Mood boards are a visual formula of your ideas and documentation of your thoughts about your brand. Your mood board is a collection of inspiration, so use it to visualize the direction you are moving with your personal brand.
Inspiration board is another name for a mood board, and it’s a necessary creative element for defining your business or personal brand. Think of it as your assistant who helps you put together all the small pieces of visual information to create a comprehensive story about your brand. A mood board helps to sort out your attention, awaken creativity, and generate a harmonious buzz around your action plan.
Mood boards help with:
- Gathering inspiration for a brand identity
- Once a brand is established, it keeps you on the track with your brand identity
What images can a mood board include:
- Colors
- Patterns
- Fonts
- Words
- Outfits
- Flowers
- Lifestyle photos
- Interior design
- Decor
- Nature
And many more.
How to make a mood board?
Living in a modern world, we are used to having many choices in every realm of life. Sometimes, it’s helpful, other times confusing. So, to avoid the overwhelm of ideas, I will share only three ways to make a mood board with you. I tried all, and depending on the project, I used one.
1. Pinterest
Personally, it’s my favorite. Pinterest is easy to use and always has hundreds of diverse photos for every topic. Whenever I start a new project needing an inspiration board, I create a new folder on Pinterest and start my search. Folders on Pinterest are called Boards; when you need to save an image, you Pin it. I have hundreds of Pins on my Pinterest account; many are related to personal style inspiration, my ArsVie studio, and Fine Art Lifestyle brands. One of the great things about Pinterest is that is allows to keep your boards secret. It’s optional, and if you don’t want anyone to see it, turn the switch to a “Secret” when creating a mood board. That way, you will be the only person with access to your Pinterest mood board.
Randomly scrolling through Pinterest can be overwhelming, so try to look for specific ideas by typing in targeted words in a search bar. Let’s say your personal brand is about a healthy lifestyle and nutritious food. Look for inspiration related to that topic by using the main keywords and later expand your search to:
- Green, yellow, and white color aesthetics
- Different fresh vegetables and fruits
- Yoga and meditation aesthetics
- Nature and beach lifestyle
Anything closely and distantly related to your brand can spark creative thinking and set your mindset in the frame for generating more ideas. And that’s one of the purposes of having a mood board.
2. Canva
It’s a popular website that helps with all things design. I often use it to create Instagram posts and stories, YouTube covers, etc. I realized its benefits after I used it to design my e-book “What if I try? My 3-c for exciting and interesting life” It’s an inspirational book based on my creative, adventurous traveling halfway around the world and then building a life and photography business in a new country. You can purchase it on my online Shop.
Canva allows you to create moodboards after you create a free account. It has some paid options, but the majority of tools are free, which is helpful for everyone who is just starting a business and has a limited budget. It’s easy to use, and once you create a mood board on Canva, you can save it in a separate document and download it on your laptop.
3. Foam board
Do you prefer a more realistic mood board? Then, print images you collected on Pinterest or found on the Internet and glue (or use a scotch tape) them to a white foam board. Well-organized and aesthetic mood boards with printed images, letters, patterns, colors, and other design elements can be a nice addition to your office or studio decor. Moreover, they will inspire you and help you get used to your new brand identity. Let me share a photo of my initial moodboard for ArsVie studio. I used a transparent scotch tape to stick images to the mood board.
A mood board is a powerful instrument in brand creation. And like everything in life, it can change with time. As your brand grows and evolves, you will want to add or remove some elements from your brand inspiration board. However, try to stick to your brand’s basic core elements (color, logo) for several years so people get used to it. Later, when you need to rebrand, announce it to your followers and clients. Sharing your brand life journey shows you care about everyone who gets in touch with it.
Stay inspired,
Elena Sullivan
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