How to Create an Effective Mood Board (2025)

A mood board is a necessity for the beginning of every branding project. Enjoy our best tips for creating one!

Mood boards help to create a clear visual direction that a new brand identity may be guided by. Designers usually create mood boards at the beginning of branding projects as a means of getting inspiration, as well as having a clear style to follow. Mood boards are lots of fun to make and everyone will create them differently, however there are a few universal steps to follow as best practice.

1. Begin hunting for inspo

We recommend Pinterest for design inspiration, which is full of creative ideas! Search and explore any relevant key terms to find what kind of direction might work for your mood board. You may want to consider the brand and what type of design collateral they will need in the future, so you can find specific examples to include. Recommended images will start showing up for you as you continue to search also - thank you Pinterest algorithm!

How to Create an Effective Mood Board (1)

Click on images in Pinterest and more similar examples will show up
Follow SDS on Pinterest!

2. Save images to a Pinterest board

When you begin to get an idea of what your mood board might look like, start saving any potential images you could use to a Pinterest board. These images don't have to be final - you'll just be able to see what they look like all together and refine the aesthetic from there!

How to Create an Effective Mood Board (2)

Create and name a Pinterest board so you can begin to see what everything will look like together

3. Download a selection of images

When you have enough images saved for your mood board, download the strongest examples that will work best for your project. The number of images may vary depending on the project, however we would normally aim for about 10 to begin with. Colour is what will really make your mood board look cohesive, so ensure the images compliment each other!

This mood board features primarily soft peach and cream tones so that everything compliments each other

4. Arrange your mood board

With these images saved, you can begin laying them out on your page. You may want to roughly place each of your images to begin with, then move them around to find balance. Continue to add/remove images according to what works best for your mood board.

Get the images you want to use onto one page and arrange their placement

5. Add design elements

Consider adding design elements to make your mood board more visually engaging and unique. Collage-style effects such as overlapping images and using pins or tape graphics can work well. Adding a few colour swatches, patterns or textures can really help tie everything together also!

Once you have your images laid out, add some additional design elements

Mood boards are unique to every project and person. Use our tips and have fun with it, and you can't go wrong!

Looking for more design tips?

How to Create an Effective Mood Board (3)

How to Create an Effective Mood Board (2025)

FAQs

How to Create an Effective Mood Board? ›

A mood board typically includes a combination of images, texts, photographs, and textures to explore and present an idea in a way that words alone cannot. However, these design elements are not standalone features on a board. Instead, these components combine to tell a cohesive story about a vision.

What 5 elements must you include on a mood board? ›

These are the key mood board elements you must include in your design presentation:
  • Develop a Creative Concept Beyond Aesthetics. ...
  • Select a Consistent Color Palette That Represents Your Project. ...
  • Choose a Typography Series for Every Written Piece. ...
  • Create Textures and Prints According to Your Color Palette.

What should a mood board include? ›

A mood board typically includes a combination of images, texts, photographs, and textures to explore and present an idea in a way that words alone cannot. However, these design elements are not standalone features on a board. Instead, these components combine to tell a cohesive story about a vision.

How do you make a cohesive mood board? ›

To sum it, the key to creating a cohesive mood board is to begin with a key piece, arrange the elements as you are seeing it in real life, scale your images to real-size as much as possible, use a variety of different textures and includes pieces that you love.

How to make a mood board for life? ›

So when you're thinking of images and words to include on your moodboard, keep all the key areas of life in mind: friends, family, work, home, relationships, wellness, body & mind, holidays & hobbies. No good making a beautiful moodboard if you never see it! Put it somewhere you will see it most days, if not everyday.

What are the 4 purposes of a mood board? ›

Mood boards serve many purposes, starting with organizing a project's inspiration. They're a valuable resource to help keep the style and aesthetic of a project consistent with a client's goals and expectations. They're also an excellent way to refine a project's style before diving into the actual design process.

What is an example of a mood board? ›

In short, a mood board is a collection of content to translate an idea or thought visually. A mood board sets a specific tone for anything. Whether you're building a new product, a campaign, or a brand, a mood board can communicate ideas using shared design references.

How many pictures should a mood board have? ›

The number of images may vary depending on the project, however we would normally aim for about 10 to begin with. Colour is what will really make your mood board look cohesive, so ensure the images compliment each other!

What is the difference between a mood board and an inspiration board? ›

Inspiration boards are generally less widely used. This is because inspiration boards are more specific. They have a greater focus on elements like details, colors, and texture to serve as a valuable building block for the project, as opposed to a mood board that concentrates on conveying a feeling.

What is mood board template? ›

About the Mood Board Template

Mood boards allow you to gather inspiration, articulate a feeling or mood, and pitch ideas. A mood board typically consists of images, color palettes, and typography — basically a canvas or collage where you can add and remove as much as you want.

How do you make a mood board manifest? ›

To create a physical vision board that you can hang anywhere in your home or office, try following these steps:
  1. Take some time to clarify your vision and intention.
  2. Gather your materials, like images and art supplies.
  3. Find images and words that represent your vision.
  4. Arrange your materials.
May 9, 2024

Is there an app to create a mood board? ›

Milanote is the perfect tool for collecting inspiration and organizing your vision. Create and share beautiful moodboards in minutes.

What to put on a mood board about yourself? ›

Creating an identity mood board is a great way to get to know yourself. Exploring who you are, what you like, what inspires you, and how you think is fun. Self-discovery increases your self-confidence in many areas of your life.

What is a lifestyle mood board? ›

A mood-board offers a visual story and allows our clients to grasp the possibilities of their style. They can see all of the different aspects of their wardrobe at once and incorporating different fabrics and colours that suit them best and is just the starting point of a truly exciting, unique and exquisite wardrobe.

Do you write on a mood board? ›

Anything you want can be placed on a mood board. The possibilities are endless. Words, pictures, materials, and even audio and video feel at home; they're a great way to create a base for your ideas to springboard off and get the ball rolling.

What are the characteristics of a mood board? ›

A mood board is a type of visual presentation or 'collage' consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. It can be based on a set topic or can be any material chosen at random. A mood board can be used to convey a general idea or feeling about a particular topic.

What are the concepts of mood boards? ›

Typically, mood boards are used to define the product's primary UI colors and the visual design identity, but they can include other aspects of the design. For example, your mood board might also have: Tone-of-voice words. Marketing or persuasion ideas.

What are the specifications of a mood board? ›

It is best to use the following sizes for the mood board: 720 x 1080 pixels (vertical) and 1080 x 720 pixels (horizontal) with a dpi of 75 or 300, which is dependent on what quality and resolution the final output should have.

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