The Role of a Moodboard
Creating a brand’s look and feel is not a short, simple process. Some may think “Nike’s logo is just a swoosh and someone got paid a boatload of money for that”. Well, trust me, there was a LOT more to landing on that swoosh than you realize. Before logo concepts even begin, the brand personality needs to be established… enter the mood board.
Mood board for a new brand I am currently working on. Mood = sophisticated, luxurious, classic, authentic.
A mood board is a collage of images, phrases and words that provide a visual representation of a brand. It evokes a tone or personality that is used as a reference point for further design elements and overall branding. (Read more about the importance of good branding here.) A mood board is for the benefit of the client and design team to create clarity in the process.
Though mood boards are most commonly used in brand design, they are also a useful tool in many other applications. You may want to redecorate a room in your home, plan a trip to France or commit to taking steps to be healthier. You can create your own personal mood board for just about anything. It would serve as visual inspiration for whatever goal you have set.
There are various ways to go about creating a mood board. You don’t have to have expensive design software. It can be as simple as clipping out images from magazines or printing from the internet and pasting them on a sheet of paper or on a cork board. My favorite method is to create a private board on Pinterest and start pulling images that inspire me. Google images is also a good resource for visuals.
Mood board for MIF Homestay. A service that places foreign students with host families. Mood = bright, global, educated, experiential.
Whether you’re a designer or just want to start a personal project, a mood board is a valuable tool to help visualize and realize the end result. It’s also a whole lot of fun to create!
If you’re interested in learning more about mood boards or would like help creating one, let’s chat! Leave a message below or DM me on Instagram.
We are so grateful to StudioL! To be honest at the beginning I didn’t understand the purpose of the mood board, but walking through the process with Lisa was amazing. We spent the time going through mood boards, color combinations/ feelings, etc. We couldn’t be happier with the end result and love the new branding for our company. The colors, the logo the whole package has really helped us stand out in our industry. Thank you Lisa!
(We are the second mood board in the article- this is actually one of several mood boards we worked through before coming up with our final one)
Thank you Will! I really enjoyed helping build your brand. You are a pleasure to work with!