Visually improve your Qlik reporting in 10 steps without a script

Step 3: Add background image

In a design tool such as Figma, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop you can easily create a background image. Keep the size 1920 x 975 pixels. We have arranged the background image in such a way that there is room for the logo and the time-based filters in the dark gray part. The page filters go in the white part and the visualizations go on the light gray part. You save the image as a .png and add it to the media library. You add the image as follows:

Edit sheet -> Sheet properties -> Styling -> Background switch from auto to custom -> background image -> media library -> Select image -> Upload media -> In App -> “Filename.png” -> Insert.

See how the gray area in the background immediately creates dimension:

Step 5: Scale and place elements

This way the report looks much better. However, there are still many containers pressed together. We are going to give the tight spaces between the white areas some more air, which also brings an emotional aspect. It is important to arrange the dashboard in a logical way for the user/reader, so you put the logo in the top left corner. You do this as follows:

Edit sheet -> Click on logo (the selected visualization will have a green border) -> Scale the logo to the desired size.

You then also use these steps for the time filters, the page filter column, the visualizations on the canvas until everything has space. The golden rule here is to stay away from the edge as much as possible. An example of how you could layout it is shown below:

Step 7: Color Time Filters Buttons

The default color of the filter buttons is Qlik green. That may fit, but for this theme we are going to 'track' it. This is about the color of the button when it is selected. You do this as follows:

Edit sheet -> Click on time filter 2020-2022 (the selected visualization will have a green border) -> Appearance -> Colors -> Selected background (Qlik Green) -> Type #BBA476 in the bar.

Then do the same with the time filter January to December.

Step 9: Adjust colors in visualizations

Now that we are already quite far in the right direction, we need to talk about color usage. The Qlik Sense app theme has standard strong colors such as blue, yellow and red. These colors have been selected in such a way that a good distinction can be made between categories. So in principle, these are already good in themselves. However, we will show an example of how you can adjust these colors to your desired taste. You do this as follows:

Edit sheet -> Master Items (leftmost menu bar) -> Size -> Right click on Collection -> Edit -> OK -> Value Colors.

Here you can adjust the colors as you wish. We always recommend a grayscale palette. But for this example we will also add a gold color. When you hover over the palette with your mouse you can choose a code for each value in the collection:

Qlik: #ABA7A7, Sense: #D0CECE, Victa #BBA476 -> Save.

You can then do this for measurements in the same way. Here you only check “Measures” instead of “Dimensions”.