In the world of data visualization, standing out is key to keeping your audience engaged and making your insights stick. One easy way to do this in Tableau is by customizing your icons. Sure, Tableau comes with a set of default icons, but creating and importing your own can really elevate your designs. Custom icons make your dashboards more intuitive, on-brand, and just plain eye-catching. Whether you’re using them to represent categories, KPIs, or any other metrics, they add that extra bit of polish that makes your work feel more tailored and professional. In this post, I’ll walk you through how to create, import, and use custom icons in Tableau, so you can take your dashboards to the next level. Let’s get started with an example!
For one of my projects, I created a Major League Baseball dashboard where I used team logos as custom icons to represent different data points. It was a small touch, but it made the whole thing feel more polished and engaging. In this post, I’ll show you how to create, import, and use your own custom icons in Tableau to give your dashboards a personalized flair that speaks to your audience.
Adding the Icons
1. Where to save your icons
Documents > My Tableau Repository > Shapes
Create a folder and add your saved images (make sure your images are PNG file type)
2. Using custom icons on Tableau
If the new folder is not showing up on Tableau, simply press “Reload Shapes”.
Conclusion
Custom icons can be a game-changer when it comes to crafting visually compelling Tableau dashboards. Not only do they enhance the look and feel of your visualizations, but they also help convey complex information in an intuitive and easily digestible way. By following the steps to create and import custom icons, you can ensure your Tableau dashboards are as engaging and tailored to your audience as possible. So, the next time you’re building a dashboard, think about how custom icons can add that extra flair and clarity. With just a little creativity, your dashboards can go from functional to truly outstanding!
