≈ Olive Bark
#5F5542 is closest to Olive Bark in our library. Olive Bark (#5F5542) is a medium, neutral brown with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 39° and a lightness of 45%. As a neutral it supports other colors rather than competing with them.
About this color
What Olive Bark looks like, feels like and where it works.
Description
Olive Bark (#5F5542) is a medium, neutral brown with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 39° and a lightness of 45%. As a neutral it supports other colors rather than competing with them.
Psychology
Brown is earthy, dependable and warm. It feels natural and unpretentious, and pairs easily with cream, green and terracotta. As a mid-toned shade, Olive Bark sits comfortably in the middle: present but not heavy.
Meaning
Brown stands for soil, wood, coffee and leather: comfort, craft and reliability.
Why use this color
Olive Bark is a flexible base. 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 Olive Bark has a contrast ratio of 7.33:1 (AAA); black text has 2.86:1 (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 Olive Bark
Tailwind-style scale
Color harmonies of Olive Bark
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.