Brown Clay
Brown Clay is a moderately saturated orange shade with RGB(195, 124, 89) and hex code #C37C59, reading as medium-light at a glance.
HEX
#C37C59
RGB
195, 124, 89
HSL
20°, 47%, 56%
CMYK
0%, 36%, 54%, 24%
LAB
59, 24, 30
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Description
- •Brown Clay (#C37C59) is a warm-toned orange color defined by RGB values of 195, 124, 89 and HSL values of 20 degrees hue, 47% saturation, and 56% lightness. At 56% lightness it appears medium-light, and its moderately saturated character makes it suitable as a strong accent or brand color. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #59A0C3 for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #C3B159 and #C3596B for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a orange shade, Brown Clay tends to carry the general associations of that hue family: creativity, enthusiasm, and approachability. Orange sits between red and yellow on the wheel and is often associated with warmth, enthusiasm, and affordability in branding.
Hue family
orange
Saturation level
moderately saturated
Lightness level
medium-light
Temperature
warm
Because Brown Clay is moderately saturated and medium-light, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the orange family, colors like Brown Clay are commonly associated with creativity, enthusiasm, and approachability, though exact interpretation depends on cultural context and surrounding design elements.
Hue family
orange
Common associations
creativity, enthusiasm, and approachability
Temperature
warm
History
- 1Brown Clay is a named point in a modern digital color palette rather than a documented historical pigment, but the orange family it belongs to has a long design history. Orange sits between red and yellow on the wheel and is often associated with warmth, enthusiasm, and affordability in branding.
Color info
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Visual perception
- At HSL(20, 47%, 56%), Brown Clay has a relative luminance of about 0.27 on a 0-1 scale, which generally poses low risk for common color vision deficiencies, though pairing with sufficient lightness contrast is still recommended.
Technology specific
- Brown Clay (#C37C59) renders consistently on standard sRGB displays; on wider-gamut or uncalibrated screens, expect minor shifts in perceived saturation. For print reproduction, convert from RGB to CMYK and proof physically, since muted colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Brown Clay with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 6.3:1). It is versatile enough to use for larger surfaces such as backgrounds or cards.
Examples
web design
call-to-action buttons
branding
logo accent color
UI design
card and panel backgrounds
spot color for emphasis
Purpose
Brown Clay works well for accent elements, buttons, and calls-to-action that need to stand out, given its moderately saturated and medium-light profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with black text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 6.3:1
palette flexibility
combines with #59A0C3 (complementary) and #59C37C/#7C59C3 (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as calm and neutral across most screens