As a creative biz owner and designer, one of the most important tools I use for every project is a brand mood board. For anyone who isn’t familiar, a brand mood board is a visual reference guide that compiles all of the visual elements and ideas in one concise space.

Let’s be real, we are all visual communicators at heart. People like to see, feel, connect and experience things first-hand. The best way to set goals or bring ideas to life is by manifesting them and visualizing them. A mood board allows you to bring all your ideas to life, gather inspiration, and present ideas to your clients in a creative way. Instead of telling my clients what I’m going to do for them, I show them. Creating mood boards for my clients is one of the most important steps of my creative process, and is where most of my ideas start to flow in. It’s essentially the blueprint of the entire project.

Whether you’re in the process of updating an existing brand or creating a new one, a brand mood board is a great resource for new business owners and designers who need help discovering their creative aesthetic and establishing design direction. Plus it’s a fun and inspiring way to get your creative juices flowing.

ELEMENTS OF A BRAND MOOD BOARD:

Every mood board is different. In most cases, a brand mood will consist of various logo concepts, fonts, images, colors, and any other visual elements that reflect your brand. I typically create 2-3 mood boards per project.

How to start

If you don’t know what your brand look & feel is, you can utilize a mood board to gather inspiration, jot down ideas, and ultimately bring your vision to life. Don’t know where to begin? Start gathering inspiration on Pinterest and search keywords that reflect your ideal brand. Then once you have a pretty good idea, create or purchase an organized mood board template. Create as many mood boards as you like, until you find the one that aligns with your vision.

You can instantly download a mood board template here:

A brand mood board is such an important part of my process since this is where the creative direction for the entire project is established. Some designers present their concepts in a PowerPoint presentation or creative briefs, but I prefer mood boards because it’s a fun and creative way to translate my design ideas into one document.

Here’s a template to get you started. All you have to do is sign up below to receive the link.