Moodboards have become an integral part of the design process…but what is a moodboard and why are they important? A moodboard is a collection of existing visual ideas–logos, photography, print design, web design, architectural design, brand identity, merchandise, etc.–that helps to capture the type of style direction for a particular project. After reviewing the moodboard, a client should feel great about the direction that their project is headed and be confident that we’re capturing the essence of their brand.
What is a Moodboard and Why Do They Matter?
01. Why are moodboards important?
Having the client preview our creative inspiration and getting their sign-off prevents the time-waster of steering the project in the wrong direction. By getting on the same page from the beginning, you can have a better idea of what the client is looking for in the end result.
02. Where do I find inspiration for my moodboards?
During the initial conversations with your client, you should get a good idea of what visual direction will look best for the project. From there, check out sites like Pinterest.com or Dribbble.com to find inspiration and styles that have the look you’re going for.
03. How do I make a moodboard?
There are many tools out there for making moodboards, but at Port City, we typically use Adobe InDesign to create a multipage 1920×1080 document to organize these inspiration thumbnails. Pro tip: Number these thumbnails so your client can reference them when giving feedback.
04. What should I include in a moodboard?
That is mostly dependent on the project. For example, if it’s a logo for a restaurant, look for what other restaurants are doing with their branding—reference menu boards, to-go boxes, server uniforms, wall art, etc. Anything that helps create a vision to help the client visualize and give you direction moving forward.
05. The takeaway
Moodboards have quickly become the first step we take in any large design project. Feel free to make these your own and send us examples of what you’ve come up with—we’d love to share your great ideas with our community of designers!
If you’re interested in showcasing your brand in a whole new way, get in touch with us today! We can help you with every step of the process.
