Let’s talk about why your brand needs a moodboard

Your vibe attracts your tribe

You know that feeling when you walk into a store and you just think “lush”? The energy of the space, its layout, the colours they’ve used. All these elements have been seamlessly woven together to make you feel at home and also, to buy all the things! Then there’s those other stores which, after one quick glance, you immediately know are not for you.

These visceral reactions are the perfect encapsulation of your visual brand and how it can affect, in an instant, whether people are attracted to your product or service or, whether they choose to take their money elsewhere.

Imagery, much like music, has a magical ability to capture people’s emotions. Without the use of a single word, an image tells a story which evokes a feeling. It takes people to a certain time or place and it inspires a response. For this reason, I am forever banging on about visual branding. It is THE most important thing to get right to attract the right people to your brand. Your visuals (in combination with your messaging, of course) need to draw a connection from the frustrations and problems of your customers right to your products. When they arrive at your site, your customers need to have that feeling I spoke of before, they should feel like they’ve landed in the right place and be inspired to buy, knowing that your products will resolve their issue.

But, how are you supposed to achieve all of this? Read on, my friends, it’s time to talk moodboards.

Getting it right – starting off on the right foot

THE very first step when you’re considering your branding, is to create a moodboard. In other words, pour a cuppa, sit down and collect all the imagery, colours and fonts that inspire how you want your brand to make people feel.

When you work with ANY designer, this should be the number 1 item on their list and, to get a head start, you can certainly put one together on your own. I would recommend using Canva for an easy-to-use, hard-to-mess-up platform.

When I’m working with my branding clients, I like to have them collect relevant imagery on Pinterest. From there, I use this initial collection to create a more comprehensive moodboard, like the one you see above. This sets the scene and provides the parameters for all the decisions which follow, from font styles to colours and imagery and even down to the type of layout we select for their marketing materials.

But, it’s not just relevant images, I also choose some key words which sum up the feel of the brand. They could be:

Modern chic + notoriously lush + crisp, clear space.

Why it’s great to have one of these babies 

A moodboard can:

• Ensure your marketing efforts and current branding are targeted to the RIGHT client. Not sure who that is? Check out this helpful download.
• Be given to other companies to keep your brand consistent in lieu of a brand guide. It will inform everyone from your digital agency, to your copywriter and designer on decisions like image choice, font style and word choice.
• Keep your creatives happy! Any one you work with will LOVE being given one of these to help inform their work and be a significant component of their comprehensive brief.

Ready to DIY?

So, you don’t have all the fancy equipment to create a layout like the one above? Don’t worry, there is another way! This exercise is absolutely something you can do yourself to ensure your brand is putting its best foot forward and that your visuals are 100% on track.

Simply open up good ol’ Canva and get creating. I would open a blank document (square is always good) and then select elements > grids. Choose the grid you’d like to work with and start placing your imagery, creating your own, dynamic moodboard.

Now I’d love to hear from you! Does your brand have a moodboard and do you find it as helpful as I do? If not, have I now inspired you to create one? Please get in touch if you’d like to know more.

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