Can I create a custom shape legend when I'm not using geom_point

[ron]

Hi everyone,

I have used hexagons to mimic texture/pattern on a map drawn with ggplot. These hexagons are added as a sf object (intersection with the map sf object). This is working quite nicely, and I thought I would be able to use scale_shape_manual to create a legend with a white hexagon and a label.

But I can't get it to work. A very simple reprex follows, the map is irrelevant to the query so I've just plotted a line and then want to add a shape legend.

• I don't want the points to be visible having provided the hexagons elsewhere, but I think the geom_point might be required (colour = NA removes the shape from both the plot and the legend).
• I thought I could use the unicode horizontal hexagon character, '\u2B23', but it isn't rendering. Font issue? I can't see how I can specify a font for a shape, eg in theme().

Any thoughts?

library(tidyverse)
DF <- tibble(x = c(1, 2), y = c(1, 2), z = 'a')
ggplot(DF, aes(x = x, y = y, shape = z)) +
 geom_line() +
 # 'dummy' geom_point - I don't want the points, just to be
 # able to create a shape legend
 geom_point() +
 scale_shape_manual(values = '\u2B23', label = '<k', name = '')

^{Created on 2019-03-11 by the reprex package (v0.2.1)}

Thanks,
Ron.

[ron]

If it is not possible to use scale_shape_manual() to generate a custom legend, could I create a grob and position that outside of the plotting panel, below the fill legend (my maps have fills)?

If so, how would I go about it? Can I find the size of the elements I am mimicking (legend boxes, text etc)? I'm guessing it is in the ggplot object.

But how about positioning?

Just trying to think of alternatives which someone might have experience of.