Overview
Using functions that automatically apply a set of formatting options to plots and tables saves time, allowing us to focus on the analysis and interpretation. Code will also look much cleaner when those ~10 repeated lines of ggplot for each plot are automated away. Importantly, these functions also ensure a polished and consistent appearance across our team, so that outputs look the same irrespective of who generated it.
All theming functions host a variety of other options that can further tweak the overall look of plots and tables (including colours).
The Kids Colours
Colours, consistent with “The Kids” brand guidelines, can be accessed
directly via thekidsbiostats::thekids_colours:
#> Saffron Pumpkin Teal DarkTeal CelestialBlue
#> "#F1B434" "#F56B00" "#00A39C" "#00807A" "#4A99DE"
#> AzureBlue MidnightBlue Saffron50 Pumpkin50 Teal50
#> "#426EA8" "#1F3B73" "#F8DA9A" "#FAB580" "#80D1CE"
#> CelestialBlue50 MidnightBlue50 CoolGrey CoolGrey50 CoolGrey20
#> "#A5CCEF" "#8F9DB9" "#565F5F" "#ABAFAF" "#EEEFEF"
Example Usage
> thekids_theme
The thekids_theme function applies consistent theming to
ggplot2 visualisations. It uses a clean, minimal aesthetic with fonts
and colours that align with “The Kids” branding. Here’s an example of a
plot before-and-after theming:
ggplot(mtcars,
aes(x = mpg, y = wt, col = factor(cyl))) +
geom_point(size = 3) +
labs(x = "Miles per Gallon", y = "Weight", col = "Cylinders")
ggplot(mtcars,
aes(x = mpg, y = wt, col = factor(cyl))) +
geom_point(size = 3) +
labs(x = "Miles per Gallon", y = "Weight", col = "Cylinders") +
thekids_theme()
Miles better! And as simple as just adding one line of code:
thekids_theme().
> thekids_table
thekids_table produces tables styled with The Kids
branding and is powered by the flextable
package. By default, this function applies the Barlow font, compact
formatting (our preference!), and zebra-striping for readability. Note
that these can all be altered/disabled via parameters (see
?thekids_table documentation).
For example, a raw table output from the mtcars dataset looks like this:
head(mtcars, 5)
#> mpg cyl disp hp drat wt qsec vs am gear carb
#> Mazda RX4 21.0 6 160 110 3.90 2.620 16.46 0 1 4 4
#> Mazda RX4 Wag 21.0 6 160 110 3.90 2.875 17.02 0 1 4 4
#> Datsun 710 22.8 4 108 93 3.85 2.320 18.61 1 1 4 1
#> Hornet 4 Drive 21.4 6 258 110 3.08 3.215 19.44 1 0 3 1
#> Hornet Sportabout 18.7 8 360 175 3.15 3.440 17.02 0 0 3 2Now, applying thekids_table transforms it into a clean,
visually appealing format with branded elements:
head(mtcars, 5) %>%
thekids_table(colour = "Saffron", font.size = 10)mpg |
cyl |
disp |
hp |
drat |
wt |
qsec |
vs |
am |
gear |
carb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21.0 |
6 |
160 |
110 |
3.90 |
2.620 |
16.46 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
21.0 |
6 |
160 |
110 |
3.90 |
2.875 |
17.02 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
22.8 |
4 |
108 |
93 |
3.85 |
2.320 |
18.61 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
21.4 |
6 |
258 |
110 |
3.08 |
3.215 |
19.44 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
18.7 |
8 |
360 |
175 |
3.15 |
3.440 |
17.02 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
This outputs a compact, zebra-striped table ready to be added to any Word or HTML reports.
The padding and striped options can be
changed if we would prefer more space and to lose the stripes:
head(mtcars, 5) %>%
thekids_table(colour = "Saffron",
font.size = 10,
padding = 4,
striped = F)mpg |
cyl |
disp |
hp |
drat |
wt |
qsec |
vs |
am |
gear |
carb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21.0 |
6 |
160 |
110 |
3.90 |
2.620 |
16.46 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
21.0 |
6 |
160 |
110 |
3.90 |
2.875 |
17.02 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
22.8 |
4 |
108 |
93 |
3.85 |
2.320 |
18.61 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
21.4 |
6 |
258 |
110 |
3.08 |
3.215 |
19.44 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
18.7 |
8 |
360 |
175 |
3.15 |
3.440 |
17.02 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |