Prepping for a Project: Utilizing Moodboards

susanna — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:06:15 +0000

At clickbrand, we like to use mood boards as often as we can. Mood boards are a great way to jump start the design process and help define the structures and goals of a project. It sets the tone, style, and overall feel of the design early on, without being convoluted with thoughts about the layout and architecture of the site. Often times, clients are unsure of what they want exactly, which leaves a project with many diverse concepts and ambiguous solutions. To design something based on these loose criteria would have a higher probability to result in something that the client might not be completely satisfied with.

So what should be covered in mood boards? The common items to include are: color schemes, patterns, visual research (photograph, illustrations, graphics elements), and typography. Mood boards can help communicate visually what cannot be described in words and will help in creating the initial mock-up designs quicker. Most importantly, mood boards allow for client input early on, making it easier to establish create a mutual understanding of what path the project should follow.

Here’s a sample mood board created for better understanding:

As this was for vacation homes in Park City Utah, the overall theme and feel reflects the beauty and elegance of the scenery found there. The imagery and color scheme used helps emphasize the luxuriousness of the homes and the ability to ‘escape’ from everyday life.

While mood boards are great tool, it’s understandable that some may prefer to do without. Whether its personal preference or lack of time and budget, mood boards might not always be needed. Regardless, mood boards can still be very useful and beneficial in narrowing down and strengthening the focus of a project.

Clickbrand Blog » Design

Prepping for a Project: Utilizing Moodboards