The guide

Table of contents

This guide is under development, and the authors welcome feedback and contributions. See the README file in our GitHub repository for information on how to contribute.

Why we visualise data

• Motivation
• A brief history of data visualisation

Principles and elements of visualisations

• Elements of charts, including:
  • Layout
  • Aspect ratio
  • Lines, points and symbols
• Elements of tables, including:
  • Layout
  • Digits
  • Alignment

Choosing a visualisation type

• Goals
• Target audience
• Data types
• Data relationships

Styling charts for accessibility

• Colours
• Annotations
• Fonts
• Alt Text

Styling charts for RSS publications

• Styling with different tools, including:
  • R
  • Python
  • Julia
• Publication specifications, including:
  • Pages sizes and column widths
  • Font types and sizes
  • Colours

References and resources

• Primary sources
• Further reading
• Additional resources