Why is a Brand Moodboard Important?

 What brand moodboards are actually used for and why you should have one for your business!

Creating a moodboard is always the first step in the project. This is becoming a standard design practice, but moodboards aren’t just useful for designers like me – they’re also helpful for:

Business Owners

I’ll explain in a moment how the businesses I work with can use the moodboards we create during our project, but it’s not just for my benefit!

Bloggers

Having a moodboard for your blog can help you get clear about your design and content/photography theming – very useful!

Photographers

Many photographers use moodboards as a guide for their own style and for theming photoshoots.

Artists & Creatives

Again, moodboards can be used as a style guide for a number of projects!

Wedding/Event Planners

For theming events and getting an idea of a style & atmosphere, moodboards are super useful!

WHAT IS A ‘BRAND MOODBOARD’?

A moodboard is a collection of images (photos, graphics, textures) that together display a distinctive, cohesive theme. It is a visual tool for designers & business owners to put across their ideas for a brand’s personality.

And what do I mean by a theme? Here are some elements that might make up the theme of a moodboard by having common threads throughout the images:

1. Colour palettes
2. Font choice
3. Textures & patterns
4. Photography style
5. Feeling/emotion

WHAT DO YOU USE IT FOR?

Moodboards in branding projects because it gives me a clear sense of what overall theme their brand’s personality is going for, and I use it as a guide when creating logos and branded collateral such as business cards, to keep me on track and ensure everything is consistent.

This is a key word here – consistency.

A moodboard is essentially a guiding light for all visual elements of your brand.

If what you are creating matches with the style of the moodboard, then you are on-brand. If it doesn’t, then you need to re-evaluate whether it is right for your brand.

This is useful and having a moodboard helps everyone stay consistent in everything they create. 

Business owners/bloggers/creatives/events planners etc. can also use moodboards to show third parties (ie. designers, suppliers) so that everyone is on the right track, working towards the same goal – the same moodboard.

HOW DO YOU CREATE ONE?

Below is how the process works :

Fill in a brand questionnaire

Questionnaire gets the thinking deeply about  brand & business, providing them a focus of the visual side of things. It also helps get a deeper idea of their ‘brand personality’. 

Set up a shared Pinterest board to collect imagery

Pinterest is a great bookmarking tool that can use to ‘pin’ (aka. save) things from around the web and on Pinterest that they feel portrays their brand.

Curate the images into an overarching ‘theme’ (+ add more if needed)

Using Pinterest board and questionnaire,  refine the images into a definite theme and add more of my own selection if it needs elaborating.

Arrange the images in a moodboard collage template

I’ll take these ‘themed’ images and arrange them into a collage that puts across the concept as clearly as possible.

Select a colour palette from the images & add to the moodboard

From the images in the moodboard,  take key colours and create a palette of complimentary colours to use for the rest of the project.

But this isn’t the only way to create a moodboard! In my process, we usually only work digitally, using imagery my clients find around Pinterest and the web and arranging them in a virtual moodboard; this is to keep things simple and quick for the client. 

You could also collect physical things from the world around you and take photos of brands & things that you want to add to your moodboard. Or you could create a tangible moodboard in a large sketchbook or on canvas; this would allow you to add physical textures & materials to the mix. Interior designers & artists often do this!

As for actually creating the moodboard?

While it is relatively easy to create collage templates in Photoshop or InDesign, I’ve found Canva is the the simplest way. Canva is a free online tool that you can use for all kinds of graphics and templates, but it makes moodboards particularl simple!

STEP ONE – CREATE A DESIGN

Go into Canva and select a design shape and size (I usually go for a ‘Pinterest’ template as I want to be able to share my moodboards on Pinterest once they’re created). 

You’ll then be given a blank slate to start your design!

STEP 2 – ADD A COLLAGE ‘GRID’

Use the sidebar on the left-hand side to select ‘Elements’ and then go into the ‘Grids’ section. Then you can choose a collage layout to suit you and just click on it to add it to your design!

STEP 3 – UPLOAD YOUR MOODBOARD IMAGES

In the left sidebar click the ‘uploads’ button and start uploading the images you want to add to your collage. Once they’ve uploaded, can simply click and drag them into the box you want them to appear in (play around with the placement until you’re happy!).

STEP 4 – FINISH AND DOWNLOAD

You can always add other elements like coloured circles or blocks to show the colour palette you’ve chosen, and then once you’re done, simply click the ‘Download’ button in the top bar on the right, and download it as a png!

Does your brand have its own moodboard?

5 METAPHORS TO HELP YOU VISUALISE YOUR BRAND

 If you’re in the process of DIY’ing your brand, or rebranding your existing business, chances are… you already have an idea of how you’d like your brand to look.

Often, people don’t have any idea of the visual direction for their brand. So in this post, I wanna share 5 favorite metaphors that I love to use to help my clients visualize their brand .

In fact, these 5 questions are incredibly helpful to me as well, because it helps me gain clarity to perceive brand. So this is to ensure that we’re on the same page before diving into the design process.

