Cara Thompson
@cararthompson.bsky.social
Data visualisation consultant with an academic background, helping others maximise the impact of their expertise
Pinned
Cara Thompson
@cararthompson.bsky.social
· Nov 18
I really enjoyed today's #dataviz workshop with The Data Lab - Innovation Centre. The recording is out already!
I've uploaded it along with the slides and possibly the most comprehensive set of tool-agnostic resources I've compiled to date.
www.cararthompson.com/talks/datala...
I've uploaded it along with the slides and possibly the most comprehensive set of tool-agnostic resources I've compiled to date.
www.cararthompson.com/talks/datala...
Reposted by Cara Thompson
💜 Being part of the session on accessibility in official statistics with so many good speakers including @statsgeekclare.bsky.social and @cararthompson.bsky.social
September 6, 2025 at 12:09 PM
💜 Being part of the session on accessibility in official statistics with so many good speakers including @statsgeekclare.bsky.social and @cararthompson.bsky.social
Reposted by Cara Thompson
It's almost RSS Conference time! I'm excited to speaking in the accessibility in official statistics session organised by @statsgeekclare.bsky.social 📊
📅 Thu 4th Sept, 13:40 - 15:00
🎤 Also speaking: @cararthompson.bsky.social , Olivia Box Power, and Elliot Bridges
#DataViz #Accessibility #RStats
📅 Thu 4th Sept, 13:40 - 15:00
🎤 Also speaking: @cararthompson.bsky.social , Olivia Box Power, and Elliot Bridges
#DataViz #Accessibility #RStats
August 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM
It's almost RSS Conference time! I'm excited to speaking in the accessibility in official statistics session organised by @statsgeekclare.bsky.social 📊
📅 Thu 4th Sept, 13:40 - 15:00
🎤 Also speaking: @cararthompson.bsky.social , Olivia Box Power, and Elliot Bridges
#DataViz #Accessibility #RStats
📅 Thu 4th Sept, 13:40 - 15:00
🎤 Also speaking: @cararthompson.bsky.social , Olivia Box Power, and Elliot Bridges
#DataViz #Accessibility #RStats
Reposted by Cara Thompson
On #VizBuzz tonight, I mentioned a couple of plots that I could never hope to replicate, the number 1 being @cararthompson.bsky.social's cake plot. Here it is in all its glory!! #databs #dataviz #gbbo
www.linkedin.com/posts/carart...
www.linkedin.com/posts/carart...
It's #ggplot2's birthday - perfect excuse to recirculate this plot I made entirely with #ggplot2 that looks like a cake! | Cara Thompson
It's #ggplot2's birthday - perfect excuse to recirculate this plot I made entirely with #ggplot2 that looks like a cake!
Happy birthday ggplot, and thank you Hadley Wickham for all your work...
www.linkedin.com
June 27, 2025 at 3:31 AM
On #VizBuzz tonight, I mentioned a couple of plots that I could never hope to replicate, the number 1 being @cararthompson.bsky.social's cake plot. Here it is in all its glory!! #databs #dataviz #gbbo
www.linkedin.com/posts/carart...
www.linkedin.com/posts/carart...
That's a wrap for the #dataviz workshop I've been leading for the Nordic Society of Human Genetics and Precision Medicine's 2025 conference in Copenhagen.
In the run up to the conference, I was sent a plot which it typical in the field (and published in one of the Nature journals). Here's my redo.
In the run up to the conference, I was sent a plot which it typical in the field (and published in one of the Nature journals). Here's my redo.
June 2, 2025 at 4:47 PM
That's a wrap for the #dataviz workshop I've been leading for the Nordic Society of Human Genetics and Precision Medicine's 2025 conference in Copenhagen.
In the run up to the conference, I was sent a plot which it typical in the field (and published in one of the Nature journals). Here's my redo.
In the run up to the conference, I was sent a plot which it typical in the field (and published in one of the Nature journals). Here's my redo.
Reposted by Cara Thompson
It's fantastic to see the #RLadies rotating curator programme back up and running! 💜
I really enjoyed curating when I did it 4 years ago, and I wrote a short blog post about it: nrennie.rbind.io/blog/curatin...
