Understanding color trends by means of non-monotone utility functions

In this paper we explore the possibility of capturing color trends and understanding the rationale behind the popularity of a color. To this end, we propose using a preference disaggregation approach from the field of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. The main objective is to identify the criteria aggregation model that underlies the global preference of a color. We introduce a new disaggregation method based on the well-known UTASTAR algorithm able to represent preferences by means of non-monotonic utility functions. The method is applied to a large database of ranked colors, from three different years, based on the information published on the webpage of an international creative community. Non-monotone marginal utility functions from each of the coordinates are obtained for each year. These functions contain the color preference information captured, in an understandable way.