Part of the BI Blueprint design system

Template User Guide

Everything you need to customize and extend the BI Blueprint Power BI template. Learn how to apply themes, add icons, build new pages, and follow best practices.

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Getting Started

What's Included

The BI Blueprint template package contains everything you need to build professional Power BI dashboards:

Template.pbix

The main Power BI file with pre-built page layouts, sample visualizations, and UX patterns.

Theme.json

A custom Power BI theme file with the BI Blueprint color palette and visual styling.

Icons Folder

A collection of SVG icons pre-configured for use in Power BI buttons and visuals.

This Guide

Documentation covering setup, customization, and best practices for the template.

Initial Setup

1

Extract the Template Package

Unzip the downloaded file to a location you'll remember. Keep all files together in the same folder.
2

Open the Template in Power BI Desktop

Double-click the Template.pbix file to open it in Power BI Desktop.
3

Apply the Theme (Optional)

If you want to use the BI Blueprint colors immediately, go to View → Themes → Browse for themes and select the Theme.json file.
4

Connect Your Data

Replace the sample data model with your own data connections. The template uses placeholder tables you can swap out.
Pro Tip
Before connecting live data, explore the template with the sample data to understand the page layouts and visual relationships.

Working with Themes

Power BI themes control colors, fonts, and visual styling across your entire report. The BI Blueprint theme gives you a professional foundation that you can customize to match your brand.

Applying the Theme

1

Open the View Tab

In Power BI Desktop, click the View tab in the ribbon.
2

Access Theme Settings

Click the dropdown arrow next to Themes and select Browse for themes.
3

Select the Theme File

Navigate to your extracted template folder and select Theme.json.
Note
The theme only affects visual defaults. Visuals you've already customized individually will keep their settings.

Using the Theme Generator

Want to customize colors while maintaining a cohesive palette? Use our online Theme Generator Tool to create a custom Power BI theme.

  1. 1Choose your primary brand color
  2. 2The tool generates a harmonious palette automatically
  3. 3Download your custom theme JSON file
  4. 4Apply it to your report using the steps above
Open Theme Generator

Icons & Visual Assets

Icons add visual polish and help users navigate your dashboards. The template includes pre-configured icons, and you can easily add more using our Icon Generator.

Using the Icon Generator

Our Icon Generator Tool provides 480+ business-friendly icons optimized for Power BI.

How to Add Icons to Power BI

1

Find Your Icon

Browse or search the Icon Generator for the icon you need.
2

Customize & Download

Set your desired color, size, and format (SVG recommended). Click download.
3

Add to Power BI

In Power BI, select a button or image visual. In the Format pane, choose Image and browse to your downloaded icon.
Pro Tip
Use SVG format for crisp icons at any size. PNG works too but may appear blurry when scaled.

Replacing Existing Icons

The template includes placeholder icons you can swap for your own:

  1. Select the button or image containing the icon
  2. Open the Format pane (paint roller icon)
  3. Under Style → Icon, click the image to browse for a new file
Open Icon Generator

Building New Pages

The template includes several page layouts you can use as starting points. Here are two methods for creating new pages based on existing designs.

Method 1: Duplicate Page

The fastest way to create a page with the same layout:

1

Right-Click the Page Tab

At the bottom of Power BI, right-click the page you want to copy.
2

Select Duplicate Page

Choose Duplicate page from the context menu.
3

Rename Your New Page

Double-click the new tab to rename it appropriately.
4

Customize Content

Swap out the visuals and data fields while keeping the layout structure.

Method 2: Copy-Paste Everything

Use this when you want to copy elements from one page to another:

Ctrl+ASelect all on current page
Ctrl+CCopy selected elements
Ctrl+VPaste on new page
Important
Pasted visuals keep their data bindings. If your new page uses different data, you'll need to update each visual's field mappings.