I'd highly recommend giving it a go if you're thinking about it! 💜
#RStats
I really enjoyed curating when I did it 4 years ago, and I wrote a short blog post about it: nrennie.rbind.io/blog/curatin...
I'd highly recommend giving it a go if you're thinking about it! 💜
#RStats
January 26, 2025 at 12:48 PM
It's fantastic to see the #RLadies rotating curator programme back up and running! 💜
I really enjoyed curating when I did it 4 years ago, and I wrote a short blog post about it: nrennie.rbind.io/blog/curatin...
I'd highly recommend giving it a go if you're thinking about it! 💜
#RStats
I really enjoyed curating when I did it 4 years ago, and I wrote a short blog post about it: nrennie.rbind.io/blog/curatin...
I'd highly recommend giving it a go if you're thinking about it! 💜
#RStats
Reposted by Cara Thompson
My annual reminder that @cararthompson.bsky.social monochromeR package is irreplaceable when you need to add a level of polish to your tables, charts or graphs
March 29, 2025 at 1:44 PM
My annual reminder that @cararthompson.bsky.social monochromeR package is irreplaceable when you need to add a level of polish to your tables, charts or graphs
#ggplot folks - I'm updating my teaching materials to move to {marquee} where I can. How do we change font size on the fly in a geom_marquee()?
I know we can change colours and bold/italics, etc, but how do we change size? I'm looking for the equivalent of this to add text hierarchy to annotations 👇
I know we can change colours and bold/italics, etc, but how do we change size? I'm looking for the equivalent of this to add text hierarchy to annotations 👇
March 28, 2025 at 11:43 AM
#ggplot folks - I'm updating my teaching materials to move to {marquee} where I can. How do we change font size on the fly in a geom_marquee()?
I know we can change colours and bold/italics, etc, but how do we change size? I'm looking for the equivalent of this to add text hierarchy to annotations 👇
I know we can change colours and bold/italics, etc, but how do we change size? I'm looking for the equivalent of this to add text hierarchy to annotations 👇
You've got a nice custom #ggplot2 theme, and you use it to make a map or any other graph with fixed coordinates, and the background does this...
I've written up a blog post of the different solutions I explored, from the super hacky to the more elegant.
www.cararthompson.com/posts/2025-0...
I've written up a blog post of the different solutions I explored, from the super hacky to the more elegant.
www.cararthompson.com/posts/2025-0...
March 7, 2025 at 11:05 AM
You've got a nice custom #ggplot2 theme, and you use it to make a map or any other graph with fixed coordinates, and the background does this...
I've written up a blog post of the different solutions I explored, from the super hacky to the more elegant.
www.cararthompson.com/posts/2025-0...
I've written up a blog post of the different solutions I explored, from the super hacky to the more elegant.
www.cararthompson.com/posts/2025-0...
How do you make sense of large numbers, and create something that will draw people in, when these numbers aren't ones we like to dwell on? And how do you humanise those numbers to honour the people they represent?
"Could you make a data-driven visual for my new song?"
youtu.be/ccnIUL5Z3Y4
"Could you make a data-driven visual for my new song?"
youtu.be/ccnIUL5Z3Y4
Footprints underground - Hannah Featherstone
YouTube video by Hannah Featherstone
www.youtube.com
February 19, 2025 at 12:14 PM
How do you make sense of large numbers, and create something that will draw people in, when these numbers aren't ones we like to dwell on? And how do you humanise those numbers to honour the people they represent?
"Could you make a data-driven visual for my new song?"
youtu.be/ccnIUL5Z3Y4
"Could you make a data-driven visual for my new song?"
youtu.be/ccnIUL5Z3Y4
It's pretty wild what you can do with geom_text(), transparency, and some careful rescaling of superimposed images at different rates.
Here's an extract from a video I'll post more about tomorrow. One of the most challenging projects I've had the privilege of working on.
Here's an extract from a video I'll post more about tomorrow. One of the most challenging projects I've had the privilege of working on.
February 18, 2025 at 8:47 PM
It's pretty wild what you can do with geom_text(), transparency, and some careful rescaling of superimposed images at different rates.
