Streamgraph
Organic flowing layers around a central baseline that show volume changes across categories over time.
Music Genre Popularity
1970 to 2009 — organic flow around a central baseline
View data (70 rows)
| Year | Popularity | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 75 | Rock |
| 1970 | 5 | Disco |
| 1970 | 35 | Pop |
| 1970 | 0 | Hip-Hop |
| 1970 | 4 | Electronic |
| 1973 | 85 | Rock |
| 1973 | 25 | Disco |
| 1973 | 40 | Pop |
| 1973 | 0 | Hip-Hop |
| 1973 | 8 | Electronic |
| 1976 | 80 | Rock |
| 1976 | 70 | Disco |
| 1976 | 45 | Pop |
| 1976 | 2 | Hip-Hop |
| 1976 | 12 | Electronic |
| 1979 | 70 | Rock |
| 1979 | 90 | Disco |
| 1979 | 50 | Pop |
| 1979 | 6 | Hip-Hop |
| 1979 | 18 | Electronic |
| 1982 | 65 | Rock |
| 1982 | 40 | Disco |
| 1982 | 75 | Pop |
| 1982 | 12 | Hip-Hop |
| 1982 | 28 | Electronic |
| 1985 | 60 | Rock |
| 1985 | 15 | Disco |
| 1985 | 90 | Pop |
| 1985 | 22 | Hip-Hop |
| 1985 | 35 | Electronic |
| 1988 | 55 | Rock |
| 1988 | 5 | Disco |
| 1988 | 85 | Pop |
| 1988 | 38 | Hip-Hop |
| 1988 | 42 | Electronic |
| 1991 | 70 | Rock |
| 1991 | 0 | Disco |
| 1991 | 70 | Pop |
| 1991 | 55 | Hip-Hop |
| 1991 | 50 | Electronic |
| 1994 | 65 | Rock |
| 1994 | 0 | Disco |
| 1994 | 65 | Pop |
| 1994 | 70 | Hip-Hop |
| 1994 | 60 | Electronic |
| 1997 | 50 | Rock |
| 1997 | 0 | Disco |
| 1997 | 80 | Pop |
| 1997 | 80 | Hip-Hop |
| 1997 | 72 | Electronic |
| 2000 | 40 | Rock |
| 2000 | 0 | Disco |
| 2000 | 95 | Pop |
| 2000 | 88 | Hip-Hop |
| 2000 | 80 | Electronic |
| 2003 | 35 | Rock |
| 2003 | 0 | Disco |
| 2003 | 85 | Pop |
| 2003 | 92 | Hip-Hop |
| 2003 | 70 | Electronic |
| 2006 | 28 | Rock |
| 2006 | 0 | Disco |
| 2006 | 72 | Pop |
| 2006 | 85 | Hip-Hop |
| 2006 | 78 | Electronic |
| 2009 | 22 | Rock |
| 2009 | 0 | Disco |
| 2009 | 78 | Pop |
| 2009 | 78 | Hip-Hop |
| 2009 | 88 | Electronic |
Use a streamgraph when…
- Showing volume changes aesthetically
- Music/media popularity over time
- When organic feel suits the data
Avoid when…
- Precise reading of individual values
- When exact boundaries matter
Data it needs
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Min Rows | 8 |
| Min Columns | 3 |
| Column Types | stringstringnumber |
Visual anatomy
Guiding principles
- PerceptionPreattentive Processing
Color highlights different streams
- DesignData-Ink Ratio
Minimize gridlines; the organic shape is the data
- PerceptionGestalt Grouping
Order layers so the most stable streams sit closest to the central baseline — volatile layers near the edges keep their wiggles from distorting the rest
Consider instead
Common mistakes
Too many layers
Using for data that needs precision
History
Developed by Byron and Wattenberg at NYT (2008) for movie box office visualization.
Accessibility notes
Provide a data table and label the largest streams directly inside the chart so the dominant categories read without consulting the legend.
Related reading
Got data? Let's see what works.
Drop your CSV. You'll get a Streamgraph plus four alternatives - ranked by which one actually fits your data best.