BEFORE THE VISUALISATION – YOU MUST KNOW YOUR PURPOSE

Before we jump into it, it’s important to note that I ask these questions at the very end of my 3-step Signature Brand Development Process. Before this visualization exercise, you need to be crystal clear on:

You Brand Purpose, Vision and Values

Your Ideal Client

Your Competition

Your Offering (and how it stands out from your competitors)

Your Brand Personality

Only then can you start thinking about the visual direction for your brand. Remember, that although visuals play a big role in your branding, they don’t benefit you if they disconnect with your brand purpose and who your ideal client is. So make sure to spend some time to really nail down these bullet points before answering the next questions. 

5 FUN METAPHORS TO BUILD DIRECTION FOR YOUR BRAND

Before you start answering these questions, remember that there is no right or wrong answer.

Most people know what they want their brand to look like, but they don’t know how to express it or visualize it in their heads. That’s why I challenge my clients to create these metaphors, so they can step outside of the design world with its color palettes, fonts and logos, and bring them back to what they feel most comfortable with: their everyday life. So, don’t overthink the answer to these. Try to listen to your gut and your heart because the answer lies within you.

1. IF YOUR BRAND WERE A MOOD, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Is your brand funky and happy? Does your brand make you feel like a kid’s laughter on a carousel? Or maybe you’re more sophisticated and discreet?

Here are some answers from my past clients (I looooooove the first answer. We got the mood right straight away!):

You know the movie Hitch? When Will Smith is teaching Albert how to dance and slaps him around a little? That’s the mood for our brand!

Freedom – when you sit on the beach, breathing in the ocean and really letting go for the first time in a while of all your worries. Really connecting with your inner self.

I don’t know how to describe the “mood” but it’s the kinda mood when Miranda Priestly walks into the office – admiration, sophistication with a touch of fear (in a good way though)

Write down what moods come to mind and try to make it come alive as much as possible!

2. IF YOUR BRAND WERE A COLOUR, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Let’s forget about color theory for a moment .

But here, I want you to let go of what you think your brand color should look like or what it should make you feel, and focus on the first color that comes to mind when you think about your brand.

Here’s what my clients have said in the past:

Earthy, warm tones (can’t come up with one single colour) – my brand feels like home, there’s a sense of belonging, of warmth when I think about it. I want our beauty products to make you feel the same way.

Gold. I think it’s the best color to portray our expertise and also the level of clients we work with.

Warm greys and pastels. But with a touch of black. As in… “calm and sophisticated, with a touch of boldness and strength”.

Once you think of the first color that comes to mind, also try to explain why you associate this color with your brand too.

3. IF YOUR BRAND WERE A SONG, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Oooh, this is my absolute favorite question! I believe the answer to this question gives the most powerful visualization of your brand. And I love reading the answer to this question from my clients because that’s the moment when I can clearly see what the final result for their brand will look like!

But I think it’s also one of the hardest questions, so take some time to think about it.

Here’s what my clients made me listen to:

“From Now On” – The Greatest Showman, or “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson

“Hôtel Costes Best Of (Official Full Mix)” – eclectic mix of wonderful songs

“Girl on Fire” – Alicia Keys, but with the incredible emotion and power from Angelica Hale’s performance (AGT)

What jam would be playing when you were talking about your brand?

4. IF YOUR BRAND WERE AN ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

If I had to answer this question myself , I would’ve said a black panther. It’s powerful, strong, but most importantly they are natural protectors and leaders. And that’s what I want to stand for: we will always protect our clients and do our best to lead them to success.

Now, what did my past clients say?

A wolf pack leader, or even better… Mufasa.

A horse – the most graceful animal with lots of character

A Siamese cat – affectionate, friendly, loyal and bold. Also very exquisite in its appearance and movements. 

Which animal do you feel suits your brand the most and why?

And finally…

5. IF YOU COULD DRESS UP YOUR BRAND, IT WOULD WEAR…?

Let’s imagine now that your brand is a person and play dress up! What kind of clothes would it wear? What brands would these clothes be?

Here’s my clients’ fashion thoughts on this:

Beige, knee-length sophisticated dress, with a short blazer/jacket and black heels. 

I don’t have a particular item in mind, but I know it would be tailored clothes. Made specifically to fit THEM , not “off the rack”. 

Light fabrics, organic cotton or linen, beige, grey and white. Only shop at sustainable brand shops. My brand would probably have a small capsule wardrobe and only shop occasionally but for quality, sustainable items.

Once you have answered this, think about whether this style would appeal to your Ideal Client. If not, then how can you improve on this and make it more aligned with your ICA?

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And there we have it, friend! 5 questions to ask yourself to help you visualize your brand and bring it to life!

If you’ve answered all of these, you should already have way more clarity for your visual brand direction than before. But if you need some extra help here, try to come up with more metaphors like these to help you out!

For example:

If your brand were a book, what would it be?

If your brand were a movie, what would it be?

If your brand were a dish, what would it be?

If your brand were a city, what would it be?

If your brand were a flower, what would it be?

Etc…

Which question helped you visualize your brand the most?