it or surround yourself with the color that makes it your signature shade.
It’s not just emotion that makes scent powerful. It’s closely tied to your memories, as well. Smell also plays a major role in our ability to taste. When combined with with color those connections become even stronger.
There are five basic groups of taste, which send signals to our brain to interpret flavor. However, we also send signals with our eyes before we take a bite and give our taste buds a chance to process the flavor. The color can pre-determine how we perceive the taste and flavor of what we eat.
We'd enjoy knowing what you love about the color brown or what you most enjoyed about this article. We love hearing from you and read every comment.
Is there something that you know about brown that should be included here? Great! We’d love to hear from you. Share what you know about the color brown by leaving a comment below. We may just add it to the information shared on this page.
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
You should add a lot more for each color, including alternative meanings of the color… For example, purple, it can also be associated with chaos and disorder.
Yep so many things I should. I’ll make note to consider this to become one more of those things. Thx for the comment Alex.
United Parcel Service, the global shipping company that uses brown vans and whose employees wear brown uniforms.
Thanks, Ann. I just added a link to an article I wrote about UPS Brown http://www.sensationalcolor.com/brand-trademark-colors/ups-brown-1239
thanks for helping me out with meanings of colours.
You’re welcome. I’m glad you found my website helpful!
Also dont got which “UPS” did you mean?
UPS – United Parcel Service – is a delivery company in the U.S. http://www.sensationalcolor.com/brand-trademark-colors/ups-brown-1239
I love brown, and love your article too.
My best color is orange but I dont choose it for my clothes, but use dark orange as brown 🙂
I got that it match my personality in many cases.
REALLY enjoy it!!!
Thanks, Mahdi. Orange is not a color everyone wears well so enjoy flaunting your best color.
This is amazing! brown is my best color and these just describe my person. i never knew why i like brown, now i know. thank you.
Great to hear that the description fits.
marvelous
thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing… these informations with us
You’re welcome, Anshu. Thanks for the nice message.
I love your posts about colors. I read them time to time. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoy the articles. Thank you for stopping by and for leaving a comment.