diff --git a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/__init__.py b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/__init__.py
index eb8088e..e6ef41b 100644
--- a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/__init__.py
+++ b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/__init__.py
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
 from .box import build as build_box
 from .saver import save
 
+# Import build_utils to ensure it's available
+from . import plot_builder  # noqa: F401
+
 # Register the functions with the central dispatcher
 register_builder(
     plot_type=PlotType.SCATTER, engine=EngineType.PLOTLY, func=build_scatter
diff --git a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/bar.py b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/bar.py
index 5a7df31..e54b3fe 100644
--- a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/bar.py
+++ b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/bar.py
@@ -6,6 +6,24 @@
 
 from vuecore.schemas.basic.bar import BarConfig
 from .theming import apply_bar_theme
+from .plot_builder import build_plot
+
+# Define parameters handled by the theme script
+THEMING_PARAMS = [
+    "opacity",
+    "barmode",
+    "log_x",
+    "log_y",
+    "range_x",
+    "range_y",
+    "title",
+    "x_title",
+    "y_title",
+    "subtitle",
+    "template",
+    "width",
+    "height",
+]
 
 
 def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: BarConfig) -> go.Figure:
@@ -31,37 +49,10 @@ def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: BarConfig) -> go.Figure:
     go.Figure
         A `plotly.graph_objects.Figure` object representing the bar plot.
     """
-    # Get all parameters from the config model, including extras
-    all_config_params = config.model_dump()
-
-    # Define parameters handled by the theme script
-    theming_params = [
-        "opacity",
-        "barmode",
-        "log_x",
-        "log_y",
-        "range_x",
-        "range_y",
-        "title",
-        "x_title",
-        "y_title",
-        "subtitle",
-        "template",
-        "width",
-        "height",
-    ]
-
-    # Create the dictionary of arguments for px.bar
-    plot_args = {
-        k: v
-        for k, v in all_config_params.items()
-        if k not in theming_params and v is not None
-    }
-
-    # Create the base figure using only the arguments relevant to px.bar
-    fig = px.bar(data, **plot_args)
-
-    # Apply theme and additional styling to the generated figure.
-    fig = apply_bar_theme(fig, config)
-
-    return fig
+    return build_plot(
+        data=data,
+        config=config,
+        px_function=px.bar,
+        theming_function=apply_bar_theme,
+        theming_params=THEMING_PARAMS,
+    )
diff --git a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/box.py b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/box.py
index c7b2ffe..8390213 100644
--- a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/box.py
+++ b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/box.py
@@ -6,6 +6,25 @@
 
 from vuecore.schemas.basic.box import BoxConfig
 from .theming import apply_box_theme
+from .plot_builder import build_plot
+
+# Define parameters handled by the theme script
+THEMING_PARAMS = [
+    "boxmode",
+    "log_x",
+    "log_y",
+    "range_x",
+    "range_y",
+    "notched",
+    "points",
+    "title",
+    "x_title",
+    "y_title",
+    "subtitle",
+    "template",
+    "width",
+    "height",
+]
 
 
 def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: BoxConfig) -> go.Figure:
@@ -31,38 +50,10 @@ def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: BoxConfig) -> go.Figure:
     go.Figure
         A `plotly.graph_objects.Figure` object representing the box plot.
     """
-    # Get all parameters from the config model, including extras
-    all_config_params = config.model_dump()
-
-    # Define parameters handled by the theme script
-    theming_params = [
-        "boxmode",
-        "log_x",
-        "log_y",
-        "range_x",
-        "range_y",
-        "notched",
-        "points",
-        "title",
-        "x_title",
-        "y_title",
-        "subtitle",
-        "template",
-        "width",
-        "height",
-    ]
-
-    # Create the dictionary of arguments for px.box
-    plot_args = {
-        k: v
-        for k, v in all_config_params.items()
-        if k not in theming_params and v is not None
-    }
-
-    # Create the base figure using only the arguments relevant to px.box
-    fig = px.box(data, **plot_args)
-
-    # Apply theme and additional styling to the generated figure.
-    fig = apply_box_theme(fig, config)
-
-    return fig
+    return build_plot(
+        data=data,
+        config=config,
+        px_function=px.box,
+        theming_function=apply_box_theme,
+        theming_params=THEMING_PARAMS,
+    )
diff --git a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/line.py b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/line.py
index 029d263..71e1db7 100644
--- a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/line.py
+++ b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/line.py
@@ -6,6 +6,24 @@
 
