5 Ways To Enhance Your GGPLOT Visualizations

5 Ways to Enhance Your GGPLOT Visualizations | by Dan Larson | Medium 3/01/24, 09:13
Get unlimited access to the best of Medium for less than $1/week. Become a member
5 Ways to Enhance Your GGPLOT

Visualizations
Dan Larson · Follow
7 min read · Jul 19, 2023
13
https://medium.com/@danlarson_74954/5-ways-to-enhance-your-ggplot-visualizations-7ecb044fa9d9 Page 1 of 18
GGplot2 is a powerful data visualization package in R and has become a

popular choice among data scientists and analysts for creating compelling
and informative visualizations. While ggplot2 offers a wide range of
customization options, there are certain techniques and practices that can
take your visualizations to the next level. In this post, I will explore five
ways to make your ggplot visualizations better, helping you communicate
your data insights effectively and captivate your audience.
Using Themes
One way to improve your ggplot visualizations is by leveraging themes.
Themes provide a consistent and professional appearance to your plots by
adjusting elements such as grid lines, axis labels, and backgrounds. By

choosing a theme that aligns with your visualization’s purpose, you can
make your plots more visually appealing and easier to interpret. Using
themes with you plots can give them a more professional look.
Themes are added to a plot by adding the theme at the end of your plot
code. p + theme_minimal() . If there other custom theme elements that you
want to add you should do that after calling the theme function.
ggplot themes
GGPLOT comes with a built-in set of themes. Below are some of the ones
that I like the most. You can see how using them improves the look of the
plot without doing much.
ggthemes
Theme packages like ggthemes can help you easily recreate popular
charting styles.
tvthemes
Tvthemes is a fun package that uses a the colors from popular tv shows to
syle your charts.
Using themes is an easy way to quickly improve the look and feel of your
charts. You can also develop your own themes by creating a function that
defines the theme elements you need.
library(ggplot2)
custom_theme <- function() {

#theme_minimal() %+replace%
theme(
# Define the overall appearance of the plot
plot.background = element_rect(fill = "white"),
panel.background = element_rect(fill = "white"),
panel.grid.major = element_line(color = "lightgray"),
panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
# Define the appearance of the axes
axis.line = element_line(color = "black"),

axis.text = element_text(color = "black"),
axis.title = element_text(color = "black", size = 12, face = "bold"),
axis.ticks = element_line(color = "black"),
# Define the appearance of the legend

legend.background = element_rect(fill = "white"),
legend.title = element_text(color = "black", size = 10, face = "bold"),
legend.text = element_text(color = "black", size = 10),
# Define the appearance of the plot title and subtitles

plot.title = element_text(color = "black", size = 14, face = "bold"),
plot.subtitle = element_text(color = "black", size = 12),
# Define the appearance of the plot labels

plot.caption = element_text(color = "black", size = 10),
plot.tag = element_text(color = "black", size = 11, face = "bold"),
# Remove the plot border

panel.border = element_blank()
)
}
p <- ggplot(mtcars, aes(x = mpg, y = wt, color = factor(cyl))) +

geom_point() +
labs(title = "Custom Theme Example", subtitle = "Scatter plot of mpg vs. wt")
custom_theme()
print(p)
Color Selection
Colors play a vital role in data visualization, as they can convey meaning,
highlight patterns, and differentiate between data points. When choosing
colors for your ggplot visualizations, consider the nature of your data and
the message you want to convey. You should avoid using colors that are too
similar or clash with each other, as this can lead to confusion. Instead, opt
for color palettes that are visually pleasing and effectively represent your
data.
Using the teamcolors package, I am easily able to add the NBA team primary
color to the chart with only a single extra line to my chart. By looking at the
two charts below you can see how using the NBA colors makes it easier for
the viewer to get meaning from the data. The legend is less important
because you can get a general sense of what the team is by the color of the
point.
Using a color theme is as easy as identifying a pallet and using the

scale_color_fill() or scale_color_manual() functions.
List of color pallet packages for ggplot:
1. RColorBrewer: Provides color palettes from the ColorBrewer website.