Here's an extract from a video I'll post more about tomorrow. One of the most challenging projects I've had the privilege of working on.
Here's an extract from a video I'll post more about tomorrow. One of the most challenging projects I've had the privilege of working on.
A few weeks ago, a client asked me for advice on how to make use of his new colour palette within spaghetti plots. What seemed like a simple question morphed into a full blog post!
www.cararthompson.com/posts/2025-0...
Colour can be used to emphasise different stories - pick the approach you need!
www.cararthompson.com/posts/2025-0...
Colour can be used to emphasise different stories - pick the approach you need!
Building Stories With Data - Optimising the use of colours for storytelling in a spaghetti plot
One of my clients recently asked me for tips on optimising spaghetti plots. Those plots with multiple trend lines all superimposed on top of one another, where it can often be very difficult to figure...
www.cararthompson.com
January 24, 2025 at 12:17 PM
A few weeks ago, a client asked me for advice on how to make use of his new colour palette within spaghetti plots. What seemed like a simple question morphed into a full blog post!
www.cararthompson.com/posts/2025-0...
Colour can be used to emphasise different stories - pick the approach you need!
www.cararthompson.com/posts/2025-0...
Colour can be used to emphasise different stories - pick the approach you need!
Reposted by Cara Thompson
This week in #rstats:
- an R->Fortran transpiler from @t-kalinowski.bsky.social
- @posit.co's Opportunity Scholarships
- better spaghetti plots with @cararthompson.bsky.social
- {httr2}s newest feature
- learn {targets} with @rladies.org Philly
#data #coding #news
www.linkedin.com/pulse/week-r...
- an R->Fortran transpiler from @t-kalinowski.bsky.social
- @posit.co's Opportunity Scholarships
- better spaghetti plots with @cararthompson.bsky.social
- {httr2}s newest feature
- learn {targets} with @rladies.org Philly
#data #coding #news
www.linkedin.com/pulse/week-r...
This week in R (2025-01-24)
Opportunities to attend posit::conf(2025); making visualisations beautiful and informative; the latest with {httr2}; more {targets} content and more!
www.linkedin.com
January 24, 2025 at 10:18 AM
This week in #rstats:
- an R->Fortran transpiler from @t-kalinowski.bsky.social
- @posit.co's Opportunity Scholarships
- better spaghetti plots with @cararthompson.bsky.social
- {httr2}s newest feature
- learn {targets} with @rladies.org Philly
#data #coding #news
www.linkedin.com/pulse/week-r...
- an R->Fortran transpiler from @t-kalinowski.bsky.social
- @posit.co's Opportunity Scholarships
- better spaghetti plots with @cararthompson.bsky.social
- {httr2}s newest feature
- learn {targets} with @rladies.org Philly
#data #coding #news
www.linkedin.com/pulse/week-r...
For today's project, I'm having to do a bit of copy-pasting of text from a PDF to add information to a quarto website. Which brings me back to one of my favourite #rstats tricks, and possibly my favourite function name! stringr::str_squish()
![Code snipped showing the tidy up of two sentences which are initially very broken up by line breaks and extra spaces, using stringr::str_squish().
# One of my favourite R tricks when copying from a PDF - because we all have to do that at some point!
stringr::str_squish(
"Here's some text that
has come from a
pdf and,
slightly irritatingly, has
lots of linebreaks that it would
take ages to delete one by one. Oh and also
the odd extra space.")
#[1] "Here's some text that has come from a pdf and, slightly irritatingly, has lots of linebreaks that it would take ages to delete one by one. Oh and also the odd extra space."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ycvqyceo3sgydgkchaxp5xgv/bafkreidv2nmv5kcnbn6sxqoidwhkewsw4kw52vl7z577xylcd66u7yxckq@jpeg)
January 13, 2025 at 11:47 AM
For today's project, I'm having to do a bit of copy-pasting of text from a PDF to add information to a quarto website. Which brings me back to one of my favourite #rstats tricks, and possibly my favourite function name! stringr::str_squish()
Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄 🎵
Name the tune! All done with #rstats + #ggplot2 🤓
I finally got round to exploring using grid::linearGradient()!
