Brown

MaximumRed

#D92121
HEX
#D92121
RGB
rgb(217, 33, 33)
HSL
hsl(0, 74%, 49%)

Brown family

About MaximumRed

MaximumRed (#D92121) is a medium, vivid brown. Brown is a warm, earthy neutral created by darkening orange or red, so this shade feels grounded, natural and enduring rather than flashy.

Psychology

Brown evokes stability, reliability and comfort. It is the color of wood, earth and leather, so it reads as honest, rustic and warm, though in some contexts it can feel conservative or plain.

Applications

Brown is a staple of organic, coffee, chocolate, outdoor and craft brands. It works as a grounding neutral in palettes, for premium packaging, and in interior or furniture design where warmth and durability matter.

History

Browns have been made from earth pigments like umber, sienna and ochre since prehistoric times, and those same pigments still appear in artists’ palettes today under their traditional names.

Meaning

Brown represents earth, home, simplicity and reliability. It can signal wholesomeness and craftsmanship, and it often appears in brands that want to feel authentic, natural and down-to-earth.

Why use this color

Choose brown for brands and designs that need warmth, authenticity and a natural, grounded feel. It is perfect for coffee, food, outdoor and handmade products and for grounding brighter palettes.

Accessibility

Against white, #D92121 has a 5.0:1 contrast ratio; against black it is 4.2:1. White text on #D92121 meets WCAG AA for normal text.

Fun facts

  • Artists' browns like umber and sienna are named after the regions in Italy where the earth pigments were mined.
  • Brown is essentially a dark, desaturated orange or red.
  • Coffee, chocolate and wood all owe their rich, familiar tones to brown compounds.

Shades, tints & tones

Variations

Ten lightness steps plus MaximumRed's tints, shades and tones — every swatch copies its hex on click.

Lightness scale

Tints (toward white)

Shades (toward black)

Tones (toward gray)

Color theory

Color harmonies

Proven schemes built around MaximumRed. Each swatch is one click from your clipboard.

Complementary

#d92020#20d9d9

Analogous

#d9207d#d92020#d97d20

Triadic

#d92020#20d920#2020d9

Split-complementary

#d92020#20d97d#207dd9

Tetradic

#d92020#7dd920#20d9d9#7d20d9

Monochromatic

#430a0a#8e1515#de2121#ea7171#f5bcbc

Accessibility

Blindness simulator

See how MaximumRed is perceived with common types of color vision deficiency.

#D92121

Normal vision

Standard trichromatic vision, shown for reference.

#61561d

Protanopia

Red-blind. Reds look darker and can be confused with greens and browns.

#8d7d14

Deuteranopia

Green-blind. Greens look muted and can be confused with reds and browns.

#f00025

Tritanopia

Blue-blind. Blues look greenish and yellows fade toward pink.

#6f6f6f

Achromatopsia

Complete color blindness. Everything is seen in shades of gray.

WCAG

Contrast checker

How MaximumRed performs against black and white text, with WCAG AA and AAA ratings.

AaWhite on MaximumRed
5.01:1
AAAAAAA LargeAAA Large
AaBlack on MaximumRed
4.19:1
AAAAAAA LargeAAA Large

The ratio is identical whether MaximumRed is used as the text or the background.

Open the full checker

Ready to use

Color palettes

Curated palettes that put MaximumRed to work, with copy-all support for each.

Complementary

The base color paired with its opposite on the wheel for maximum contrast, plus two neutrals and a soft tint.

Analogous

Neighboring hues on the color wheel create a calm, cohesive scheme with a light tint and a deep shade.

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel for a bold, balanced palette anchored by two neutrals.

Monochromatic

A single hue stepped from light to dark for a clean, elegant and foolproof palette.

MaximumRed (#D92121) is a brown-family color. Use its values, variations, harmonies and palettes above to put it to work in your next design.

Frequently asked questions

MaximumRed is #D92121 — rgb(217, 33, 33) / hsl(0, 74%, 49%). MaximumRed (#D92121) is a medium, vivid brown. Brown is a warm, earthy neutral created by darkening orange or red, so this shade feels grounded, natural and enduring rather than flashy.

Must-know facts

  • MaximumRed is one of 355 named colors in the library.
  • Its complementary hue sits 180° away on the color wheel: #20d9d9.

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