hex-logo

name	hex-logo
description	Create professional hexagonal package logos using hexSticker with Google Fonts, proper dimensions, and automated generation scripts

Hexagonal Package Logo Creation

This skill covers creating professional hexagonal package logos using the hexSticker package. Hex logos are the standard branding for R packages, featured on package websites, GitHub repos, and CRAN pages.

Rules

1. Standard dimensions: 5.08cm x 4.39cm (2 x 1.73 inches) for consistency
2. Use hexSticker package for proper proportions and formatting
3. Generate with script in man/figures/generate_logo.R (reproducible)
4. Exclude script from build via .Rbuildignore
5. Output both PNG and SVG formats (PNG for README, SVG for print)
6. Use Google Fonts with showtext for custom typography
7. Match package identity with appropriate colors and imagery
8. Keep it simple - logos should work at small sizes
9. Add to README with proper alignment and alt text
10. Version control logos (commit PNG/SVG, not temporary files)

Installation and Setup

Required Packages

# Install hexSticker and dependencies
install.packages("hexSticker")
install.packages("showtext")  # For Google Fonts
install.packages("ggplot2")   # For custom plots
install.packages("magick")    # For image manipulation

# Load packages
library(hexSticker)
library(showtext)
library(ggplot2)

Standard Hex Dimensions

Official Specifications

• Width: 5.08 cm (2 inches)
• Height: 4.39 cm (1.73 inches)
• Aspect ratio: ~1.15:1
• DPI: 300 for print, 72 for web (hexSticker uses default appropriate for each)

These are set automatically by hexSticker.

Basic Hex Sticker Creation

Minimal Example (Text Only)

library(hexSticker)

sticker(
  # Required: subplot (can be empty plot)
  subplot = ~ plot.new(),
  # Package name
  package = "mypackage",
  # Package name styling
  p_size = 20,           # Font size
  p_color = "#FFFFFF",   # White text
  # Hex styling
  h_fill = "#0054AD",    # Fill color
  h_color = "#000000",   # Border color
  # Output
  filename = "man/figures/logo.png"
)

With Image Subplot

library(hexSticker)

# Using an existing image
img_path <- "man/figures/icon.png"

sticker(
  subplot = img_path,
  s_x = 1,               # Center horizontally
  s_y = 0.75,            # Position vertically
  s_width = 0.6,         # Image width
  s_height = 0.6,        # Image height
  package = "mypackage",
  p_size = 20,
  p_y = 1.45,            # Position below image
  p_color = "#FFFFFF",
  h_fill = "#0054AD",
  h_color = "#000000",
  filename = "man/figures/logo.png"
)

With ggplot2 Subplot

library(hexSticker)
library(ggplot2)

# Create a plot
p <- ggplot(mtcars, aes(mpg, wt)) +
  geom_point(color = "white", size = 2) +
  theme_void() +
  theme_transparent()

# Create sticker
sticker(
  subplot = p,
  s_x = 1,
  s_y = 0.85,
  s_width = 1.3,
  s_height = 1,
  package = "mypackage",
  p_size = 20,
  p_y = 1.5,
  p_color = "#FFFFFF",
  h_fill = "#0054AD",
  h_color = "#FFFFFF",
  h_size = 1.5,
  filename = "man/figures/logo.png",
  dpi = 300
)

Google Fonts Integration

Using showtext for Custom Fonts

library(hexSticker)
library(showtext)

# Add Google Fonts
font_add_google("Fira Sans", "firasans")
font_add_google("Fira Code", "firacode")

# Enable showtext
showtext_auto()

# Create sticker with custom font
sticker(
  subplot = ~ plot.new(),
  package = "mypackage",
  p_size = 24,
  p_family = "firasans",       # Use Google Font
  p_fontface = "bold",
  p_color = "#FFFFFF",
  h_fill = "#0054AD",
  h_color = "#000000",
  filename = "man/figures/logo.png",
  dpi = 300
)

Popular Font Combinations

# Modern and clean
font_add_google("Inter", "inter")
font_add_google("JetBrains Mono", "jetbrains")

# Professional
font_add_google("Roboto", "roboto")
font_add_google("Roboto Slab", "robotoslab")

# Friendly
font_add_google("Nunito", "nunito")
font_add_google("Quicksand", "quicksand")

# Technical
font_add_google("Fira Sans", "firasans")
font_add_google("Fira Code", "firacode")

# Elegant
font_add_google("Lato", "lato")
font_add_google("Merriweather", "merriweather")

# Bold/Impact
font_add_google("Montserrat", "montserrat")
font_add_google("Bebas Neue", "bebas")

Complete Generation Script Template

man/figures/generate_logo.R

#!/usr/bin/env Rscript

# Hex sticker generation script for mypackage
# Run this script to regenerate the package logo

# Load required packages
library(hexSticker)
library(showtext)
library(ggplot2)

# Configuration
PACKAGE_NAME <- "mypackage"
OUTPUT_DIR <- "man/figures"

# Ensure output directory exists
if (!dir.exists(OUTPUT_DIR)) {
  dir.create(OUTPUT_DIR, recursive = TRUE)
}

# Add and configure fonts
font_add_google("Fira Sans", "firasans")
showtext_auto()

# Color scheme (adjust to match your package theme)
FILL_COLOR <- "#0054AD"      # Primary brand color
BORDER_COLOR <- "#000000"    # Black border
TEXT_COLOR <- "#FFFFFF"      # White text
ACCENT_COLOR <- "#FFA500"    # Orange accent

