You’re a designer with a new project. How do you create a mood board that inspires your team?

Crafting an inspiring mood board involves defining project goals, curating diverse inspirations, and weaving them into a cohesive narrative. Utilize a mix of visuals, textures, and text to convey the brand's identity. Present the mood board to your team, encouraging feedback and fostering collaboration. Leverage digital tools for seamless interaction. Prototype elements to visualize design translation. Stay open to adjustments, ensuring flexibility as the project evolves. This approach ensures a unified vision that motivates and guides your team creatively.

I would first distill the idea/ outcome/ direction of the strategy into a mind mapping of keywords on a board. This is an ideal springboard to then choose your imagery to match the keyword - example: Persona: Arabic Family. Location: Mountain terrain Situation: Rough sandstorm Hero: A Toyota land cruiser The more dramatic the visual imagery through a thread of storyline or purpose, the easier it is to grasp the intent that creates your mood board. In fact, calling it a story board is better than terming it a 'moodboard'. Your team is always excited to experience a story over popcorn and beanbags in the meeting room.

I would brief the team about the nature of the project, and create a collaborative mood board with them as well as other points of discussion such as mind maps. For a team to work as a team, all need to be involved from the start

I always begin with color as my starting point. To kickstart, I search for a key color that effectively conveys the narrative. Once I have it, I turn to Adobe Color to discover a color harmony that complements both the chosen color and the brand's essence. To enhance my creative mindset, I sometimes play music that aligns with the story. At times, I might explore platforms like Pinterest, flip through magazines, or delve into resources like MidJourney to compile a mood board. What's crucial for me is having a clear sense of the creative direction from the outset. It's not mandatory to commence with color; The key is to initiate the process with a strong foundation and build upon it, rather than accumulating random elements.

Ich lasse alle Teammitglieder ihre eigenen Moodboards erstellen. Warum Kreativität einschränken? Menschen sollen frei im Denken sein. Eigene Inspiration motiviert und fördert das Miteinander und schränkt im ersten Findungsprozess nicht ein.

It is crucial to define the purpose and desired outcome of your moodboard before embarking on its creation. A moodboard for a technology project will naturally diverge from one intended for a kitchen remodel. Consider incorporating elements such as colour palettes, patterns, and visual textures to effectively convey your desired aesthetic.

Leverage the new tools like @chatAI and @chatgpt to help elevate your mood boards, design or generate ideas Define first what you are attempting to communicate or inspire

According to me, an outline of design is already clear in the designers mind , with what kind of element, fabric , color palette , embroideries, accessories, a designer would want to see in his or upcoming collection, any specific event or custom made Dresses keeping in mind the profile personality, profession , occasion, climate, gathering & yes most imp. Budget. Now getting started one needs to do R&D with different types of conceptualization, forms & patterns....& Gathering all the information in different kinds of Moodboards , keeping in mind the inspiration , color palate, prints & embroideries , ....in the end compiling all to create some gorgeous designs...with different concepts.

It’s extremely important to understand and have a background to set the temperament through mood boards. This creative route of setting the tone is rather important. Say for example if it’s for a company moving into a new office the mood boards that must be created should be in sync with the companies purpose and thinking. It’s these mood boards most often than kind of create an ambience of welcome and even story telling in the background. Think of mood boards in a retail store and if it tells the story of pictures of how the retail store/ chain has grown over the last 100 years it creates a connect with people instantly as provides for good marketing too. Thus defining the intent for the mood boards is a starting point

Agreed. I would start the presentation with one clear line that defines the purpose or objective. The line should have enough power to trigger the team’s hearts to communicate freely.

One thing that I like the most- Check the Brand’s Website. Learn their brand colours and inculcate the same in your marketing plan. From this, they will be able to connect with your plan more effectively.

One can find images from various places today on the Internet be it a Dribble, Google Pictures, Insta or a Pinterest what most often works is styling these pictures in one’s own way to make them alive It’s not always about creating boards with pictures but it also very well be sometimes just good pieces of quotes/ content that people can read and also get curious to read more. That’s the power of one. So the sources can be good books for picking these quotes too

The starting point could be the brand website and social media. A brand website theme works best, and social media ultimately confirms what direction the brand is moving in terms of visual representation. With all these data, I think the team will be able to understand clearly and execute the plan effectively.

