Brown on screens
Brown is not on the color wheel the way red or blue is. It is a dark, low-brightness orange or yellow. The CSS keyword brown is #A52A2A, which looks surprisingly red; saddlebrown and sienna look more like what people picture.
Families of brown
- Tan, camel and caramel: light warm browns.
- Chestnut and walnut: medium browns with red or yellow undertones.
- Chocolate and espresso: deep browns close to black.
Styling brown
Brown is a warm neutral. It pairs with cream, sage, teal, mustard and burnt orange, and works as a softer alternative to black for text and outlines.
On screen
Light browns need dark text; dark browns take white or cream. For more warm neutrals, see beige, burnt orange and terracotta.