BRANDING MOOD BOARD
Create a folder on your computer and begin to save images.
Try not to get too “precious” at first, select the images that seem to resonate with you the most.
When you’ve collected enough images, you can begin to sort through your folder and single out the ones that work together the best.
Sometimes it can help to select one main image that speaks to you the most and build your other images around it.
Remember, this can take time to find the right images to create a cohesive brand.
The most effective branding mood boards are the ones that pull in a variety of visual elements, like color, photos, and typography.
Here’s an example mood board below…
This mood board was created while building the website for Eco Soul Art (www.ecosoulart.com)
You can see when visiting the website that the look and feel came directly from the original art, as well as inspired images.
Resources for Pictures
There are many great websites where you can get free images. You can use others, as long as they are only for the look and feel. If you want to use the images in your website it is best to purchase a stock photo or visit one of these great FREE stock photo sites:
Type
It can become a little overwhelming trying to find the right typography mix for your brand.
Be sure to keep it simple (no more than 2-3 font families) and keep it legible for your audience. You don’t want to select a font that makes it difficult for the reader (i.e. too scripted).
You also want your font to “communicate” your business. For example, if you have a website geared toward kids, you want playful fonts. If you are a doctor, you will want more “sturdy/conservative” fonts.
You only have a few seconds to grab their attention so make it count.
Adobe Typekit
This is a paid subscription that is included with Adobe Creative Suite, many well worth the cost. Especially when designing print & other products that include type.
Google Fonts
There are a plethora of free fonts, as well as typography information on the google font website. AND, best of all, they are FREE!
Color
I love LOVE color combination websites. My Favorite Go-To is Adobe Color.
There are so many others, but I find the choices of shades, analogous, complimentary, etc are clear and easy to use on this website.
Your branding mood board is going to be a springboard for branding decisions.
Your mood board should be designed in a way that makes it easy to understand what it is that you want to convey to your website visitors.
As you’re building your mood board, you can use it as a guidepost for driving brand design decisions.
