Symbolic Color Brown

Brown gets a lot of use in this era of organic and natural food, beauty, and products. Nature-inspired it represents a feeling of wholesomeness, orderliness, and being grounded. It is simple, strong, durable, and honest and may express that your brand has better things to care about than superfluous color when really, there are so many beautiful shades of brown to elevate any product. 

The color brown is usually perceived as neutral and natural. Because of this, brown is thought to evoke feelings of warmth, security, and earthiness. Brown does a fantastic job of conveying emotions related to the natural world, as well as connoting organic, wholesome feelings in general. 

 
Brown Color Symbolism in Different Cultures
 
What Does the Color Brown Mean in the Bible?

Throughout the Bible, many colors reflect meanings or spiritual truths in non-verbal communication.

According to many religious people, the biblical color meaning of brown is compassion and acceptance (Genesis 30: 24-42), humanity (Genesis 3:19), and salvation (Noah’s Ark and the Cross).

 
Psychological Meaning of Brown

A lot of the meaning of the color brown depends on the shade. Rich browns can have surprising levels of depth and evoke deep emotions. Light or diffuse browns can be more likely to have negative connotations.

Strength and Reliability

Brown is associated with stability and groundedness. It’s solid, like the Earth. It’s reliable, stalwart, and steadfast when you need it most. 

It’s known for imparting a sense of resilience, dependability, security, and safety. Think of a robust and tall oak tree. 

It can be depended on to provide shelter in a rainstorm, leaned against for support, and offer a shady spot to shelter from a sunny day.

Warmth, Comfort, and Security

Brown is natural, down-to-earth, and conventional. Picture the light brown, almost beige of unbleached cotton, the rich color of untreated or distressed wood, or the rustic nature of log cabins. All these items evoke an organic sense of natural warmth and comfort.

However, brown can also take on a sophisticated feel, like a rich wood desk in an executive’s office. It often depends on the setting. But even in a sleek, refined environment, brown tends to evoke still a sense of timelessness, unchangingness, and stability.

Domesticity

Brown is often seen as having a close connection to the earth, home, and family. Think of the firewood in a burning hearth. 

Rich browns can produce warm, settled feelings of being soothed and comforted by a warm hearth. Rugged Resourcefulness

Again, think of the example of a log cabin – a family taking to the wilderness to build a better life for themselves. The color brown perfectly encapsulates this rugged resourcefulness.

Loneliness, Sadness, Isolation, and Barrenness

Brown is full of positive connotations. But if used in the wrong tone or context, it can also feel very negative. 

Brown can often feel vast, stark, and empty – especially if it’s a diffuse or muted shade of brown or if it’s used across a vast expanse.

When using brown, keep in mind that although it symbolizes strength, it isn’t an energizing color, meaning it wouldn’t be the best color for sports uniforms, for example.

Boring, Dull, Drab, or Predictable

Because brown is a natural color, it’s not usually seen as flashy as other colors. It doesn’t often see time in the limelight as a trendy color. 

Think of a hastily thrown-together sack lunch in a rumpled brown paper bag. 

Brown can sometimes seem plain, undecorated, and even a little boring. Sometimes its dependability can go too far, and it can veer into dull territory.