What Colors Make Brown? Learn How to Use Brown for Impactful Designs

Understanding what colors make brown is crucial for web designers, developers, and digital marketers who rely on color theory to create engaging and harmonious designs. While brown may not appear on the traditional color wheel, it plays an essential role in design, from grounding color schemes to adding depth and warmth. 

Brown is everywhere—in nature, design, and digital interfaces—but how is it made? In this article, we’ll dive into how to make brown, explain the color theory behind it, and explore how to use brown effectively in your design projects.

Basic Color Theory

To grasp what colors make brown, it’s important to understand basic color theory. The color wheel is divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.

• Primary Colors: Red, blue, and yellow are the foundational colors from which all others are created.
• Secondary Colors: These result from mixing two primary colors—green (blue + yellow), orange (red + yellow), and purple (red + blue).
• Tertiary Colors: These are blends of primary and secondary colors, such as red-orange and blue-green.

By mixing these colors in different proportions, we can create new hues, including brown.

Have a look at our complete guide on primary, secondary, and tertiary colors to learn more about basic color theory. 

What Colors Make Brown?

In this chapter, we will explore how to make brown by mixing physical colors, like paint or pigment. This approach is often used in traditional art and design mediums where the colors are physically blended.

What Primary Colors Make Brown?

Red, blue, and yellow are the primary colors that make brown. By combining these three colors in the right proportions, you can create a balanced brown. Varying the ratios will give you different shades:

• Balanced brown: Equal parts of red, blue, and yellow create a neutral brown.
• Warmer brown: Add more red or yellow to get a warmer, more earthy brown.
• Cooler brown: Add more blue for a cooler, more muted brown tone.

This method applies to traditional mediums like paints or physical mixing.

What Two Colors Make Brown?

Here are some common two-color combinations for making brown color:

• Blue + Orange: Mixing blue (primary) with orange (secondary) results in a deep, balanced brown.
• Red + Green: Blending red (primary) and green (secondary) gives you a neutral brown.
• Purple + Yellow: Yellow (primary) and purple (secondary) combine to create brown with varying warmth, depending on proportions.

If you’re working with just two colors and wondering what two colors make brown, the answer lies in mixing complementary colors. Complementary colors are those that sit opposite each other on the color wheel, and when combined, they neutralize each other, creating brown. These two-color combinations are perfect when you’re limited to fewer colors but still need to make brown.

Looking for a similar guide on blue? Here is our detailed explanation of what colors make blue. 

How to Make Brown with Secondary Colors

Brown can also be made by blending two secondary colors, providing more flexibility in achieving different tones. Here’s how to make brown using secondary colors:

• Orange + Purple: Mixing these two secondary colors creates a deep, muted brown.
• Green + Orange: Combining green and orange results in a warm, earthy brown, perfect for natural and organic designs.

Clarification: Physical vs. Digital Methods

The color mixing methods explained here are based on physical color mixing, which means combining actual pigments or paints in traditional media like art or print design. In the next chapter, we’ll explore how digital color models like RGB, CMYK, and HSB work, and how they differ from physical color blending. This distinction is important because colors to make brown can vary depending on whether you’re mixing physical pigments or working in a digital space.

What Colors Make Brown in Digital Color Models

Now that we’ve discussed how to make brown using physical mediums, let’s shift our focus to digital color models, which are used in web design, digital marketing, and any design that takes place on a screen. Digital color models differ significantly from physical color mixing because they are based on light (in screens) rather than pigments (in paints).

Why Digital Color Models Matter

When designing for websites or digital platforms, you don’t mix physical pigments. Instead, colors are generated using different models that dictate how colors are displayed on screens or printed on paper. The most common models are RGB, CMYK, and HSB, each suited for different purposes in web and graphic design. Understanding how these models work will allow you to accurately create and manipulate brown on digital platforms.

RGB Color Model

The RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model is used for screens, including monitors, TVs, and mobile devices. In this model, colors are created by combining light. When thinking about what colors make brown in RGB, the result is achieved by blending red, green, and blue in different proportions.