Here's the code: gist.github.com/cararthompso...
P.S. There was some controversy in my family about the tune, but this version looked nicer 😊
Name the tune! All done with #rstats + #ggplot2 🤓
I finally got round to exploring using grid::linearGradient()!
Here's the code: gist.github.com/cararthompso...
P.S. There was some controversy in my family about the tune, but this version looked nicer 😊
December 24, 2024 at 12:26 PM
Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄 🎵
Name the tune! All done with #rstats + #ggplot2 🤓
I finally got round to exploring using grid::linearGradient()!
Here's the code: gist.github.com/cararthompso...
P.S. There was some controversy in my family about the tune, but this version looked nicer 😊
Name the tune! All done with #rstats + #ggplot2 🤓
I finally got round to exploring using grid::linearGradient()!
Here's the code: gist.github.com/cararthompso...
P.S. There was some controversy in my family about the tune, but this version looked nicer 😊
Festive mode activated 🥳
This has been a brilliant year at Building Stories with Data. I'm so grateful for all the projects I've been able to work on, for the encouragement from my peers, for inspiring conferences and for reconnecting with everyone on here!
This has been a brilliant year at Building Stories with Data. I'm so grateful for all the projects I've been able to work on, for the encouragement from my peers, for inspiring conferences and for reconnecting with everyone on here!
December 20, 2024 at 6:39 PM
Festive mode activated 🥳
This has been a brilliant year at Building Stories with Data. I'm so grateful for all the projects I've been able to work on, for the encouragement from my peers, for inspiring conferences and for reconnecting with everyone on here!
This has been a brilliant year at Building Stories with Data. I'm so grateful for all the projects I've been able to work on, for the encouragement from my peers, for inspiring conferences and for reconnecting with everyone on here!
I use toggl to track the time I spend on projects - but don't always tracking things as much as I should (talk prep / pro bono work, etc.).
Has anyone built a tool that automatically tracks how long they spend in #rstats projects? Feels like the stuff of the future, but someone will have done it...
Has anyone built a tool that automatically tracks how long they spend in #rstats projects? Feels like the stuff of the future, but someone will have done it...
November 25, 2024 at 3:04 PM
I use toggl to track the time I spend on projects - but don't always tracking things as much as I should (talk prep / pro bono work, etc.).
Has anyone built a tool that automatically tracks how long they spend in #rstats projects? Feels like the stuff of the future, but someone will have done it...
Has anyone built a tool that automatically tracks how long they spend in #rstats projects? Feels like the stuff of the future, but someone will have done it...
"I loved your talk. Can we stay in touch and keep chatting dataviz?"
"Actually, I'll be in Edinburgh soon. Let's do coffee!"
Lovely to catch up with @hellopeiying.bsky.social today. Career & coding paths, & snow! If you're after creative explorations of important data stories, 👉 kontinentalist.com
"Actually, I'll be in Edinburgh soon. Let's do coffee!"
Lovely to catch up with @hellopeiying.bsky.social today. Career & coding paths, & snow! If you're after creative explorations of important data stories, 👉 kontinentalist.com
Kontinentalist - We tell data-driven stories about Asia.
Kontinentalist tells data-driven stories about Asia that cut through the noise, bridging the gap between research and the public.
kontinentalist.com
November 25, 2024 at 1:34 PM
"I loved your talk. Can we stay in touch and keep chatting dataviz?"
"Actually, I'll be in Edinburgh soon. Let's do coffee!"
Lovely to catch up with @hellopeiying.bsky.social today. Career & coding paths, & snow! If you're after creative explorations of important data stories, 👉 kontinentalist.com
"Actually, I'll be in Edinburgh soon. Let's do coffee!"
Lovely to catch up with @hellopeiying.bsky.social today. Career & coding paths, & snow! If you're after creative explorations of important data stories, 👉 kontinentalist.com
"I really like the overall look, but I'm finding it hard to tell the difference between the turquoise and the green - is it possible to redo all the graphs with a different colour?"
A happy reminder of the joy of setting up colours sensibly when creating dataviz with #rstats. Thank you past self!
