A Mini Post on Small Multiples

Small multiples certainly struck me as a confusing term the first time I heard it, so let’s jump straight into an explanation of what we’ll be talking about in this post to keep it short and sweet. Small multiples are a type of chart that consists of a compilation of miniature charts. Small multiples may contain bar, line, or pie charts among others, but the type of chart will be the same throughout a small multiples visualization. For example, Figure A below only contains bar charts, and we wouldn’t want to interrupt that with a different type of chart, or even a different bar chart layout. Keeping everything consistent is what makes small multiples easy to read. Creating a small multiples chart is a great way to break down multiple dimensions of information without overcomplicating or overcrowding a single chart. Let’s take a closer look at one…

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