What is a moodboard and why is important to create one

What is a moodboard? What is it for and especially, why you should create one for your blog or work? Let's find out together with two simple but practical examples.

Often echoes the question: What is a moodboard? Let's do it simple and get immediately a comprehensive answer.

A moodboard is a “table” where put all the ideas, materials, every pictures, colors, etc. that relate to a specific project. A sort of collage, more or less ordered that connects all the elements you need to create or define a project.

I deliberately used the quotation marks to indicate table because we don't always talk about a physical product, that is something if you can touch, but don't advance anything because you'll find out soon.

Follow me because now I'll be more specific and I'll let you easy to understand examples that can help you.

Case 1: Design and make logo and corporate identity for a company.

You are a freelance graphic designer and a client who runs a restaurant wants to renew its brand. It does not end here, considering that recently renovated its premises he wants the project to be coordinated and unique and that reflects the style and philosophy of simple materials recovery.

Kudos is a good job, you're good at and after the efforts you deserve fair opportunity. Now you just have to manage it better and get fair compensation and recognition.

Case 2: Change style of your home

You decided to change the style of your home. You never liked the décor and colors of rooms and want to modernize your apartment and make it more like your taste, more feminine with a modern twist, but you have to submit a project for those who live with you and, of course, make it approved!

Now comes the fun part: you will be inundated with ideas, suggestions and images in your head that blend… and confuse you. Keep calm.

What should you do now?

Case 1: Design and make logo and corporate identity for a company.

After the conversation with your customer you'll have racked up several notes with requests and all the material you may find. When you get home you will need to put in a logical order all this information to start working (sorry but skip the part where you compose the budget, at least in this case we don't care).

Case 2: Change style of your home

After downing a few sketches and collected some pictures from magazines you will need to try to bring order and pull the strings of your new project. At this point comes into play the moodboard with proposals and ideas you have in mind to create your style.

How to create a moodboard? Choose the right support for you.

1. A notebook because it is comfortable to carry around;
2. A bulletin board to hang on the wall because you can put/remove images or objects many times;
3. A folder on your desktop because it is virtually endless and easily editable;
4. Specific software because it allows you to create a stylish and functional layout.

So it is important that you use something that allows you to easily add or remove all the elements that make up your moodboard.

Many use an economic wall board, I have the classic cork board with pins to stick and move comfortably everything that goes through my mind.

I get along very well with Pinterest, Since they invented the secret boards that you can share with users. Ideal if you want to share online projects that involve more creative.

(Pinterest is one of the reasons outlined in the preamble the word table had quotes… remember? You can't physically touch a board on your computer, but I assure you that it is still very useful for composing your ideas.)

Many others use a software that lets you create a moodboard comfortably on your computer: Photoshop, Canva, Picmonkey. You'll get in an upcoming post, now let's move on to the examples.

Practical examples

Case 1: Design and make logo and corporate identity for a company.

This is an example of moodboard I created to give you an idea of ​​how to accomplish your task, the “table” consists of several pictures because it was created with software on computer.

If I have to design a logo and promotional material for a company that has opened a bar I have to give a general overview to my client as I see the product and how I plan to develop communication for him.

At this stage I collect ideas with a layout that contains more items (materials, window stickers, menu, logo, etc.) they have in common a tone or “mood”. It seems relatively simple to understand: Vintage style / recycled wood / clean bold font / dark colors.

Here I am linking some examples of moodboards made by other to make you understand what it means to search a “mood”:

Via: Lenore Design / Grunge.

Case 2: Change style of your home

In this case I want to change the decor of the house with a more feminine but still modern and functional style and I want to give an idea to my companion as I can make it happen.

Of course it is not necessary that the images inserted in your mood Board reflect the 100% what I want to buy, assembled that way serve to give the “feeling” I'm looking for my interiors: Warmth / brightness / comfort / attention to detail.

Here are some examples of moodboard made by other:

Via: Coffee / Picked for you

I'm done!

In summary: a moodbord is a collage of inspirations that you need to reach a goal. It is important because gives you an overview of the project and allows you to be more efficient and thus work better.

What do you think?

If you found interesting these examples leave a comment below, also to tell your working method… or go to the second part and discover 8 Useful tips to create a mood board that works!