≈ Close but No Cigar
#311D01 is closest to Close but No Cigar in our library. Close but No Cigar (#311D01) is a very dark, muted brown with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 35° and a lightness of 25%. Its muted saturation keeps it calm and sophisticated, easy to live with in large areas.
About this color
What Close but No Cigar looks like, feels like and where it works.
Description
Close but No Cigar (#311D01) is a very dark, muted brown with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 35° and a lightness of 25%. Its muted saturation keeps it calm and sophisticated, easy to live with in large areas.
Psychology
Brown is earthy, dependable and warm. It feels natural and unpretentious, and pairs easily with cream, green and terracotta. As a dark shade, Close but No Cigar feels weighty and serious.
Meaning
Brown stands for soil, wood, coffee and leather: comfort, craft and reliability.
Why use this color
Close but No Cigar is an easy supporting color. It carries white text well, so it works as a button, header or badge background. Pair it with its tints and shades for a complete scale.
Applications
- Coffee, food and craft goods
- Interiors and furniture
- Outdoor and heritage brands
- Warm neutrals for text and borders
History
Earth pigments such as umber and sienna, named after Umbria and Siena, are among the oldest in use. Brown is also one of the oldest color words in English.
Accessibility
White text on Close but No Cigar has a contrast ratio of 16.07:1 (AAA); black text has 1.30:1 (fails). WCAG AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and interface parts. Red and green are the pair most often confused in color blindness, so never use this color alone to mean success or error: add an icon or label.
Variations of Close but No Cigar
Tailwind-style scale
Color harmonies of Close but No Cigar
Want to explore these on a wheel? Open the color wheel.
Color blindness simulator
These are approximations to help you check that meaning never depends on color alone. Real vision varies from person to person.