---
title: "Diverging palettes"
output: rmarkdown::html_vignette
vignette: >
%\VignetteIndexEntry{Diverging palettes}
%\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown}
%\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8}
---
```{r setup, include = FALSE}
knitr::opts_chunk$set(
collapse = TRUE,
comment = "#>",
fig.width = 7, fig.height = 4, dpi = 150,
out.width = "100%"
)
palette_viewer <- function(pal_name) {
pal <- circadia::circadia_palette(pal_name)
nms <- if (is.null(names(pal))) paste0("stop ", seq_along(pal)) else names(pal)
cols <- unname(pal)
swatches <- mapply(function(col, nm) {
r <- strtoi(substr(col, 2, 3), 16L)
g <- strtoi(substr(col, 4, 5), 16L)
b <- strtoi(substr(col, 6, 7), 16L)
lum <- (0.299 * r + 0.587 * g + 0.114 * b) / 255
tc <- if (lum > 0.55) "#333333" else "#ffffff"
sprintf(
'
%s
',
col, col, tc, col, col
)
}, cols, nms, SIMPLIFY = TRUE)
htmltools::HTML(sprintf(
'%s
',
paste(swatches, collapse = "\n")
))
}
```
```{r, message = FALSE}
library(circadia)
library(ggplot2)
```
Diverging palettes are designed for **continuous data with a meaningful
midpoint** — typically zero, or a reference value such as a group mean.
The colour transitions outward from a neutral centre in two directions,
making positive and negative departures immediately distinguishable.
circadia provides two diverging palettes:
| Palette | Hue strategy | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| `diverging` | Multi-hue — blue → teal → antique white → amber → coral | Figures where maximum contrast across the full range matters |
| `diverging_simple` | Single-axis interpolation — deep blue → antique white → coral | Smaller figures, print, or when chromatic noise should be minimised |
## `diverging` — complex
Nine stops, multi-hue. High perceptual contrast across the full range.
```{r div-complex-viewer, echo = FALSE, results = "asis"}
palette_viewer("diverging")
```
```{r div-complex-heatmap, fig.alt = "Correlation heatmap of mtcars variables using the diverging palette"}
# Correlation matrix
vars <- c("mpg", "cyl", "disp", "hp", "drat", "wt", "qsec")
cor_mat <- cor(mtcars[, vars])
cor_df <- data.frame(
Var1 = rep(vars, each = length(vars)),
Var2 = rep(vars, times = length(vars)),
value = as.vector(cor_mat)
)
ggplot(cor_df, aes(Var1, Var2, fill = value)) +
geom_tile(colour = "white", linewidth = 0.5) +
geom_text(aes(label = round(value, 2)), size = 3, colour = "white") +
scale_fill_circadia_c("diverging", limits = c(-1, 1)) +
labs(title = "Motor Trend — variable correlations",
fill = "r", x = NULL, y = NULL) +
theme_circadia(grid = "none") +
theme(axis.text.x = element_text(angle = 45, hjust = 1))
```
## `diverging_simple` — simple
Seven stops, direct blue → antique white → coral interpolation. Lower
chromatic complexity — cleaner on small multiples or in print.
```{r div-simple-viewer, echo = FALSE, results = "asis"}
palette_viewer("diverging_simple")
```
```{r div-simple-heatmap, fig.alt = "Correlation heatmap using the diverging_simple palette"}
ggplot(cor_df, aes(Var1, Var2, fill = value)) +
geom_tile(colour = "white", linewidth = 0.5) +
geom_text(aes(label = round(value, 2)), size = 3, colour = "#333333") +
scale_fill_circadia_c("diverging_simple", limits = c(-1, 1)) +
labs(title = "Motor Trend — variable correlations (simple palette)",
fill = "r", x = NULL, y = NULL) +
theme_circadia(grid = "none") +
theme(axis.text.x = element_text(angle = 45, hjust = 1))
```
## Side-by-side comparison
```{r div-compare, fig.width = 9, fig.height = 3.5, fig.alt = "Side by side comparison of diverging and diverging_simple on a z-score heatmap"}
library(patchwork)
# Standardised sleep-like data: z-scores across a small grid
set.seed(42)
grid_df <- expand.grid(x = 1:12, y = 1:8)
grid_df$z <- as.vector(scale(rnorm(96, mean = grid_df$x - 6, sd = 2)))
make_tile <- function(pal) {
ggplot(grid_df, aes(x, y, fill = z)) +
geom_tile() +
scale_fill_circadia_c(pal, limits = c(-3, 3)) +
labs(title = paste0('palette = "', pal, '"'), x = NULL, y = NULL, fill = "z") +
theme_circadia(grid = "none") +
theme(axis.text = element_blank(), axis.ticks = element_blank())
}
make_tile("diverging") | make_tile("diverging_simple")
```
## Controlling limits and midpoints
Use the `limits` argument (passed to `scale_fill_gradientn()`) to pin the
palette midpoint to a specific value:
```{r limits, eval = FALSE}
# Centre the palette at 0 with symmetric limits
scale_fill_circadia_c("diverging", limits = c(-1, 1))
# Asymmetric data — still centre at 0
scale_fill_circadia_c("diverging", limits = c(-3, 3))
```