Pattern Catalog

Vertical Bar Chart

Classic vertical bars for categorical comparisons. Categories on the x-axis, values on the y-axis.

Best for: Comparing values across a small number of categories.

Horizontal Bar Chart

Horizontal bars for categorical comparisons. Ideal when category labels are long or there are many categories.

Best for: Ranked lists, long labels, many categories.

Diverging Bar

Bars that extend in both positive and negative directions from a baseline.

Best for: Sentiment, approval ratings, deviation from target.

Slope Chart

Two points per entity connected by a line showing change between two time points.

Best for: Before/after comparisons, two-period change.

Connected Dot Plot

Two dots per category connected by a line. The gap is the story.

Best for: Budget vs actual, male vs female, two-metric comparison.

Bump Chart

Rank lines over time. Shows who rose and who fell.

Best for: Rankings, standings, leaderboard progression.

Lollipop Chart

Circles on sticks — a cleaner bar chart that reduces ink and draws the eye to values.

Best for: Ranked comparisons with cleaner visual weight than bars.

Bullet Chart

Compact bar with target marker and qualitative ranges for KPI dashboards.

Best for: Actual vs target with contextual performance ranges.

Grouped Bar Chart

Side-by-side bars within each category for direct sub-group comparison.

Best for: Comparing multiple metrics per category side by side.

Waterfall Chart

Floating bars showing how an initial value is affected by sequential positive and negative changes.

Best for: Financial statements, budget breakdowns, cumulative impact.

Distribution

7 patterns

Histogram

Frequency distribution of a single numeric variable.

Best for: Understanding value distributions, finding patterns.

Beeswarm

Individual dots arranged to avoid overlap, showing the full distribution.

Best for: Small-to-medium datasets where every point matters.

Violin Plot

Mirrored density curves showing distribution shape.

Best for: Comparing distributions across groups.

Ridgeline

Overlapping density plots for many groups.

Best for: Showing distribution changes over time or groups.

Strip Plot

Jittered dots along a single axis by group.

Best for: Quick distribution overview for grouped data.

Box Plot

Five-number summary (min, Q1, median, Q3, max) plus outliers for each group.

Best for: Comparing spread and center across groups.

Density Plot

Smooth continuous curve estimating the probability density function.

Best for: Visualizing the shape of a single distribution.

Composition

9 patterns

Stacked Bar

Bars subdivided into segments showing composition.

Best for: Part-of-whole across categories.

Waffle Chart

10x10 grid of squares showing proportions.

Best for: Precise part-of-whole (every square = 1%).

Treemap

Nested rectangles sized by value for hierarchical data.

Best for: Hierarchical composition with size encoding.

Sunburst

Concentric rings showing hierarchical relationships.

Best for: Drill-down hierarchies.

Circle Pack

Nested circles showing hierarchical containment with size encoding.

Best for: Hierarchies where containment matters more than precision.

Metric Card

Large number display with label, trend arrow, and sparkline.

Best for: KPI dashboards, single-number highlights.

Donut Chart

Ring chart with a center space for a total or label.

Best for: Part-of-whole for 2-5 slices with a key number.

Marimekko Chart

Variable-width stacked bars where both width and height encode data.

Best for: Market share by segment and category.

Icicle Chart

Rectangular partition layout showing hierarchy top-to-bottom.

Best for: Hierarchical data where precise size comparison matters.

Time

7 patterns

Line Chart

Connected points over time showing trends.

Best for: Time series trends, continuous data.

Area Chart

Filled area under a line emphasizing volume over time.

Best for: Time series where magnitude matters, stacked compositions over time.

Small Multiples

Repeated mini-charts, one per group, sharing the same axes.

Best for: Comparing trends across many groups.

Sparkline Grid

Tiny inline charts in a table layout.

Best for: Dashboard overviews, KPI summaries.

Calendar Heatmap

Daily values mapped to calendar grid cells.

Best for: Activity patterns, seasonal effects.

Stream Graph

Stacked area chart with a flowing, organic baseline.

Best for: Showing composition evolution with aesthetic emphasis.

Horizon Chart

Layered, folded area chart that compresses vertical space.

Best for: Comparing many time series in minimal vertical space.

Relationship

5 patterns

Scatter Plot

Two quantitative variables plotted as points.

Best for: Correlation, clusters, outliers.

Connected Scatter

Scatter plot with points connected in sequence.

Best for: Trajectories, evolution of two variables over time.

Parallel Coordinates

Polylines across parallel vertical axes.

Best for: Multi-dimensional pattern discovery.

Radar Chart

Radial axes with filled area for multi-metric profiles.

Best for: Comparing profiles across 4-8 dimensions.

Heatmap

Matrix of colored cells encoding values at row-column intersections.

Best for: Correlation matrices, time-of-day patterns, dense comparisons.

Flow

4 patterns

Sankey Diagram

Weighted flow connections between nodes.

Best for: Budget flows, energy transfers, user journeys.

Alluvial Diagram

Flows between categorical stages.

Best for: Category transitions over time, migration patterns.

Chord Diagram

Circular layout showing interconnections between entities.

Best for: Mutual flows, trade relationships.