The Neglected Detail

This week I teamed up with Cédric Scherer to work on the third module of our ggplot2 uncharted project.

We just released a new lesson on a part of the chart that many people overlook: the title.

The Neglected Detail

You probably know the feeling. You spend hours polishing a graphic. You are tired but happy with the result. The last step is the title and you think it will only take a few seconds.

But treating the title as an afterthought is a mistake! A good one elevates the entire piece and deserves real attention.

Look at how the chart below becomes far more polished once the title is done properly.

A few rules

0️⃣ Add a title 🤷‍♂️
It is the first thing readers see. Use it to catch their attention and give them a reason to stay.

1️⃣ Tell a story, not a description
Skip titles like “Evolution of y along x.”
Go for something short and meaningful that captures the key insight such as “y spiked in 2018.”

2️⃣ Add a subtitle
Use it to bring context, set expectations, or expand on the idea without cluttering the main title.

3️⃣ Use design hierarchy
Guide the eye.
Title: biggest and boldest.
Subtitle: slightly smaller and clearly second.
Text inside the chart: lighter so it does not compete.

4️⃣ Mind alignment
This is the tip I repeat the most in the #share-your-viz channels of my courses, where students share their work.
Good design relies on things lining up. Left aligning title and subtitle with the chart area is almost always the safest choice.

5️⃣ Check spacing and line height
Consistent spacing keeps the layout clean and pleasant to read.

6️⃣ Add margin
A bit of air around the plot makes it look more polished and gives the title space to shine.

Looking for inspiration?

A great way to learn is to study the work of creators who excel at this.

My Dataviz Inspiration website showcases many examples that use these exact principles from sources like The Economist and the Financial Times.

Here are a few examples with good titles using the tips listed above!

That is it! I hope this gives you the motivation to give a bit more attention to your next title so you can hook more readers and produce charts that look more polished.

If you want to explore past issues of this newsletter with more tips like this, you can find them all here.

See you next week!
Yan