 from vuecore.schemas.basic.line import LineConfig
 from .theming import apply_line_theme
+from .plot_builder import build_plot
+
+# Define parameters handled by the theme script
+THEMING_PARAMS = [
+    "markers",
+    "log_x",
+    "log_y",
+    "range_x",
+    "range_y",
+    "line_shape",
+    "title",
+    "x_title",
+    "y_title",
+    "subtitle",
+    "template",
+    "width",
+    "height",
+]
 
 
 def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: LineConfig) -> go.Figure:
@@ -31,37 +49,10 @@ def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: LineConfig) -> go.Figure:
     go.Figure
         A `plotly.graph_objects.Figure` object representing the line plot.
     """
-    # Get all parameters from the config model, including extras
-    all_config_params = config.model_dump()
-
-    # Define parameters handled by the theme script
-    theming_params = [
-        "markers",
-        "log_x",
-        "log_y",
-        "range_x",
-        "range_y",
-        "line_shape",
-        "title",
-        "x_title",
-        "y_title",
-        "subtitle",
-        "template",
-        "width",
-        "height",
-    ]
-
-    # Create the dictionary of arguments for px.line
-    plot_args = {
-        k: v
-        for k, v in all_config_params.items()
-        if k not in theming_params and v is not None
-    }
-
-    # Create the base figure using only the arguments for px.line
-    fig = px.line(data, **plot_args)
-
-    # Apply theme and additional styling
-    fig = apply_line_theme(fig, config)
-
-    return fig
+    return build_plot(
+        data=data,
+        config=config,
+        px_function=px.line,
+        theming_function=apply_line_theme,
+        theming_params=THEMING_PARAMS,
+    )
diff --git a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/plot_builder.py b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/plot_builder.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8af074d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/plot_builder.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# vuecore/engines/plotly/plot_builder.py
+from typing import Any, Optional, List, Callable
+import pandas as pd
+import plotly.graph_objects as go
+
+
+def build_plot(
+    data: pd.DataFrame,
+    config: Any,
+    px_function: Callable,
+    theming_function: Callable,
+    theming_params: List[str],
+    preprocess: Optional[Callable] = None,
+) -> go.Figure:
+    """
+    Base function to build Plotly figures with common patterns.
+
+    The function follows these steps:
+    1. Get all parameters from the config model
+    2. Create the dictionary of arguments for the plot function
+    3. Apply preprocessing
+    4. Create the base figure
+    5. Apply theme and additional styling
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    data : pd.DataFrame
+        The DataFrame containing the plot data.
+    config : Any
+        The Pydantic model with all plot configurations.
+    px_function : Callable
+        The Plotly Express function to use (e.g., px.bar, px.scatter, etc).
+    theming_function : Callable
+        The theming function to apply to the figure.
+    theming_params : List[str]
+        List of parameter names handled by the theming function.
+    preprocess : Callable, Optional
+        Optional preprocessing function for special features.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    go.Figure
+        A styled Plotly figure object.
+    """
+    # Get all parameters from the config model
+    all_config_params = config.model_dump()
+
+    # Create the dictionary of arguments for the plot function
+    plot_args = {
+        k: v
+        for k, v in all_config_params.items()
+        if k not in theming_params and v is not None
+    }
+
+    # Apply preprocessing if provided
+    if preprocess and callable(preprocess):
+        data, plot_args = preprocess(data, plot_args, config)
+
+    # Create the base figure
+    fig = px_function(data, **plot_args)
+
+    # Apply theme and additional styling
+    fig = theming_function(fig, config)
+
+    return fig
diff --git a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/scatter.py b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/scatter.py
index 9af6bdb..ab94811 100644
--- a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/scatter.py
+++ b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/scatter.py
@@ -4,63 +4,62 @@
 
 from vuecore.schemas.basic.scatter import ScatterConfig
 from vuecore.utils.statistics import get_density
-
 from .theming import apply_scatter_theme
+from .plot_builder import build_plot
 
