Even if you are new to brand design, im sure you heard of mood boards. If not, it's okay. We will be digging deep in this blog post all about what is a mood board, what is its purpose, what to include in a mood board, how to create a mood board and so much more. So let's get started!

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What is a mood board?

A mood board is a visual collection of images that represent the brands direction in the brand identity process.

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What is the purpose of a mood board?

A mood board is particularly useful when you are working on a design project and need to get a clear idea of your vision from the very start. By creating a mood board it ensures you as the designer and the client are aligned and on the same page about what is the end goal for the branding.

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The mood board translates the brand strategy into visuals, it reflects your brand message, vision and values as well as your target audience wants and needs. The mood board establishes the tone of the project to present your brand as people fall in love with the brand, not the product.

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Why you need a mood board for your next project?

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Mood board can save time and money by preventing miscommunication and misunderstandings later on down the road. It is difficult to describe your vision or the clients vision in words, that is why mood boards are so important as the images allow you to express the vision without words, words can be misunderstood so using a mood board is the best way to communicate this vision without confusion, difficulties and misunderstandings and it allows everyone on the team to know the direction.

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What is included in a mood board

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• photography featuring vibes & feels
• Logos
• colours
• typography
• brand patterns & illustrations
• textures
• packaging
• print design
• etc

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Other than images a mood board should also include:

• The summary of the brand & the goals.
• A reminder of the values of the brand which was established in the brand strategy
• An explanation of the choices made in the mood board

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What NOT to include in a mood board

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One thing that I don't include in mood boards is competition.

Taking inspiration from the competition is a big NO-NO, as we want to be different, we want to stand out and we want to be better than the competition. It is good to know who the competition is in the brand questionnaire & brand strategy section of the creative process but we don't take any visual inspiration from them.

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My step by step process with clients when it comes to mood boards

1. Ask the client to create a Pinterest board ( and tell them what to include)
2. Have a quick call talking about their Pinterest board e.g any interesting choices
3. Begin adding more inspiration to the Pinterest board that fit
4. Create 1-3 condense (9 images)  mood board concepts
5. Explain your mood boards
6. Send of & ask for feedback

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Want to see me create a brand from scratch and see my process? Click here

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Thanks for reading!

Kami x

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