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Designing a Power BI bento canvas

Timothy Kirk All articles Bento Designer

A Power BI bento canvas is a 16:9 background laid out as a grid of cells before any visual is placed on the report. Bento Designer styles those cells and exports PNG or SVG at 1280×720 or 1920×1080, the sizes that match a Power BI page.

Why the frame is drawn outside the report

The report page has a fixed aspect ratio. If the frame is drawn in Power BI from stacked shapes, every margin change becomes a visual move, and the model has to wait on layout. A separate background keeps the model and the visuals independent of the frame. The report then only has to place visuals into cells that already exist.

PowerPoint and Figma can produce a 16:9 image, but they are not built around report cells. Alignment drifts. Export size is guessed. The file that lands in Power BI is often a screenshot of a slide.

What the canvas has to do

An operational report is read at a glance. The first row is usually a small set of KPIs. The next band holds the chart that explains the movement. Detail sits lower, or in a drill-through. The background has to make that order obvious before a filter is touched.

Cells need consistent padding, a shared radius, and a contrast that still works when a visual is dropped on top. If two cells share an edge, the gap has to be the same everywhere or the page looks unfinished.

What Bento Designer exports

Bento Designer treats the page as a cell grid. Presets are 1280×720 (HD) and 1920×1080 (Full HD). PNG can be 1× (exact size) or 2× (retina). SVG exports at the canvas size. Snap guides and mock visuals are editor-only; they never appear in the file.

In Power BI, set the image as the page canvas background in the Format pane. The tool does not place visuals, and it does not write a .pbix. It only makes the background. Work stays in the browser.

How to export a Power BI bento background

  1. Open Bento Designer. Open timothykirk.co.uk/bento/. Work stays in the browser; nothing is uploaded.
  2. Set the canvas size. Use 1280×720 or 1920×1080 so the image matches a 16:9 Power BI report page.
  3. Style the cells. Lay out hero, KPI, and chart cells. Preview mock visuals if you need to check fit. Snap guides stay in the editor.
  4. Export and set the background. Export PNG (1× or 2×) or SVG at the canvas size. In Power BI, set it as the page canvas background in the Format pane.

Questions

What is a Power BI bento canvas?

A 16:9 report background laid out as a grid of cells before any visual is placed. The background carries the hierarchy: hero, KPIs, and supporting charts.

Why design the background outside Power BI?

The report page has a fixed aspect ratio. If the frame is drawn in the report, every margin change becomes a visual move. A separate background keeps the model and the visuals independent of the frame.

What does Bento Designer export?

PNG or SVG at the canvas size. Presets are 1280×720 and 1920×1080. PNG can be 1× or 2×. Snap guides and mock visuals are editor-only and never export.

Who created Bento Designer?

Timothy Kirk. It is a free browser tool at timothykirk.co.uk/bento/.