+# Define parameters handled by the theme script
+THEMING_PARAMS = [
+    "opacity",
+    "log_x",
+    "log_y",
+    "range_x",
+    "range_y",
+    "title",
+    "subtitle",
+    "x_title",
+    "y_title",
+    "template",
+    "width",
+    "height",
+    "marker_line_width",
+    "marker_line_color",
+    "color_by_density",
+]
 
-def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: ScatterConfig) -> go.Figure:
+
+def scatter_preprocess(data, plot_args, config):
     """
-    Creates a Plotly scatter plot from a DataFrame and a Pydantic configuration.
+    Preprocess data and arguments for scatter plots with density coloring.
 
-    This function acts as a bridge between the abstract plot definition and the
-    Plotly Express implementation. It translates the validated `ScattereConfig`
-    into the arguments for `plotly.express.scatter` and also forwards any
-    additional, unvalidated keyword arguments from plotly. The resulting figure
-    is then customized with layout and theme settings using `plotly.graph_objects`.
-    (https://plotly.com/python-api-reference/generated/plotly.express.scatter.html).
+    This function handles special preprocessing for scatter plots, particularly
+    for density-based coloring.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
     data : pd.DataFrame
         The DataFrame containing the plot data.
+    plot_args : dict
+        Dictionary of arguments to be passed to the Plotly Express scatter function.
     config : ScatterConfig
-        The validated Pydantic model object with all plot configurations.
+        The validated Pydantic model with all scatter plot configurations.
 
     Returns
     -------
-    go.Figure
-        A `plotly.graph_objects.Figure` object representing the scatter plot.
-    """
-    # Get all parameters from the config model, including extras
-    all_config_params = config.model_dump()
-
-    # Define parameters handled by the theme script
-    theming_params = [
-        "opacity",
-        "log_x",
-        "log_y",
-        "range_x",
-        "range_y",
-        "title",
-        "subtitle",
-        "x_title",
-        "y_title",
-        "template",
-        "width",
-        "height",
-        "marker_line_width",
-        "marker_line_color",
-        "color_by_density",
-    ]
+    tuple
+        A tuple containing:
+        - data : pd.DataFrame
+            The original DataFrame (unchanged).
+        - plot_args : dict
+            The modified plot arguments dictionary with color settings adjusted
+            based on the configuration.
 
-    # Create the dictionary of arguments for px.scatter
-    plot_args = {
-        k: v
-        for k, v in all_config_params.items()
-        if k not in theming_params and v is not None
-    }
-
-    # Handle density coloring separately
+    Notes
+    -----
+    When density coloring is enabled, this function calculates density values
+    for the data points and uses them for color mapping, removing any discrete
+    color mapping that might conflict with continuous coloring.
+    """
+    # Handle density coloring
     if config.color_by_density:
         # Calculate density and pass it to the 'color' argument
         density_values = get_density(data[config.x].values, data[config.y].values)
@@ -73,10 +72,37 @@ def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: ScatterConfig) -> go.Figure:
         # Use standard group-based coloring
         plot_args["color"] = config.color
 
-    # Create the base figure using only the arguments for px.scatter
-    fig = px.scatter(data, **plot_args)
+    return data, plot_args
+
+
+def build(data: pd.DataFrame, config: ScatterConfig) -> go.Figure:
+    """
+    Creates a Plotly scatter plot from a DataFrame and a Pydantic configuration.
+
+    This function acts as a bridge between the abstract plot definition and the
+    Plotly Express implementation. It translates the validated `ScattereConfig`
+    into the arguments for `plotly.express.scatter` and also forwards any
+    additional, unvalidated keyword arguments from plotly. The resulting figure
+    is then customized with layout and theme settings using `plotly.graph_objects`.
+    (https://plotly.com/python-api-reference/generated/plotly.express.scatter.html).
 
