Typography

Control fonts and text styling throughout your Power BI reports.

Typography in Power BI Themes

Typography settings control how text appears across all visuals in your reports. Consistent typography improves readability and creates a professional appearance.

Typography Controls:

  • Font family for all text elements
  • Text class styling (titles, labels, values)
  • Size and weight for different text types

Setting the Font Family

Available Fonts:

System Fonts

  • • Arial - Clean, widely supported
  • • Calibri - Modern, readable
  • • Segoe UI - Windows standard
  • • Helvetica - Classic, professional

Additional Options

  • • Times New Roman - Traditional
  • • Georgia - Elegant serif
  • • Verdana - Screen-optimized
  • • Tahoma - Compact, clear

Tip: Choose fonts that are available on all target systems. Segoe UI and Arial are safe choices for most organizations.

How to Change Font Family:

  1. 1

    In the Foundation panel, locate the Typography section

  2. 2

    Click the Font Family dropdown

  3. 3

    Select your preferred font

  4. 4

    Preview updates immediately across all visuals

Text Classes

Power BI themes support three main text classes, each serving different purposes:

Title

Used for visual titles and report headers

Example:

Sales Performance Dashboard

Customizable properties:

  • • Font size (default: 12px)
  • • Font weight (light to bold)
  • • Color (inherits from structural colors)

Label

Used for axis labels, data labels, and legend text

Example:

Q1 2024 • Revenue • Product Category

Customizable properties:

  • • Font size (default: 10px)
  • • Font weight (typically regular)
  • • Color (adapts to context)

Callout Value

Used for card visual values and KPI displays

Example:

$1.2M

Customizable properties:

  • • Font size (default: 45px)
  • • Font weight (typically bold)
  • • Color (often uses accent colors)

Configuring Text Classes

Steps to Customize:

  1. 1

    In Foundation panel, expand Text Classes section

  2. 2

    Select the text class to modify (Title, Label, or Callout)

  3. 3

    Adjust font size using the number input

  4. 4

    Select font weight from the dropdown

Font Weight Options:

Light (300)
Regular (400)
Semibold (600)
Bold (700)

Creating Visual Hierarchy

Recommended Size Ratios:

Title
12-16px
Label
9-11px
Value
28-45px

Maintain clear size differences between text classes for better hierarchy and readability.

Typography Best Practices

Readability First

  • • Use minimum 9px for labels
  • • Ensure contrast with backgrounds
  • • Test at different zoom levels
  • • Avoid decorative fonts

Consistency Matters

  • • One font family per theme
  • • Limit font weights to 2-3
  • • Maintain size hierarchy
  • • Apply uniformly across visuals

Performance Tips

  • • Use system fonts when possible
  • • Avoid embedding custom fonts
  • • Consider mobile viewing
  • • Test on target devices

Accessibility

  • • Minimum WCAG AA contrast
  • • Avoid all-caps for body text
  • • Use weight for emphasis
  • • Consider dyslexia-friendly fonts

Next: Light/Dark Mode

Learn how to create themes that adapt beautifully to different viewing modes.

Continue to Light/Dark Mode →