Developing Your Data Visualisation Skills in ggplot2

Workshop with Nicola Rennie

In this session, data visualisation specialist Nicola Rennie guided participants through the process of developing a complete ggplot2 visualisation—from data exploration to final design polish—using the TidyTuesday cats dataset.

Registered Attendees (430)

On November 2, 2025, R-Ladies Rome hosted Developing Your Data Visualisation Skills in ggplot2, an engaging and creative session led by Nicola Rennie, Data Visualisation Specialist and author of “The Art of Visualization with ggplot2”.

🐈 Workshop Overview

Nicola walked participants through the entire process of building a data visualisation in R with ggplot2, starting from a brand new dataset — the popular TidyTuesday cats dataset. Throughout the session, she demonstrated how to explore data, sketch visual ideas, and refine designs to communicate insights clearly and beautifully.

Participants learned how to customise plots with themes, colours, and fonts, transforming simple graphics into polished, publication-ready visualisations.

🎥 Recording

🎬 Watch the Recording

Whether you’re new to data visualisation or looking to refine your creative process, this talk offers practical steps and artistic inspiration to enhance your ggplot2 workflow.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• How to move from data exploration to final design using ggplot2
• Techniques for customising fonts, colours, and layouts
• Ways to create aesthetic yet effective visualisations that communicate clearly

📦 Resources & Materials

• Nicola’s code examples and resources: https://nrennie.rbind.io/talks/rladies-rome-ggplot2/slides.html
• R-Ladies Rome event details: https://www.meetup.com/rladies-rome
• Connect with Nicola on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-rennie/

🔊 About the Speaker

Nicola Rennie is a data visualisation specialist with a background in statistics and data science. She focuses on how to communicate complex quantitative ideas effectively using open-source tools, including R, D3, and Svelte. Nicola is the author of The Art of Visualization with ggplot2, co-author of the Royal Statistical Society’s Best Practices for Data Visualisation, and serves on the Editorial Board of Significance magazine.

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