-    # Apply theme and additional styling
-    fig = apply_scatter_theme(fig, config)
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    data : pd.DataFrame
+        The DataFrame containing the plot data.
+    config : ScatterConfig
+        The validated Pydantic model object with all plot configurations.
 
-    return fig
+    Returns
+    -------
+    go.Figure
+        A `plotly.graph_objects.Figure` object representing the scatter plot.
+    """
+    return build_plot(
+        data=data,
+        config=config,
+        px_function=px.scatter,
+        theming_function=apply_scatter_theme,
+        theming_params=THEMING_PARAMS,
+        preprocess=scatter_preprocess,
+    )
diff --git a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/theming.py b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/theming.py
index 6243eb2..562f88c 100644
--- a/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/theming.py
+++ b/src/vuecore/engines/plotly/theming.py
@@ -6,6 +6,88 @@
 from vuecore.schemas.basic.box import BoxConfig
 
 
+def _get_axis_title(config, axis: str) -> str:
+    """
+    Helper function to get axis title from configuration with appropriate fallbacks.
+
+    This function attempts to retrieve an axis title using the following priority:
+    1. Explicit axis title if provided in configuration
+    2. Label mapping from configuration if available
+    3. Title-cased column name as fallback
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    config : Any
+        The configuration object containing styling and layout information.
+    axis : str
+        The axis identifier ('x' or 'y').
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    str
+        The appropriate title for the specified axis.
+    """
+    axis_title_attr = f"{axis}_title"
+    axis_value_attr = axis
+
+    # Use explicit title if provided
+    if getattr(config, axis_title_attr):
+        return getattr(config, axis_title_attr)
+
+    # Use label mapping if available
+    if config.labels and getattr(config, axis_value_attr):
+        axis_value = getattr(config, axis_value_attr)
+        if axis_value in config.labels:
+            return config.labels[axis_value]
+
+    # Fall back to title-cased column name
+    if getattr(config, axis_value_attr):
+        return getattr(config, axis_value_attr).title()
+
+    return ""
+
+
+def _apply_common_layout(fig: go.Figure, config) -> go.Figure:
+    """
+    Applies common layout settings to a Plotly figure.
+
+    This function handles the layout adjustments that are common across
+    different plot types, such as titles, dimensions, templates, and axis
+    properties.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    fig : go.Figure
+        The Plotly figure object to be styled.
+    config : Any
+        The configuration object containing all styling and layout information.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    go.Figure
+        The Plotly figure with common layout settings applied.
+    """
+    x_title = _get_axis_title(config, "x")
+    y_title = _get_axis_title(config, "y")
+
+    layout_updates = {
+        "title_text": config.title,
+        "title_subtitle_text": config.subtitle,
+        "xaxis_title": x_title,
+        "yaxis_title": y_title,
+        "height": config.height,
+        "width": config.width,
+        "template": config.template,
+        "xaxis_type": "log" if config.log_x else None,
+        "yaxis_type": "log" if config.log_y else None,
+        "xaxis_range": config.range_x,
+        "yaxis_range": config.range_y,
+    }
+
+    fig.update_layout(**{k: v for k, v in layout_updates.items() if v is not None})
+    return fig
+
+
 def apply_scatter_theme(fig: go.Figure, config: ScatterConfig) -> go.Figure:
     """
     Applies a consistent layout and theme to a Plotly scatter plot.
@@ -35,28 +117,9 @@ def apply_scatter_theme(fig: go.Figure, config: ScatterConfig) -> go.Figure:
         selector=dict(mode="markers"),
     )
 
-    # Use the labels dictionary to set axis titles, falling back to defaults
-    x_title = config.x_title or (
-        config.labels.get(config.x) if config.labels else None or config.x.title()
-    )
-    y_title = config.y_title or (
-        config.labels.get(config.y) if config.labels else None or config.y.title()
-    )
+    # Apply common layout
+    fig = _apply_common_layout(fig, config)
 
