Is it soft, rough, metallic? Are there any textures that just feel right to you? For example, if you work in something natural, you could incorporate textures like grass, leaves or clouds. I also really love incorporating textures. Color has so much emotion and psychology tied to it that if there are any that stand out immediately, that’s a great point to brainstorm off of. We all have favorite colors and colors we hate. Does it capture that mood?Īs you can likely imagine, colors are an excellent reference point. Everything echoes back to the mood board. I’ll start by making them a mood board with lots of options, they’ll give feedback, and we’ll make tweaks, and once we’ve landed on the right one, we refer to it throughout the design process. When working with a client, it’s something we can always measure against and return to. It helps me set the objective for the whole brand project. Not all designers do them, but they’re key for me. Moodboards give you a vision to measure againstĪs you build out your brand identity, the moodboard can guide all of your other decisions: type, colors, photography, logo. This is why mood boards are so important. But if you don’t set the stage and create that vision, how will you know what you’re working towards? The details will all be disconnected – you’re working with the little pieces, not the big picture. Mood boards are the first pass at capturing the vision of a brand. You don’t have any context or vision for what the brand itself is supposed to look like – you need the big picture! You need to know the vibe you’re trying to create before you can get into the little details like a logo. That is how I feel when someone starts the design process with a logo. You’re like, “wait, back-up, I need context. Have you ever had someone start talking to you right in the middle of a conversation? Like they’re just jumping right into the action, and you have no idea what’s going on. Moodboards set the tone for your entire brand And if you don’t figure out how that personality actually translates to visuals first, you can end up with the boring, generic & borrowed branding. Why you should make a mood board for your brandīrand personality is one of the biggest differentiators.

Free mood board brand template