Report Design in R: Small Tweaks that Make a Big Difference

In August 2024, I spoke at posit::conf about doing report design in R. As I say in the talk, I never thought I'd become known for making nicely designed PDFs, but it's one thing we at R for the Rest of Us have become known for in the R world. 

The talk, titled Report Design in R: Small Tweaks that Make a Big Difference, was a great chance for me to share some of the things we've learned about making good reports, focusing on consistency, avoiding defaults, and incorporating brand elements like colors and fonts. I also give a demo of using Typst with Quarto to make nice-looking reports. In the end, what I hoped to convince the audience was that small tweaks can make a big difference and significantly enhance the aesthetics and usability of reports.

Talk Highlights

Here are some of the highlights of my talk:

• Introduction to R for Reporting: I explain his transition from using Microsoft products to R for creating reports, highlighting the benefits of reproducibility and automation.

• Importance of Design: I argue that good design is crucial for usability and trust, citing the aesthetic usability effect, which suggests that well-designed reports are perceived as more useful.

• Consistency: Maintain consistent layouts and styles across reports.

• Avoid Defaults: Customize beyond default settings in tools like Quarto and ggplot to enhance visual appeal.

• Creating a Report Layout: I demonstrate how to set up a report layout using Typst, including defining brand colors and fonts.

• Using Functions for Consistency: I show how to create functions in R to ensure consistent styling across plots and elements within reports.

• Customization with Brand Elements: I emphasize the use of brand colors and fonts to align reports with organizational identity.

• Practical Demonstration: The video includes a step-by-step guide on using Typst and Quarto to create a sample report, illustrating the integration of design principles.