✅ Adding your own sketched concepts are a great addition to any moodboarding activity as it distinguishes you from the rest and showcases your idea clearly

Secret sauce but my OG go-to... - Pinterest - Behance - Dribbble All for inspiring images, graphics and fonts to represent your aesthetic. Flip through design magazines and books to uncover striking photography, illustrations or colour palettes. Incorporate product catalogues, textile swatches or nature photos to find suitable textures and patterns. Add your own sketches or pictures to personalize it.

When you are designing for a brand or a user. It is very important for the mood: concept to resonate, convey & connect. We start by understanding the personality, lifestyle and needs of the client and also the perception they would want to create out of the designed space. Basis on the same we curate a essence: mood, form and experience by collating design elements such as color, texture, material, form and design details etc.

A moodboard should do what the name suggests, create a mood. The idea is to put togother visuals, colours, typography in a way that it helps the client visualise what you already have visualised. Its to get the client excited. So the layout and elements are defined by the brief and the overall vibe of the brand and not the other way round

Agreed. A presentation moodboard that is only full of gridded imagery is not going to create impact and emotional stress. I would curate the sources/content much like how museum visitors are experiencing. Hero data and ambient information needs to have different prescence on the board.

Review your collected inspiration and curate a selection that best represents the chosen theme or concept. Organize the visuals in a cohesive manner, considering elements such as color schemes, typography styles, and image types.

Se em um momento você irá reunir muitos elementos, depois é preciso escolher apenas os que serão usados. Ter elementos demais pode atrapalhar mais que ajudar a equipe. Seja assertivo na hora de escolher as referências e dê um direcionamento certeiro.

When sharing moodboards or any design say: “We’re going to go through this twice. First look for what you like, then on the second time look for what you don’t like.” People naturally approach the creative process with a negative, critical mindset, so you need to work to help them enter into the right mental space for the creative work at hand. This will help you get the right signal and not just the noise.

Con base a la definición del buyer persona, se da inicio la elaboración del moodboard. Tomando en consideración: 1.- ¿Qué le gusta? 2.- ¿Cómo lo quiere ver? 3.- ¿Colores de mayor agrado? 4.- ¿Donde lo quiere ver? Se tienen sesiones de lluvias de ideas con el equipo creativo y de marketing, en mi experiencia las plataformas colaborativas son de gran utilidad

I mostly use collaborative spaces for the digital moodboards and I use platforms such as Figma, Slack, Dropbox Paper or Google Spaces (depending on the type of team I work with). The team’s board manipulation is quite fluid and everybody can put their own opinions, suggestions and reactions.

Choose a color palette that reflects the mood and emotions you want to convey. Ensure the colors work well together and evoke the desired response from the audience. If applicable, incorporate textures and patterns that add depth and interest to the visual language of the mood board. Consider how these elements can be applied in the final design. Pay attention to the overall layout and composition of the mood board. Ensure that the visuals flow smoothly and that there is a harmonious balance between different elements.

You create a mood board and ask your client to as well. Have an IRL meeting and compare and contrast your visions. Mood boards should be highly visual and highly tactile ... for this exercise, I avoid digital completely!

A mood board can help ideate “how” you want to create, but could fall very flat if you haven’t established the “why” first. Set some context and build a strong case for the challenge you are facing as a team. Once you have buy-in and a bit of momentum, a creatively generated mood board is much better positioned to inspire and succeed.

Create the mood board WITH your team so they have a hand in shaping it and discussing it. If they play an integral part of creating it then they will be aligned with the vision ... otherwise its you telling them rather than you working with them.

Present the mood board to your team and provide context for each element. Explain the reasoning behind your choices, how they relate to the project goals, and the emotions or responses you aim to evoke. Invite your team to provide feedback and encourage collaboration. The mood board is a starting point, and input from team members can enhance the overall design direction. Based on feedback, be open to making adjustments and iterating on the mood board. The goal is to create a shared visual language that inspires and guides the entire team throughout the design process.

When you create a physical, highly tactile mood board, you can display it above your workspace as a constant reminder and creative inspiration/filter for the project. Digital formats don't work well this way!

To make a mood board for your design project, collect pictures, colors, and textures that show the feeling you want. Use magazines, online images, or your own drawings. Arrange them on a board or computer app. Share with your team to get everyone excited and on the same page. It helps everyone understand the project's vibe and style.