For example:

• Chocolate brown: (RGB: 123, 63, 0)
• Dark brown: (RGB: 92, 64, 51)

The key difference here is that in RGB, colors are created through light, and the more light you add, the brighter the color becomes. This is the opposite of physical pigments, where adding more color can often darken the result.

Here is an RGB color codes chart to test more proportion variations. 

CMYK Color Model

The CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color model is primarily used in printing. If you need to print a design with brown tones, you’ll need to understand how to make brown using CMYK.

In CMYK, colors are produced by layering ink, and brown is created by combining cyan, magenta, and yellow, with black often used to darken the shade. Higher levels of yellow and magenta are usually used to produce brown, while cyan helps balance the tone.

HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness) Model

The HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness) model is another way to manipulate colors digitally, often used in web design tools like Photoshop or Illustrator. This model allows you to adjust the hue (color), saturation (intensity), and brightness (lightness) to create various shades of brown.

For example:

• To make a lighter brown: Increase the brightness and reduce saturation.
• To make a deeper brown: Lower the brightness and slightly reduce saturation.

Understanding these models helps you adapt what colors make brown to the digital environment, ensuring that your designs look great on screens and in print.

Colors of Brown in Web Design

Brown often conveys warmth, reliability, and naturalness, making it a popular web design choice for brands that want to evoke a sense of trust and groundedness. The color’s associations with the earth and organic materials make it a powerful tool for eco-friendly brands, food-related industries, or any design aimed at sustainability.

However, cultural considerations must also be taken into account. While brown symbolizes reliability and comfort in many Western cultures, it may have different meanings globally. So it’s important to be mindful of the audience when incorporating brown into your web design.

Want to hear expert insights into web design? Check out our white paper with 10 tips for the best website design. 

Brown in UI Elements

Brown can be used effectively in various UI elements, including buttons, call-to-action (CTA) elements, navigation menus, and icons. When deciding what colors you use to make brown in these elements, the combination of brown with complementary or analogous colors (like cream, beige, or muted oranges) can create a visually cohesive design.

• Buttons and Call-to-Action Elements: While brighter colors like red or green are more commonly associated with CTAs, brown can still be an excellent choice when paired with lighter text or contrasting highlights. A warm brown button can create a sense of earthiness, signaling authenticity.
• Navigation Menus and Icons: In navigation, brown tones work well to create a subtle, yet distinct presence. Darker browns can give a professional, sleek look without being too stark, while lighter shades add a touch of approachability.
• Backgrounds and Textures: Brown is often used as a background color in web design, particularly for textured elements like wood grains or leather effects. This usage helps create a tactile feel in a digital space, grounding the user experience. If you’re wondering how to make brown backgrounds visually appealing, consider balancing darker shades with lighter elements like text or icons to maintain readability.

3 Case Studies: Successful Use of Brown in Web Design

Let’s now turn to real-world examples and look at the brands from various industries that have successfully utilized brown in web design to enhance their identity and evoke sensory experiences.

Timberland

Industry: Outdoor Apparel and Footwear

Use of Brown: Timberland’s website design features a prominent use of brown, reflecting the brand’s heritage of rugged, durable footwear and outdoor gear. Brown is applied in headers, backgrounds, and product presentations, creating a warm, earthy feel that echoes the natural environments where its products are used. The website balances these browns with white and neutral tones to maintain a clean, readable interface. This design choice reinforces Timberland’s outdoorsy, durable, and grounded brand values.

Key Takeaway: Timberland uses brown to evoke the ruggedness and durability associated with outdoor activities, directly linking color to its product’s purpose.

Hershey’s

Industry: Chocolate and Confectionery

Use of Brown: As a brand synonymous with chocolate, Hershey’s uses various shades of brown throughout its website to create a direct association with its iconic product. The website incorporates deep chocolate browns in its backgrounds, product showcases, and logo, balanced with lighter colors for text and highlights. This use of brown helps reinforce the sensory experience of chocolate, making the design feel rich and indulgent. The brown tones are not overwhelming but strategically placed to evoke both the product and the feeling of indulgence and tradition.

Key Takeaway: Hershey’s demonstrates how brown can be used to evoke the sensory qualities of the product, creating an immersive brand experience.