-    # Apply layout updates for scatter plot
-    fig.update_layout(
-        title_text=config.title,
-        title_subtitle_text=config.subtitle,
-        xaxis_title=x_title,
-        yaxis_title=y_title,
-        height=config.height,
-        width=config.width,
-        template=config.template,
-        xaxis_type="log" if config.log_x else None,
-        yaxis_type="log" if config.log_y else None,
-        xaxis_range=config.range_x,
-        yaxis_range=config.range_y,
-    )
     return fig
 
 
@@ -86,28 +149,9 @@ def apply_line_theme(fig: go.Figure, config: LineConfig) -> go.Figure:
         line_shape=config.line_shape,
     )
 
-    # Use the labels dictionary to set axis titles, falling back to defaults
-    x_title = config.x_title or (
-        config.labels.get(config.x) if config.labels else None or config.x.title()
-    )
-    y_title = config.y_title or (
-        config.labels.get(config.y) if config.labels else None or config.y.title()
-    )
+    # Apply common layout
+    fig = _apply_common_layout(fig, config)
 
-    # Apply layout updates for line plot
-    fig.update_layout(
-        title_text=config.title,
-        title_subtitle_text=config.subtitle,
-        xaxis_title=x_title,
-        yaxis_title=y_title,
-        height=config.height,
-        width=config.width,
-        template=config.template,
-        xaxis_type="log" if config.log_x else None,
-        yaxis_type="log" if config.log_y else None,
-        xaxis_range=config.range_x,
-        yaxis_range=config.range_y,
-    )
     return fig
 
 
@@ -134,29 +178,9 @@ def apply_bar_theme(fig: go.Figure, config: BarConfig) -> go.Figure:
     # Apply trace-specific updates for bar plots
     fig.update_traces(opacity=config.opacity, selector=dict(type="bar"))
 
-    # Use the labels dictionary to set axis titles, falling back to defaults
-    x_title = config.x_title or (
-        config.labels.get(config.x) if config.labels else None or config.x.title()
-    )
-    y_title = config.y_title or (
-        config.labels.get(config.y) if config.labels else None or config.y.title()
-    )
+    # Apply common layout
+    fig = _apply_common_layout(fig, config)
 
-    # Apply layout updates for bar plot
-    fig.update_layout(
-        title_text=config.title,
-        title_subtitle_text=config.subtitle,
-        xaxis_title=x_title,
-        yaxis_title=y_title,
-        height=config.height,
-        width=config.width,
-        template=config.template,
-        xaxis_type="log" if config.log_x else None,
-        yaxis_type="log" if config.log_y else None,
-        xaxis_range=config.range_x,
-        yaxis_range=config.range_y,
-        barmode=config.barmode,
-    )
     return fig
 
 
@@ -185,31 +209,7 @@ def apply_box_theme(fig: go.Figure, config: BoxConfig) -> go.Figure:
         boxpoints=config.points, notched=config.notched, selector=dict(type="box")
     )
 
-    # Use the labels dictionary to set axis titles, falling back to defaults
-    x_title = config.x_title or (
-        config.labels.get(config.x)
-        if config.x and config.labels
-        else None or (config.x.title() if config.x else None)
-    )
-    y_title = config.y_title or (
-        config.labels.get(config.y)
-        if config.y and config.labels
-        else None or (config.y.title() if config.y else None)
-    )
+    # Apply common layout
+    fig = _apply_common_layout(fig, config)
 
-    # Apply layout updates for box plot
-    fig.update_layout(
-        title_text=config.title,
-        title_subtitle_text=config.subtitle,
-        xaxis_title=x_title,
-        yaxis_title=y_title,
-        height=config.height,
-        width=config.width,
-        template=config.template,
-        xaxis_type="log" if config.log_x else None,
-        yaxis_type="log" if config.log_y else None,
-        xaxis_range=config.range_x,
-        yaxis_range=config.range_y,
-        boxmode=config.boxmode,
-    )
     return fig