A happy reminder of the joy of setting up colours sensibly when creating dataviz with #rstats. Thank you past self!
November 22, 2024 at 11:25 AM
"I really like the overall look, but I'm finding it hard to tell the difference between the turquoise and the green - is it possible to redo all the graphs with a different colour?"
A happy reminder of the joy of setting up colours sensibly when creating dataviz with #rstats. Thank you past self!
A happy reminder of the joy of setting up colours sensibly when creating dataviz with #rstats. Thank you past self!
This looks like a brilliant resource. Thanks for highlighting it!
i think you’d really like the options with color buddy- lots of built in tests, you create your own tests, and maybe the most useful genai feature i’ve ever seen to adjust colors. good preview options as well color-buddy.netlify.app
Color Buddy
color-buddy.netlify.app
November 20, 2024 at 9:46 AM
This looks like a brilliant resource. Thanks for highlighting it!
Reposted by Cara Thompson
November 19, 2024 at 11:00 AM
I often talk about choosing colours for #dataviz with #accessibility in mind, but in yesterday's workshop, I was asked a question that came from a different starting point:
"I'm colourblind. Are there any tools you can point me to that will help me know if colours look good together?"
"I'm colourblind. Are there any tools you can point me to that will help me know if colours look good together?"
November 19, 2024 at 10:09 AM
I often talk about choosing colours for #dataviz with #accessibility in mind, but in yesterday's workshop, I was asked a question that came from a different starting point:
"I'm colourblind. Are there any tools you can point me to that will help me know if colours look good together?"
"I'm colourblind. Are there any tools you can point me to that will help me know if colours look good together?"
I really enjoyed today's #dataviz workshop with The Data Lab - Innovation Centre. The recording is out already!
I've uploaded it along with the slides and possibly the most comprehensive set of tool-agnostic resources I've compiled to date.
www.cararthompson.com/talks/datala...
I've uploaded it along with the slides and possibly the most comprehensive set of tool-agnostic resources I've compiled to date.
www.cararthompson.com/talks/datala...
November 18, 2024 at 9:14 PM
I really enjoyed today's #dataviz workshop with The Data Lab - Innovation Centre. The recording is out already!
I've uploaded it along with the slides and possibly the most comprehensive set of tool-agnostic resources I've compiled to date.
www.cararthompson.com/talks/datala...
I've uploaded it along with the slides and possibly the most comprehensive set of tool-agnostic resources I've compiled to date.
www.cararthompson.com/talks/datala...
Last open workshop of the year for me: a tool-agnostic 45 min whistle-stop tour of ways to elevate your dataviz.
The focus is on crafting better versions of "normal" visualisations, with lots of signposting to resources.
Today 12.30 UK time. See you there!
community.thedatalab.com/networks/eve...
The focus is on crafting better versions of "normal" visualisations, with lots of signposting to resources.
Today 12.30 UK time. See you there!
community.thedatalab.com/networks/eve...
More Than Pretty Graphs: Tips, Tricks, and Resources to Elevate Your Dataviz
Graphs should be making your life easier as you present data. The more intuitive they are, the quicker you can move to commenting on the story, and the more people are likely to keep talking about you...
community.thedatalab.com
November 18, 2024 at 9:47 AM
Last open workshop of the year for me: a tool-agnostic 45 min whistle-stop tour of ways to elevate your dataviz.
The focus is on crafting better versions of "normal" visualisations, with lots of signposting to resources.
Today 12.30 UK time. See you there!
community.thedatalab.com/networks/eve...
The focus is on crafting better versions of "normal" visualisations, with lots of signposting to resources.
Today 12.30 UK time. See you there!
community.thedatalab.com/networks/eve...
Heading home from #cestlaviz with a head full of ideas and a heart encouraged by such a vibrant community asking important questions about the role of #dataviz, and doing so in style.
Thank you for a brilliant conference!
Thank you for a brilliant conference!
November 15, 2024 at 6:50 PM
Heading home from #cestlaviz with a head full of ideas and a heart encouraged by such a vibrant community asking important questions about the role of #dataviz, and doing so in style.
Thank you for a brilliant conference!
Thank you for a brilliant conference!