Abstract This article discusses ggplot2, an open source R package, based on a grammatical theory of graphics. The underlying theory has been discussed in depth elsewhere so this article illustrates some of the consequences of the theory for creating new graphics, the importance of programmable graphics, and the rich ecosystem that has grown up around ggplot2. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 180–185 DOI: 10.1002/wics.147 This article is categorized under: Software for Computational Statistics > Software/Statistical Software Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Statistical Graphics and Visualization