This package offers a variety of qualitative, sequential, and diverging
color schemes.
2. viridis: Offers color maps that are perceptually uniform and suitable for
both colorblind individuals and printing in black and white.
3. viridisLite: A lightweight version of the viridis package, providing the

same color maps but with fewer dependencies.
4. wesanderson: Contains color palettes inspired by the films of Wes

Anderson, providing a distinctive and aesthetically pleasing set of
colors.
5. ggsci: Offers color palettes inspired by scientific journals, such as the

colors used in Nature, Science, and the New England Journal of
Medicine.
6. nord: Provides color palettes inspired by the Nord color scheme,

offering a modern and elegant set of colors.
7. iWantHue: Allows you to generate and explore color palettes based on

various criteria, such as the number of colors and the desired color
harmony.
8. colorspace: Offers color palettes based on the HCL (Hue-Chroma-

Luminance) color space, providing a perceptually uniform and visually
appealing set of colors.
9. dichromat: Provides color palettes specifically designed for individuals

with color vision deficiencies, offering enhanced accessibility for data
visualization.
10. ggthemes: Offers color palettes and themes inspired by popular data
visualization libraries and software, such as Excel, Tableau, and Stata.
Adding Jitter to Points

When working with point-based plots, such as scatter plots, adding jitter
can help prevent overplotting. Overplotting occurs when multiple data
points overlap, making it difficult to distinguish individual points. By
introducing a small amount of random noise to the position of the points,
you can spread them out, improving visibility and allowing for a more
accurate representation of the data.
I like to use this when I am looking at a very large dataset or the data are
highly concentrated. By showing all the points in a plot, you are able to
really demonstrate the distributions and see any irregularities in the data.
Free axis on faceted charts

Faceting is a powerful feature in ggplot that allows you to create multiple
panels or subplots based on different variables. However, by default, the
axes of the subplots are constrained to the same scale, which can
sometimes distort
Search
the visual representation of the data. To Write
overcome this,
you can free the axes by specifying scales=”free" in the facet_wrap or
facet_grid() function, ensuring that each panel’s axis scales independently.

This technique enables a more accurate comparison between the subplots
and facilitates better insights.
Iterate and Refine

Improving your ggplot visualizations is an iterative process. It’s essential to
experiment with different plot types, aesthetics, and configurations to find
the best representation for your data. Don’t be afraid to iterate, make
adjustments, and seek feedback from others. Refining your plots based on
insights gained from this process will lead to more compelling and effective
visualizations. All too often building a plot will take many attempts. I always
find that sharing my charts with friends and colleagues and explaining what
I am trying to show helps to improve the plot. It is also the best part.
By incorporating these tips into your ggplot visualizations, you can take
your data analysis to the next level. Whether you’re enhancing the
appearance, selecting appropriate colors, adding jitter to point-based plots,
freeing the axes when faceting, or iterating and refining, these strategies
will help you create visualizations that are both aesthetically pleasing and
informative. With practice and exploration, you’ll become proficient in
creating impactful ggplot visualizations that effectively communicate your
data insights.
If you are using RStudio, check out this addon package that lets you edit the
theme of your plot with a GUI interface.
Ggplot2 Data Science Visualization NBA R Programming
Written by Dan Larson Follow
78 Followers
Data Engineer, father, and sixers fan in Philadelphia.
More from Dan Larson
Dan Larson Dan Larson
Three data tools I am going to Using the R and the Tidyverse to

learn more about 2023 analyze Joel Embiid’s Player Stats
2022 was a pretty exciting year in Data. The Joel Embiid is a professional basketball
field of data engineering really took off and… player from Cameroon who currently plays …
everyone is asking how it relates to data… the center for the Philadelphia 76ers of the
4 min read · Jan 2, 2023 6 min read · Feb 5, 2023
National…
25 1 8
Dan Larson Dan Larson
Analyzing NBA Statistics with Three SQL Techniques to add to

