What

is a Moodboard?
A moodboard (sometimes called inspiration boards) is a type of poster design that may consist of images, text, and
samples of objects in a composition of the choice of the moodboard creator. Designers and others use moodboards
to develop their design concepts and to communicate to other members of the design team. A moodboard is
extremely useful for establishing the aesthetic feel of a design idea.
Youve no doubt seen them used for Interior Design, where fabric swatches and paint chip samples are grouped
together on a poster to show a homeowner what type of atmosphere the new decor will create. They are also used
frequently in Fashion to highlight trends and styles. In essence they are a compilation of inspirational elements
used by designers to flesh out ideas at the beginning of a design project. Think of it as rapid visual prototyping.

Things that can be explored in the moodboard include photography style, colour palettes, typography, patterns,
and the overall look and feel of the design. Soft or hard? Grungy or clean? Dark or light? A rough collage of colors,
textures and pictures is all it takes to evoke a specific style or feeling.

Most designers will create 3 moodboards for any design project. Depending on the style, you can spend 1 to 3
hours on each.
Before starting come up with a list of adjectives for each board.
An example might be:
Dark, glossy, slick, modern, edgy, hard, aggressive
Soft, muted, round, layered, elegant, realistic
Colourful, rough, sketchy, bright, illustration
These adjectives serve as guidelines that can pull together the elements. The words (and boards) should have strong
differences.

Using a Moodboard
Moodboards are often used by graphic designers to enable a person to illustrate visually the direction of style which
they are pursuing. However, mood boards can also be used to visually explain a certain style of writing, or an
imaginary setting for a storyline. In short, mood boards are not limited to visual subjects, but serve as a visual tool to
quickly inform others of the overall 'feel' or 'flow' that a designer is trying to achieve.

Creating moodboards in a digital form may be easier and quicker, but physical objects often tend to have a higher
impact on people because of the more complete palette of sensations physical moodboards offer, in contrast with
the black & white or colour-prints of a digital moodboard.
You can spend countless hours producing a beautiful graphic design only to have it rejected by the client because it
isnt what they were envisioning in their minds eye.
You get sent back to the drawing board, your ego and the budget take a hit, and everyone is frustrated by the
process. After this happens a few times you realize that getting the client involved earlier in the process can make a
huge difference in the outcome of your design presentations.


As designers, its easy to misread client expectations. Words fail miserably when trying to translate design concepts.
What one person calls edgy another might see as chaotic.
And if your client hasnt been very forthcoming about what they want their new design to look like its even harder
to hit the mark in one shot. Visuals communicate things that words cannot.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and moodboards are a great tool to create that picture for your client.

Examples
Below, a collage moodboard created for an online store selling baby clothing and accessories.

Adjectives they chose to describe their brand include stylish, friendly, and modern. The collage suggests a blue and
brown colour scheme, a mix of handwritten and serif fonts, rounded buttons and a few handmade elements.

For comparison, here is an example of a moodboard for an interior design shop:

Cool, glossy, slick, modern, edgy, futuristic

Try using moodboards

Theyre a fun, efficient and effective way to communicate big design ideas.

Some useful and inspirational websites

If you need more ideas, the group has a great collection from designers of all kinds.
www.flickr.com/groups/inspirationboards - Inspirational Moodboards

www.thedieline.com - The worlds no.1 packaging design website

www.dragonrouge.co.uk - A worldwide design agency

www.productventures.com - P r o d u c t V e n t u r e s , a r e n o w n e d c r e a t i v e a g e n c y , i s d e d i c a t e d t o
h e l p i n g c l i e n t s s h a p e p r o d u c t s a n d p a c k a g i n g t o e n h a n c e c o n s u m e r s ' l i v e s .

www.perezdesign.com - Creative services are focused on brand development encompassing many aspects of the
marketing spectrum.

www.jp33.com - We provide design for all mediums including: print, web, apparel, branding, online marketing/email
campaigns, application interface and product packaging.