Themes are capable of making a plot more attractive and/or suitable. When we speak about ggplot2
, the default themes are actually very good as data exploration material, but not so suitable for publication and a wide variety of tweaks must go on in order to improve quality.
Much of this is done under the theme()
function. An alternative way to go is to use theming packages instead. There are tons of these available; consider using them for exploratory purposes as they don't require a lot of extra work. With a single function, you can set the same theme from The Economist, for example. This chapter will demonstrate how to use a bunch of theming packages.
You can also make the plot funnier with themes like Twitter or Google. Consider setting an Easter egg into your plot by using a color scale based on The Simpsons or Rick and Morty TV show. Last but not least, use wonderful fonts that improve your plot in a very detailed yet important way; do this with the Master Rudis' package...