DuckDB your toolkit
Data analysis is vital for extracting insights IMHO, SQL is one of the most important
and making informed decisions, even in… technical skills for data engineers, scientist…
sports. The NBA generates vast amounts of and analysts to develop. I have spent
7 that…· May 15, 2023
min read
data 4 min read · Dec 29, 2022
countless…
84 34
See all from Dan Larson
Recommended from Medium
Sarose Parajuli Anjolaoluwa Ajayi in GDSC Babcock Dataverse
ChatGPT Cheat Sheet for Data 20% of EDA Plots Data Scientists
Science with R Use 80% of the Time
Data science is a field that combines domain All the plots you need to know for EDA
expertise, programming skills, and…
knowledge of mathematics and statistics to
2 min read · Dec 10, 2023
extract… 5 min read · Dec 22, 2023
674 2
Lists
Predictive Modeling w/ Practical Guides to Machine

Python Learning
20 stories · 746 saves 10 stories · 865 saves
Coding & Development data science and AI

11 stories · 355 saves 38 stories · 31 saves
Mokkup.ai Anmol Tomar in CodeX
The Future of Data Visualization: Top 10 Data Visualizations of 2023

2024 and Beyond Worth Looking at!
In this blog post, we will discuss the latest Level Up Your Visualization Game!
trends in data visualization and explore how…
these trends will shape the future of the field.
7 min read · Dec 15, 2023 · 4 min read · Dec 26, 2023
343 2 424 4
Allan victor Spencer Antonio Marlen-Starr
Visualizing Relationships with Stop Referring to the Gaussian

Venn Diagrams in R’s… Distribution as the “Normal”…
ggVennDiagram Package
Today, I will explain how you can create this Distribution
This article is related to several other articles
Venn diagram in R as simple as possible. I have recently published here, especially th…
one making the case for data scientists…
6 min read · Dec 18, 2023 · 3 min read · Dec 6, 2023
21 12 1
See more recommendations
Help Status About Careers Blog Privacy Terms Text to speech Teams

5 Ways To Enhance Your GGPLOT Visualizations

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

5 Ways To Enhance Your GGPLOT Visualizations

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

5 Ways to Enhance Your GGPLOT Visualizations | by Dan Larson | Medium 3/01/24, 09:13

5 Ways to Enhance Your GGPLOT

GGplot2 is a powerful data visualization package in R and has become a

adjusting elements such as grid lines, axis labels, and backgrounds. By

custom_theme <- function() {

# Define the appearance of the axes

axis.line = element_line(color = "black"),

# Define the appearance of the legend

# Define the appearance of the plot title and subtitles

# Define the appearance of the plot labels

# Remove the plot border

p <- ggplot(mtcars, aes(x = mpg, y = wt, color = factor(cyl))) +

Using a color theme is as easy as identifying a pallet and using the

List of color pallet packages for ggplot:

1. RColorBrewer: Provides color palettes from the ColorBrewer website.

3. viridisLite: A lightweight version of the viridis package, providing the

4. wesanderson: Contains color palettes inspired by the films of Wes

5. ggsci: Offers color palettes inspired by scientific journals, such as the

6. nord: Provides color palettes inspired by the Nord color scheme,

7. iWantHue: Allows you to generate and explore color palettes based on

8. colorspace: Offers color palettes based on the HCL (Hue-Chroma-

9. dichromat: Provides color palettes specifically designed for individuals

Adding Jitter to Points

Free axis on faceted charts

facet_grid() function, ensuring that each panel’s axis scales independently.

Iterate and Refine

Ggplot2 Data Science Visualization NBA R Programming

Written by Dan Larson Follow

Data Engineer, father, and sixers fan in Philadelphia.

More from Dan Larson

Dan Larson Dan Larson

Three data tools I am going to Using the R and the Tidyverse to

Dan Larson Dan Larson

Analyzing NBA Statistics with Three SQL Techniques to add to

See all from Dan Larson

Recommended from Medium

Sarose Parajuli Anjolaoluwa Ajayi in GDSC Babcock Dataverse

Predictive Modeling w/ Practical Guides to Machine

Coding & Development data science and AI

Mokkup.ai Anmol Tomar in CodeX

The Future of Data Visualization: Top 10 Data Visualizations of 2023

Allan victor Spencer Antonio Marlen-Starr

Visualizing Relationships with Stop Referring to the Gaussian

See more recommendations

You might also like