All About the Color Brown

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BROWN: Our reaction to color is almost instantaneous and has a profound impact on the choices we make everyday.

Below is a quick look at general responses to the color brown based on research, historical significance of color and word association studies. Different cultures react to colors differently.

In addition to what is below on my site Sensational Color I have three sections that expand upon this information:

Meaning, symbolism, and psychology of color or colourColor Meaning, Symbolism & Psychology

Meaning, symbolism, and psychology of color or colourColorful Phrases & Their Meaning

Meaning, symbolism, and psychology of color or colourColor Around the World

Meaning of Brown 

Brown says stability, reliability, and approachability. It is the color of our earth and is associated with all things natural or organic.

Effect of Brown 

How the color brown effects us physically and mentally
  • a feeling of wholesomeness
  • stability
  • a connection with the earth
  • a sense orderliness

Quotes About Brown 

"The only color I don't have is navy brown." --Yogi Berra

"Moralistic is not moral. And as for truth -- well, it's like brown -- it's not in the spectrum. Truth is so generic." --Iris Murdoch

"God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer." --Anne Sexton

"I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colors. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns." --Winston Churchill

More Quotes About Color

The Language of Brown 

brown sugar: partially refined sugar.

brown bagging: to bring a homemade packed lunch to work.

brown out: a partial loss of electrical power.

brownstone: a building made out of dark colored sandstone.

in a brown study: describing someone as being in deep thought.

Brown as a Brand Identity: UPS 

Founded in 1907 (six years before the U.S.Postal Service) UPS has grown from a messenger service to a worldwide delivery service recognized for excellent service and identified by the color brown.

Initially founder James E. Casey's employees delivered the messages on foot, then made some deliveries via motorcycle and later purchased model-T Fords for package delivery. The vehicles were painted different colors so the public would see that they had a fleet rather than just one car.

In 1916 Charlie Soderstrom joined UPS and selected brown for their uniforms and delivery vehicles. He chose a hue of brown that was similar to "the color used on Pullman rail cars because the color reflected class, elegance, and professionalism - and dirt is less visible on brown uniforms and vehicles," according to UPS. By 1929 the color brown that is still used today was adopted across the company.

UPS has recently gone one step further in "owning their color" than most companies by incorporating it into their slogan "What can brown do for you?".

Interesting to me was that while the public had recognized brown as a trademark of UPS it wasn't until 1998 that UPS actually registered official trademarks on the color brown to prevent other delivery service companies from using their signature color.

To read more about the history of UPS visit their corporate website.

More on the use of color for business success

A Taste of Brown 

Art, Science, History and Romance of Chocolate--
Nantucket Chocolatier's Lengends & Lore


Tasting coffee is an art form. To detect the most amount of flavor from the coffee bean, it must be tasted properly. Coffee tasting works much like wine tasting. As in wine tasting, coffee tasting has special terms, used to describe the taste of coffee and to find the perfect balance. -- Passion for Coffee

Dark beer offers some of the same heart-healthy benefits as chocolate and red wine, according too a new study.--Realbeer.com

Whole-wheat bread is made from the entire wheat kernel, including bran and germ.--Delicious Living magazine

The Scent of Brown 

Chocolate was the original scent of the brown colored Magic Scents Crayons from Binney & Smith Inc. introduced in 1994 with mostly food scents. There were numerous reports that children were eating the food-scented crayons, so the food scents were retired and replaced with non-food scents. The scent for the color brown became "dirt"

Nutmeg: A spicy scent, smells just like fresh ground Nutmeg. A great Holiday scent, very yummy. Aromatherapy benefits: Rejuvenating, uplifting, energizing.

Almond: Smells like Almond extract. A nutty almond, scent. Wonderful and light. Aromatherapy benefit. Anchoring, and strengthening.--Scent it.com

Brown in the Garden 

Brown is considered a neutral color in landscape design and is often used a background color. It's appearance helps to showcase other colors in the garden.

Brown can add depth to a small garden. It can also be used to showcase paticular areas of a larger garden.
Chocolate Brown Flowers
The popularity of chocolate brown continues for fashion and home but who would have anticipated the growing popularity of brown as a color for flowers?

Songs with Brown in the Title 

To See the Entire List- Click Here
* "Another Brown World" [i] by Coil on Unnatural History II
* "Big, Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce
* "Big Brown City" by Lynn Miles
* "Black, Brown and White" by Big Bill Broonzy
* "A Boat Like Gideon Brown" by Great Big Sea
* "Bobbie Brown Goes Down" by Frank Zappa on Sheik Yerbouti
* "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" by Queen on Sheer Heart Attack
* "Brown Eyed Girl" by Lagwagon
* "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison on Blowin' Your Mind!
* "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" by Chuck Berry
* "Brown Eyed Pickle Boy" by Tripping Daisy
* "Brown Hat/Tam Lin/The Night" by Einstein's Little Homunculus
* "Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones on Sticky Fingers

What the Color Vehicle You Drive Says About You 

There is no question that the vehicle you drive is an extension of your personality --an unspoken, but clear message to the rest of the world.

The message you send by driving a vehicle that is Brown: Down-to-earth, no nonsense.

If however your vehicle is a Tan or Taupe you give a different impression: Timeless, basic and simple tastes.

From The Color Answer Book by Leatrice Eiseman

Read article Color: A Great Reason to Buy A New Car!

Are You a Fan of the Color Brown? 

Show Your Affinity for the Color Brown

Soft Tone is the fanlisting for the color brown.

"A fanlisting is a place for all fans of a particular show, movie, actor, actress, singer, etc. to come together and build the biggest listing of people from all around the world who are fans of that subject."

Brown Gets Blogged 

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Live in Full Color blog 

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Color Confidence: The Crash Course Introduction

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by Color_Expert

A passionate color aficionado and professional color consultant,  Kate loves to explore all aspects of hues. (more)
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