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Small Multiples in R ☆

Make a lot of charts at once, line them up in a grid, and you can make quick comparisons across several categories.

How to Make an Animated Growth Map in R ☆

Although time series plots and small multiples can go a long way, animation can make your data feel more real and relatable. Here is how to do it in R via the animated GIF route.

Using Transparency in R to Improve Clarity ☆

When you plot a lot of data at once, points and lines can obscure others and hide patterns. Transparency can help reveal what is really there.

How to Make an Interactive Choropleth Map ☆

When presented with a static graphic, it can be useful to see specific values after you see overall patterns. This tutorial shows you how to add simple interactions to a choropleth map so you can get specifics for regions.

More on Making Heat Maps in R ☆

You saw how to make basic heat maps a while back, but you might want more flexibility for a specific data set. Once you understand the components of a heat map, the rest is straightforward.

Mapping with Diffusion-based Cartograms ☆

Sometimes these cartograms can distort areas beyond recognition, but they can also provide a better visual representation for a region with a wide range of subregions. At the least, they're fun to look at.

A Variety of Area Charts with R ☆

From the basic area chart, to the stacked version, to the streamgraph, the geometry is similar. Once you know how to do one, you can do them all.

How to Draw in R and Make Custom Plots ☆

When base graphics and existing packages don't do it for you, turn to low-level graphics functions to make what you want.

How to Make a Sankey Diagram to Show Flow ☆

These tend to be made ad hoc and are usually pieced together manually, which takes a lot of time. Here's a way to lay the framework in R, so you don't have to do all the work yourself.

Interactive Time Series Chart with Filters ☆

Time series charts can easily turn to spaghetti when you have multiple categories. By highlighting the ones of interest, you can direct focus and allow comparisons.

Calendar Heatmaps to Visualize Time Series Data ☆

The familiar but underused layout is a good way to look at patterns over time. This tutorial gives you an easy way to make them and guides you through the code so you can adapt it to your needs.

How to Hand Edit R Plots in Inkscape ☆

You can control graph elements with code as you output things from R, but sometimes it is easier to do it manually. Inkscape, an Open Source alternative to Adobe Illustrator, might be what you are looking for.

How to Make a Contour Map ☆

Filled contour plots are useful for looking at density across two dimensions and are often used to visualize geographic data. It's straightforward to make them in R — once you get your data in the right format, that is.

Using Color Scales and Palettes in R ☆

Color can drastically change how a chart reads and what you see in your data, so don't leave it up to chance with defaults.

Build Interactive Time Series Charts with Filters ☆

When you have several time series over many categories, it can be useful to show them separately rather than put it all in one graph. This is one way to do it interactively with categorical filters.