Fancy graphics: Small multiples carpentry

Session

Using 'small multiples' in data visualization and statistical graphics consists in combining repeated, small-sized diagrams to display variations in data patterns or associations across a series of units. Sometimes the small multiples are mere replications of identical plots, but with different plot elements highlighted. Small displays are typically arranged on a grid and the overall appearance is, as Tufte puts it, akin to the sequence of frames of a movie when ordering follows a time dimension. Creating diagrams for use in gridded 'small multiples' is easy with Stata's graphics combination commands. The grid pattern can however be limiting. The talk will present tips and tricks for building small multiple diagrams and illustrate some coding strategies for arranging individual frames in the most flexible way, opening up some creative possibilities of data visualization.