Small Multiples

Small multiples are a grid of many small charts that all share the same axes and scale, with each panel showing one slice of the data — one country, one product, one year. Because every panel is drawn identically, your eye can scan across the grid and compare shapes directly, just as you would compare frames in a comic strip.

They are the clean alternative to cramming a dozen overlapping lines onto one chart, where everything turns into a tangled mess nicknamed a spaghetti chart. The one non-negotiable rule is that all panels must use the same scale; if each panel silently rescales itself, the visual comparison becomes a lie because a tiny bump and a huge spike could look the same size.