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Redeem nowInspiration in the color rust.
Learn the history and meaning of the color rust, a tone of ruddy brown given a new meaning in interiors, fashion, and design.
Get inspired with rust design templates.
The color rust carries meaning that can be applied creatively to projects of all kinds. Play with rust color to add warmth and connection.
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How to use the color rust.
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Rust color as an accent or base.
Rust color can be used as a primary color or as an accent — it just depends on the degree of intensity the palette has. Rust color can be used to add a sense of grounding and relatability. The more the color rust is used, the darker and earthier a project will feel. Used as an accent, the color rust serves as a reminder of where we come from.
Tap into the psychology of the color rust.
Rust color represents the passage of time. When paired with its name, the color rust evokes a sense of disuse. The color rust alone, though, can represent age and wisdom. Its brown base is grounding. Its red hue is relatable and warm. Rust color can symbolize a connection with nature and with what it means to be human.
Rust color compared with similar hues.
The color rust is compared and sometimes confused with ochre, sienna, bronze, and copper. Both ochre and sienna are clay-based pigments from antiquity, and rust color falls somewhere in between the two. Ochre is lighter, and sienna is a deeper brown-red. Comparing the color rust to bronze and copper, the three hues have similar ingredients but bronze and copper are yellower. They each have a brilliant metallic version, too.
Combine rust with other colors.
Rust color is inviting when paired with other warm, brown-based naturals like chocolate or terracotta. Combined with white, rust takes on a clean and modern look. Next to blue, the color rust evokes a feeling of vintage and class.
Information about rust color.
The rust HEX code picker is #B7410E. This is the reddish brown hue named after oxidized iron.
The color rust can be achieved in a RGB space with 183 red, 65 green, and 14 blue. Rust color can be achieved in a CMYK color space with 0% cyan, 65% magenta, 92% yellow, and 28% black.
The history of rust color.
Rust color was more noticeable after the age of machinery.
Rust has existed as long as metallurgy has, but it’s been since the Industrial Revolution that rust became more noticeable in our day-to-day. It was seen how machines left in an abandoned factory can rust so badly that they practically take on new forms. Even more conspicuous, broken-down cars left in driveways rust so badly that the neighbors complain. The culture that developed around rust is negative, but the color rust has taken on its own meaning over time.
The color rust entered English in 1692.
Rust was first recorded as a color name in 1692. The origin of the word “rust” for oxidized iron came from the Proto-Germanic word rusta, meaning “redness,” so the use of “rust” as a color was especially fitting. The word rusta also spawned the word “ruddy,” which refers to a more ambiguous reddening of an object.
Rust color is trending in the 21st century.
Recent interior design and fashion trends have shown a new liking for the color rust. Recently, an interior design event called the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy, even put rust color in the spotlight next to the famed “millennial pink.” The bubbling affinity for the color rust follows the overall trend in colors that favors natural, earthy hues.
The color rust across different cultures.
The color rust in the theater.
Rust color makes a notable appearance in the theater, and it’s not one most expect. The color rust is used frequently in stage lighting. Its warm, red glow is paired with tungsten light to evoke feelings of warmth, danger, love, or even the light of the setting sun.
The color rust in psychology.
When paired with its name, the color rust is instantly tied to old, forgotten, or low-quality equipment. With this unflattering association, it’s rarely used in branding. If the color rust is looked at for its hue, however, and its name is not used, then the brown-based red has the power to evoke feelings of grounding, age, and wisdom.
Rust color in interior design.
Since the recent boom of the color rust in interiors, everything from velvety rust color furniture to rust color kitchen utensils are popping up. Bedding in the color rust is a delightfully rustic choice, whereas pops of rust color furniture in a living room is considered bold. The color rust has bled over into fashion, too, especially in cozy dresses or pops of color seen in accessories.