How to make a killer mood board
What can sometimes feel like a boring step in your creative process is actually key in keeping you on track. Mood boards help to set the tone of a project from the get go – whether it’s a brand identity, clothing collection, wedding plan, or kitchen design.
We start every branding project with a mood board, to get ourselves in the zone for how we want the branding to make people feel rather than how we want it to look in the end, as this can often be up being quite restrictive.
What types of mood boards are there?
There’s a few different types of mood boards, but the ones we use most are what I like to call the ‘look and feel’ board, and a classic mood board made up of actual elements you’ll be taking direct inspiration from.
‘Look and feel’ boards are made up of images that represent the feeling you want to convey, as opposed to featuring images of exact elements that you want to incorporate into whatever you’re planning. This helps to give you an idea of where to go with the project without subconsciously creating an almost copy of your inspiration.
What do you need to make a mood board?
Mood boards come in all kinds of formats, so it’ll be a bit of trial and error until you find the perfect system for you. Some people prefer to get hands-on, with a scrapbook or piece of paper and a lot of cutting and sticking. Others head straight to Pinterest and create a Board to collate their ideas.
As designers, our go-to is almost always a digital collage utilising either Adobe software or tools like Canva (which is a great alternative if you’re looking to make simple designs), however, we can’t ignore the urge to go back to old school methods with a good old pair of scissors and a glue stick from time to time!
How do you get started?
Starting something is often the hardest part, but you’ll never get anywhere without making a move. Put something down as a starting point – adding a couple of colour swatches or an image to evoke the feeling you’re aiming for is a great place to start.
Some people like to start with a colour palette then expand that into imagery that aligns with it, while others prefer to begin with a few images then build a colour palette based on those. Experiment and see what works best for you.
What comes next?
It’s a personal preference whether you want to include annotations or not; it can be more aesthetically pleasing to skip this part, but for a functional mood board it helps a lot. Keeping track of why you’re including certain things makes it easier to get back into that headspace when you come round to looking at it in the future, but this is purely up to you.
From there it builds quite easily – adding a few more images, some text, and if you’re making a physical mood board then textural elements like fabric swatches can make it more of an experiential mood board.
And there you have it! Every mood board looks different, and they’re a great representation of how a person’s brain works too, so celebrate the differences between yours and those found on Google.
Tag us in any mood boards you make @monddi on Instagram, we’d love to see what you create!
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