# Option 1: Text-only logo
# Uncomment to use
# sticker(
#   subplot = ~ plot.new(),
#   package = PACKAGE_NAME,
#   p_size = 24,
#   p_family = "firasans",
#   p_fontface = "bold",
#   p_color = TEXT_COLOR,
#   p_y = 1,
#   h_fill = FILL_COLOR,
#   h_color = BORDER_COLOR,
#   h_size = 1.5,
#   filename = file.path(OUTPUT_DIR, "logo.png"),
#   dpi = 300
# )

# Option 2: Logo with ggplot2 visualization
# Create a representative plot
set.seed(123)
plot_data <- data.frame(
  x = rnorm(100),
  y = rnorm(100)
)

p <- ggplot(plot_data, aes(x, y)) +
  geom_point(color = TEXT_COLOR, alpha = 0.6, size = 1.5) +
  geom_density_2d(color = ACCENT_COLOR, size = 0.8) +
  theme_void() +
  theme_transparent() +
  theme(
    legend.position = "none",
    panel.background = element_rect(fill = "transparent", color = NA),
    plot.background = element_rect(fill = "transparent", color = NA)
  )

# Create sticker with plot
sticker(
  subplot = p,
  s_x = 1,
  s_y = 0.85,
  s_width = 1.4,
  s_height = 1.1,
  package = PACKAGE_NAME,
  p_size = 20,
  p_family = "firasans",
  p_fontface = "bold",
  p_color = TEXT_COLOR,
  p_y = 1.5,
  h_fill = FILL_COLOR,
  h_color = BORDER_COLOR,
  h_size = 1.5,
  url = "github.com/username/mypackage",
  u_size = 3.5,
  u_color = TEXT_COLOR,
  u_family = "firasans",
  filename = file.path(OUTPUT_DIR, "logo.png"),
  dpi = 300
)

# Also generate SVG version
sticker(
  subplot = p,
  s_x = 1,
  s_y = 0.85,
  s_width = 1.4,
  s_height = 1.1,
  package = PACKAGE_NAME,
  p_size = 20,
  p_family = "firasans",
  p_fontface = "bold",
  p_color = TEXT_COLOR,
  p_y = 1.5,
  h_fill = FILL_COLOR,
  h_color = BORDER_COLOR,
  h_size = 1.5,
  url = "github.com/username/mypackage",
  u_size = 3.5,
  u_color = TEXT_COLOR,
  u_family = "firasans",
  filename = file.path(OUTPUT_DIR, "logo.svg")
)

message("Logo generated successfully:")
message("  PNG: ", file.path(OUTPUT_DIR, "logo.png"))
message("  SVG: ", file.path(OUTPUT_DIR, "logo.svg"))

Make Script Executable

chmod +x man/figures/generate_logo.R

Exclude from Package Build

Add to .Rbuildignore:

^man/figures/generate_logo\.R$

Or use usethis:

usethis::use_build_ignore("man/figures/generate_logo.R")

Comprehensive Parameter Reference

sticker() Parameters

Subplot Parameters

• subplot: Image path, ggplot object, or expression (required)
• s_x: Horizontal position (default: 1, center)
• s_y: Vertical position (default: 0.75)
• s_width: Width scaling (default: 0.4)
• s_height: Height scaling (default: 0.4)

Package Name Parameters

• package: Package name string
• p_x: Horizontal position (default: 1, center)
• p_y: Vertical position (default: 1.4, bottom)
• p_size: Font size (default: 8)
• p_color: Text color (default: "#FFFFFF")
• p_family: Font family (default: "sans")
• p_fontface: Font face: "plain", "bold", "italic", "bold.italic"

Hex Parameters

• h_fill: Fill color (default: "#1881C2")
• h_color: Border color (default: "#87B13F")
• h_size: Border width (default: 1.2)

Spotlight/White Space Parameters

• spotlight: Add spotlight effect (default: FALSE)
• l_x: Spotlight horizontal position
• l_y: Spotlight vertical position
• l_width: Spotlight width
• l_height: Spotlight height
• l_alpha: Spotlight transparency (0-1)

URL Parameters

• url: URL text to display at bottom
• u_x: URL horizontal position (default: 1)
• u_y: URL vertical position (default: 0.08)
• u_size: URL font size (default: 1.5)
• u_color: URL text color (default: "black")
• u_family: URL font family
• u_angle: URL text angle (default: 30)

Output Parameters

• filename: Output file path (required)
• dpi: Resolution for PNG (default: 300)
• asp: Aspect ratio override (usually omit)

Color Scheme Guidelines

Choosing Colors

Brand colors: Match your organization/project colors

Contrast: Ensure text is readable on background

Color theory:

• Complementary: Opposite on color wheel (high contrast)
• Analogous: Adjacent on color wheel (harmonious)
• Triadic: Three evenly spaced colors (balanced)

Color Palette Examples

# Tidyverse style (blue and green)
h_fill = "#1881C2"
h_color = "#87B13F"
p_color = "#FFFFFF"

# Professional blue
h_fill = "#0054AD"
h_color = "#003366"
p_color = "#FFFFFF"

# Bold red
h_fill = "#DC3545"
h_color = "#8B0000"
p_color = "#FFFFFF"

# Nature green