Page Duplication Workflow

Source Page
Duplicate
Customize
New Page

Canvas Settings

The template uses specific canvas dimensions optimized for widescreen displays and web viewing. Understanding these settings helps you maintain design consistency.

Recommended Dimensions

1920 × 1080

Full HD (16:9 aspect ratio)

1080px
1920px

Setting Canvas Size

1

Open Page Format Settings

With no visual selected, the Format pane shows page-level settings.
2

Expand Canvas Settings

Look for Canvas settings in the Format pane.
3

Set Dimensions

Change Type to Custom, then enter 1920 for width and 1080 for height.
Note
These dimensions work well for most scenarios including Power BI Service, embedded reports, and presentations.

Scrollable Pages (Vertical Layout)

For pages with lots of content, you can create scrollable layouts:

Width: 1920px

Keep width at 1920 for consistency

Height: 2000-3000px

Increase height to enable vertical scrolling

Important
Scrollable pages work best in Power BI Service. They may behave differently when exported to PDF or PowerPoint.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master these shortcuts to work faster in Power BI Desktop. They'll save you hours of clicking through menus.

Selection & Navigation

Select all visuals on page
Ctrl+A
Move to next visual
Tab
Move to previous visual
Shift+Tab
Deselect / Exit edit mode
Esc
Add visual to selection
Ctrl+Click

Editing

Copy selected visual(s)
Ctrl+C
Paste visual(s)
Ctrl+V
Cut selected visual(s)
Ctrl+X
Duplicate visual
Ctrl+D
Delete selected visual(s)
Delete
Undo
Ctrl+Z
Redo
Ctrl+Y

Formatting

Format painter
Ctrl+Shift+F
Group visuals
Ctrl+G
Ungroup visuals
Ctrl+Shift+G

View & Layout

Fit page to window
Ctrl+0
Zoom in
Ctrl+=
Zoom out
Ctrl+-
Actual size (100%)
Ctrl+1

File Operations

Save
Ctrl+S
Save As
Ctrl+Shift+S
Refresh data
F5
Pro Tip
Print this section or bookmark this page for quick reference while building your dashboards.
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Best Practices

Follow these guidelines to create dashboards that are both beautiful and effective. These principles are baked into the BI Blueprint template design.

Visual Hierarchy

Lead with KPIs

Place your most important metrics at the top-left where eyes naturally start. Use large cards for primary KPIs.

Group Related Visuals

Keep related charts together. Users should understand relationships at a glance without hunting across the page.

Limit Visual Count

Aim for 5-7 visuals per page maximum. Too many visuals create cognitive overload and slow performance.

Use Consistent Sizing

Size indicates importance. Primary visuals should be larger than supporting ones. Keep spacing even.

Color Usage

Limit Your Palette

Stick to 3-5 colors maximum. The template theme provides a harmonious palette — use it consistently.

Reserve Color for Meaning

Use red for negative/alerts, green for positive. Don't use these colors decoratively or their meaning gets lost.

Consider Colorblindness

Don't rely on color alone to convey information. Add icons, patterns, or labels for accessibility.

Use Subtle Backgrounds

Light gray backgrounds help separate sections without competing with data. Avoid dark or colorful backgrounds.

Typography

Use One Font Family

Stick to a single font family (like Segoe UI) and vary weight/size for hierarchy. Multiple fonts look unprofessional.

Ensure Readability

Minimum 10pt for data labels, 12pt for body text. Test on different screen sizes and projectors.

Title Everything

Every visual needs a clear, descriptive title. Users shouldn't have to guess what they're looking at.

Align Text Consistently

Left-align text, right-align numbers. Keep alignment consistent across all visuals on the page.

Pro Tip
Review your dashboards with the Dashboard UX Checklist before publishing to catch common issues.

Ready to build better dashboards?

Download the BI Blueprint template to put these principles into practice. It's free during beta.

Get Template — $69Download PDF Guide

One-time purchase • Includes PBIX, theme file, and docs

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