An assortment of color elements is grouped within a plurality of color families which are organized in accordance with a circular color chart (FIG. 10A) and a columnar chart (FIG. 11-A). Except for the neutral-gray color family, a pair of boundary-hues respectively defines the extent of acceptable hue variation within each group, resulting in an included range of hue within each color family, and an excluded range of hue in between neighboring color families. Variant-hue charts enhance color comparison and selection within each main color family by displaying contrasting variations of all three color attributes, that is, value, saturation, and hue, within a single chart. Variant-hue charts also consolidate color elements into a compact format, and provide a graphical user interface for computer color selection.