Light Power BI theme · passed colour-vision check
Slate Executive Power BI theme
Quiet grey-and-navy Power BI theme for board packs and executive scorecards: low-saturation data colours, one navy accent, strong text contrast.
By Nawaf Sharaf · Founder & Reliability Engineer · Updated
Free for commercial use
Shown on the CFO Overview template.
Power BI Desktop: Design ribbon → Import theme. Power BI service: View → Theme pane.
About the palette
Slate Executive is built for pages where the numbers must do the talking. The page is a warm-grey #F4F5F7, cards are white, and the data colours are deliberately desaturated so that one highlighted series (navy) carries the story while comparison series recede.
It suits CFO overviews, board scorecards and anything exported to PDF monthly. Text is near-black #1B2430 for a 15:1 contrast ratio, and the muted grey is kept at 5.6:1 so axis labels survive a dim meeting room.
Avoid it for marketing or retail reports that need energy; the palette is intentionally restrained. If you need a second emphasis colour, lift the copper (#B5651D) from slot four rather than adding a new hue.
Palette profile
Computed from the colours on this page, not written by hand: hue spread, lightness range, contrast and a colour-vision simulation of the first six chart colours.
Best for
- Pages with three or four series: the chart colours come from only 3 hue families, so beyond four categories use a table or small multiples.
- Highlight-one-series charts: #1E3A5F for the measure you're talking about, 2 near-grey series for comparisons.
- Thin line charts and sparklines on white cards: every chart colour reaches 3.4:1 or more.
- Variance charts, waterfalls and KPI deltas: good #2F7A4D and bad #B4392F are 139° apart in hue.
Colour-vision simulation
The first six chart colours stay apart for protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia (OKLab distance 0.06 or more after simulation).
- Chart colours
- 8, in 3 hue families
- Lightness range
- 25–56 %
- Text contrast
- 14.3:1
- Muted text
- 5.3:1
- Weakest chart colour
- 3.4:1 on cards
- Near-grey series
- 2
- Closest catalog palettes
- Monochrome Ink (0.049)Print Grey Steps (0.057)Ledger Navy (0.058)
Colours and contrast
Contrast ratios are measured against the card (surface) colour, where visuals sit. Text needs 4.5:1; graphics need 3:1.
| Role | Colour | Contrast on card | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page background | #F4F5F7 | — | base |
| Card / surface | #FFFFFF | — | base |
| Text | #1B2430 | 15.65:1 | AA text |
| Muted text | #5B6673 | 5.84:1 | AA text |
| Accent | #1E3A5F | 11.50:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Good | #2F7A4D | 5.23:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Neutral | #9A6B1F | 4.67:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Bad | #B4392F | 5.89:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Data colour 1 | #1E3A5F | 11.50:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Data colour 2 | #778DA6 | 3.42:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Data colour 3 | #B5651D | 4.34:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Data colour 4 | #5E7A8C | 4.53:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Data colour 5 | #A18758 | 3.43:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Data colour 6 | #3D6B5A | 6.09:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Data colour 7 | #8A6F8E | 4.43:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
| Data colour 8 | #848C95 | 3.41:1 | ≥ 3:1 |
Theme JSON excerpt
The downloaded file also includes text classes, visual styles and slicer, table and card defaults.
{
"name": "Slate Executive",
"dataColors": [
"#1E3A5F",
"#778DA6",
"#B5651D",
"#5E7A8C",
"#A18758",
"#3D6B5A",
"#8A6F8E",
"#848C95"
],
"background": "#F4F5F7",
"foreground": "#1B2430",
"tableAccent": "#1E3A5F",
"good": "#2F7A4D",
"neutral": "#9A6B1F",
"bad": "#B4392F"
}Import this theme in Power BI Desktop
- 1
Download the theme
Use the Download theme JSON button above. The file is a few kilobytes and contains no images.
- 2
Import the theme
In Power BI Desktop open the Design ribbon → Import theme and select the file. In the Power BI service use View → Theme pane. Older Desktop builds: View → Themes → Browse for themes.
- 3
Check visual overrides
Visuals with manually set colours keep them. Use Format → Reset to default on those visuals to pick up the theme.
- 4
Add a matching background
Open the design studio with Slate Executive selected to build a page background in the same colours.
VizForge AI · custom visuals
Generate a custom visual for this slot
Need a chart Power BI doesn't have? Pick a slot from the sample report above and VizForge AI writes a custom visual (.pbiviz, with TypeScript source) sized to it and drawn in the Slate Executive colours.
Area chart · 576×208 px
1, 2 or 5 credits depending on the brief · 5 free on signup. Sign in or create a free account on the next screen; the brief is saved for 30 minutes.
A Power BI area visual titled "Cash position, next 13 weeks". It sits in a 576×208 px slot on a designed report page. Match the report's brand: data colours #1E3A5F, #778DA6, #B5651D, #5E7A8C, #A18758, #3D6B5A; background #FFFFFF; text #1B2430; font Segoe UI. Transparent visual background so the page design shows through; no visual border. The report uses the Slate Executive Power BI theme.
Templates in this theme
Backgrounds to pair with Slate Executive
Light page backgrounds that sit well under this palette. Each background page has its own theme download, or keep Slate Executive and set the background image on top.
1280×720 background
Nordic Split PanelMinimal light Power BI background with a left story column for title, KPIs and slicers and a large canvas for charts. Calm Nordic palette.
1280×720 background
Ledger Navy FinanceFinance Power BI background with a navy top band, gold rule and flat bordered panels for KPIs, a P&L matrix and two charts. Board-pack style.
Need a chart Power BI doesn’t ship?
Theme colours apply to custom visuals too. Describe the chart in plain English and VizForge generates it as a .pbiviz with its TypeScript source; in the design studio, the brief for a visual slot carries this palette. See the visual catalog.
Generate a custom visual with AI · starts free →Questions about this theme
Is the Slate Executive theme accessible?
Yes. Text and muted text meet WCAG AA (4.5:1) on both the page and card colours, and every data and status colour reaches at least 3:1 against the cards. Its first six chart colours also stay distinguishable in a protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia simulation. The full contrast table is on this page.
Which fonts does the Slate Executive theme use?
It uses Segoe UI Semibold for headings and Segoe UI for body text. All of them are in Power BI's own font list, so the report renders the same in Power BI Desktop and in the Power BI service.
How do I import a theme JSON into Power BI?
In Power BI Desktop go to the Design ribbon → Import theme and select the downloaded .json file; in the Power BI service use View → Theme pane (older Desktop builds: View → Themes → Browse for themes). The data colours, text classes and visual defaults apply to every page of the report.
Which theme JSON schema do these themes use?
They are compiled against the current report theme schema (reportThemeSchema-2.159) and include name, dataColors, background, foreground, tableAccent, good/neutral/bad, textClasses and visualStyles.
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Keep exploring
80 contrast-checked theme JSON files, light and dark.
Build a theme JSON from your own brand colours.
61 hand-designed Power BI page layouts by department.
Page backgrounds at 1280×720 and 1920×1080 with visual positions.
Design a page in Slate Executive
Start the design studio with this palette, lay out your page and export a background, the theme JSON and a PBIP project that all match.
The design studio for Power BI. Free, in your browser, no sign-up.