Creating your own Moodboard is much easier than you think!

A Moodboard or inspiration board is a super useful tool that will help you clarify what your style is, and visually explain concepts or ideas of how you would like your brand to be.

Shall we start …?

First of all, I suggest you take this activity as something fun, that will allow you to unleash your creativity, while discovering what you like and what you don’t.

The objective is to develop a visual concept through the use of color, typography, images, illustrations, textures … In this way we can transmit concepts without words, with a new language that is much more effective.

3 easy steps to create your own Moodboard:

1. Concept & vision
This is the strategic part, where you position yourself and define what differentiates you from the competition. You look for inspiration, but you also reflect on your vision and your values.

Imagine that your brand has a personality, describe it. What feelings would you like to inspire?

Write at least 5 words that define the visual style, as well as the feelings or messages you want it to convey.

2. Color, images and typography
You already have a base to start!
From here, just start playing … You can begin with the color palette or go directly to looking for images.
If you start with the color, choose those that reflect the concepts and feelings that you have previously defined. Do you want your palette to be energetic and cheerful…? … Or smooth and elegant?

My suggestion is that you choose:
Two intense colors (the main ones)
Two neutral colors (secondary, or support colors)
· An accent color (to highlight certain elements).

For images, I suggest you go to Pinterest.
When we talk about images I am not only referring to photographs … you can also include textures, or graphic elements that will help you to reflect the chosen style.

At most, choose 15-20 images (later it will be necessary to refine, but this amount works well as a starting point).
Important: do not look for literal images … but rather seek to reflect concepts, evoke feelings … get it?

For fonts, I recommend that you choose a main one, which is consistent with the graphic style you have chosen. This is the one that should have the most personality, as it will generally stand out in large texts.
Then choose a secondary font, which contrasts a bit with the previous one: this will be used for highlights, subtitles, etc.

3. Composition
Final stage… time to create the collage!
With all the elements chosen, you will compose your board. It is time to select and polish, as not all images, or colors will match when viewed together.

At this stage you will begin to notice patterns, you will see that there are images that somehow repeat themselves, similar graphic styles … you have to select the elements that you like the most, and discard what does not fully fit your vision. Put all the elements in a way that is harmonious for you and reflects the personality of your brand.

The easiest thing is to create your moodboard in digital format: for this I suggest you use Canva. It is a very simple and intuitive tool, which will allow you to design your board quickly, with pre-established templates.
Another option is to create a board on Pinterest, where you add all the elements that we saw previously. Just go looking for your keywords, and adding pins to your board.

Advantages of creating your moodboard

There are many advantages, but here’s a list of the main ones:
1. You will gain clarity and focus.
2. It will make the investigation and introspection process more fun.
3. It will help you lay the foundations for your future visual identity.

Go ahead and enjoy creating your own moodboard!

Here is the link for you to download The Secret Brand handbook, a comprehensive guide that will help you throughout the process.

If you decide that we work together, this will be the initial step that I will create as part of your branding. It is the key piece that will become a guide for the creation of the logo and all the visual elements of your brand.

Wondering where to start …?
Do you need clarity to define what identity and personality you want your branding to reflect?
I suggest you download “The Secret Brand” handbook, where you will find the 3 key elements that you need to define in order to create an authentic brand that connects with your audience.