With ggplot2 - the ubiquitous tool for making plots in R - you can create beautiful data visualizations without doing much to the defaults. By applying the template below (see R for Data Science), adding a theme (e.g., theme_light()), and giving your chart custom labels, you can have a publication-ready visualization.
ggplot(data = <DATA>) + <GEOM_FUNCTION>( mapping = aes(<MAPPINGS>), stat = <STAT>, position = <POSITION> ) + <COORDINATE_FUNCTION> + <FACET_FUNCTION> But the more I pay attention to how people respond to visualizations, the more I realize how minor improvements can make a major difference.