A Computational Framework for Color Theory in Art Design: Integrating Classical Harmony Rules with User Perception and Interactive Optimization

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-737-8_52How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Color theory; Art design; Color harmony; User perception; Interactive genetic algorithm; AI-assisted design

Abstract

Color theory plays a fundamental role in art design, influencing visual aesthetics, emotional communication, and brand identity. However, the translation of classical color principles (e.g., Itten’s contrasts, Munsell’s harmony) into computable and designer-friendly tools remains underexplored. To address this gap, this study proposes a computational framework that integrates classical color harmony rules with user-centric perception models for art design applications. The framework formalizes color features in HSV space, defines multi-dimensional harmony indices based on complementary, analogous, and triadic schemes, and constructs a color–emotion mapping model using regression analysis. An interactive genetic algorithm is introduced to iteratively optimize palettes according to designer preferences and task constraints. A comparative experiment involving 120 design tasks was conducted, comparing pure manual designer selection, pure AIGC-based color generation, and the proposed interactive method. Results show that the proposed framework achieves significantly higher objective harmony scores (0.87 vs. 0.52 and 0.68) and subjective user satisfaction (6.43/7 vs. 4.85/7 and 5.21/7), while reducing average iteration time by 53% relative to manual tuning. This study provides a quantifiable and practical bridge between classical color theory and digital art design practice.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yingfei Jia
AU  - Weijing Zhong
AU  - Jiufang Mei
AU  - Ling Jin
AU  - Jia He
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/18
TI  - A Computational Framework for Color Theory in Art Design: Integrating Classical Harmony Rules with User Perception and Interactive Optimization
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Art Design and Digital Technology (ADDT 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 427
EP  - 434
SN  - 2352-538X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-737-8_52
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-737-8_52
ID  - Jia2026
ER  -