Jack Daniel’s

Industry: Alcoholic Beverages (Whiskey)

Use of Brown: Jack Daniel’s utilizes dark brown tones across its website to convey the richness and aged quality of its whiskey. The deep browns, paired with black and white elements, give the site a vintage, sophisticated feel, mirroring the craftsmanship of their products. This color palette is used consistently in the brand’s imagery, packaging, and digital design, reinforcing the brand’s storied history and premium product positioning.

Key Takeaway: Jack Daniel’s uses brown to evoke sophistication and heritage, creating a premium brand experience aligned with its aged whiskey products.

Schemes of Colors That Go with Brown: 4 Tips

Lastly, let’s dive into some practical tips on what colors go well with brown and how you can use them to make your website more visually appealing. Brown can be a surprisingly versatile color, but to really make it work for your design, you need to pair it with the right shades and apply it strategically.

1. Monochromatic Brown Color Palettes

If you’re aiming for a clean, sophisticated look, a monochromatic brown color palette is a great choice. By using different shades of brown—from light to dark—you can create depth and visual interest while keeping the design cohesive.

• Base Color: Pick a medium brown as your primary tone (like #8B4513 – Saddle Brown).
• Add Contrast: Use lighter shades for backgrounds and darker ones for text or accents to keep everything readable.

Example:

• Background: Light tan (#F4E1D2)
• Content Area: Medium brown (#C4A484)
• Headers and buttons: Dark brown (#5C4033)
• Text: Very dark brown or off-white for contrast.

2. Pair Brown with Complementary Colors

One of the best ways to make brown pop is by pairing it with its complementary color—blue! This combo can create a striking, balanced look that’s visually interesting yet grounded.

• Primary Brown: Go with a warm brown (e.g., #A0522D – Sienna).
• Complementary Blue: Add a cool blue (like #4682B4 – Steel Blue) for contrast.

Tip: Use the 60-30-10 rule to balance the colors—60% brown, 30% blue, and 10% accent color like cream or gold for that final touch.

Example:

• Background: Light brown (#E6D1B8)
• Navigation and footer: Dark brown (#5C4033)
• Accents and call-to-action buttons: Steel blue (#4682B4)
• Highlights: Cream (#FFFDD0)

3. Go Natural with Earth Tone Palettes

If you want a more organic, calming vibe, an earth-tone palette with brown at its base is perfect. Pair brown with muted greens, beiges, and rust tones for a natural, grounded feel.

• Base Brown: Start with a medium or dark brown (like #8B4513 – Saddle Brown).
• Add Earth Tones: Greens, beiges, and terracotta shades work wonders in creating a cohesive, earthy look.

Example:

• Background: Beige (#F5DEB3)
• Main Content: Light brown (#D2B48C)
• Accents: Muted green (#556B2F) and terracotta (#E2725B)

4. Brown in Neutral Color Schemes

If you want to keep things sleek and modern, brown can be a great addition to a neutral color scheme. Pair it with shades of gray and cream to add warmth to a cool palette.

• Primary Brown: Use a medium brown (like #A0522D – Sienna) as an accent.
• Neutral Base: Combine with light and dark grays, whites, and creams to keep things minimal yet warm.

Example:

• Background: Light gray (#F5F5F5) or cream (#FFFAF0)
• Headers and accents: Medium brown (#A0522D)
• Text: Dark gray (#333333)

Using these four practical approaches, you can effortlessly incorporate brown into your web design to create warm, visually appealing, and user-friendly sites. So, don’t hesitate to experiment with brown and see how it can elevate your design. 

Conclusion

Brown may not always be the first color that comes to mind in web design, but it plays an invaluable role in creating warmth, reliability, and groundedness. From understanding what colors make brown to mastering its use in color schemes, this blog has explored how brown can add depth and sophistication to your website design. Whether you’re using brown in monochromatic palettes, pairing it with complementary hues like blue, or integrating it into neutral and earth-tone schemes, its versatility makes it a powerful tool for creating engaging, user-friendly digital experiences.

Designers need to be mindful of cultural perceptions, readability and contrast when incorporating brown, but with the right approach, it can elevate your brand and enhance your site’s usability. From the ruggedness of Timberland to the indulgence of Hershey’s, real-world examples show just how effective brown can be when used strategically.

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