A method for designing a first optical filter, exhibiting a first filter performance satisfying a first preset criterion, and a second optical filter, exhibiting a second filter performance satisfying a second preset criterion, includes providing initial first and second filter designs for the first and second optical filters, respectively, as first and second ordered stacks of layers, respectively. A pair of layers, including a first layer, characterized by a first thickness, and a second layer, characterized by a second thickness, is selected from the first and second ordered stacks of layers. The first thickness is constrained to a first constrained thickness that is a positive integer multiple of the second thickness to yield a constrained first filter design. A predicted performance of the constrained first filter design is determined and compared with the first preset criterion for one of accepting and rejecting the constrained first filter design.