Last updated on Feb 18, 2024
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1
Choose a format
2
Collect relevant images
3
Arrange the images
4
Add annotations
5
Share the mood board
Be the first to add your personal experience
6
Update the mood board
Be the first to add your personal experience
7
Here’s what else to consider
Mood boards are visual tools that help you communicate and explore the style, tone, and mood of a creative project. They can also help you give effective feedback on creative work by providing a clear reference point, a common language, and a constructive framework. In this article, you will learn how to use mood boards to give feedback on creative work in six steps.
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- Linda Kafka 🌀WELL AP 🌿GreenLeader AP, CAPS, Adaptiv Home, SIDC, author Educator | transforming residential design thru 🌿biophilia and neuroaesthics. Certification provider, subject matter… 1
1 Choose a format
The first step is to choose a format for your mood board that suits your project and your feedback goals. You can use digital tools like Pinterest, Adobe Spark, or Canva to create online mood boards that are easy to share and edit. You can also use physical materials like magazines, photos, fabrics, or objects to create tactile mood boards that stimulate the senses and inspire creativity. The format you choose should reflect the type and level of feedback you want to give, as well as the medium and audience of the creative work.
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- Linda Kafka 🌀WELL AP 🌿GreenLeader AP, CAPS, Adaptiv Home, SIDC, author Educator | transforming residential design thru 🌿biophilia and neuroaesthics. Certification provider, subject matter expert, speaker, resource, industry unifier. One of Canada's leading expert on aging well in place.
A designer should create a mood board to visually communicate ideas, themes, and inspirations for a project. By compiling images, colors, textures, and typography on a single board, the designer can establish a cohesive visual direction and ensure alignment with the client's vision
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- Ankit Patel Co-Founder + Chief Brand Officer at Obvi | Forbes Featured
You have two main choices when creating your own mood board style.You can go digital or use real-life items, and each way has its own benefits. Using online tools means you can make changes quickly and share your ideas fast, which is awesome when you need to keep things moving. But, using things you can touch, like pictures, packaging, or anything really, makes your mood board feel more real and can show off what your brand is all about in a special way. It's not just what you like better; it's about making a smart plan. The way you decide to make your mood board tells your team how you like to work and how involved you want to be in making something amazing together.
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2 Collect relevant images
The next step is to collect relevant images that represent the key aspects of the creative work, such as the theme, the message, the emotion, the color scheme, the typography, the imagery, or the style. You can use images from various sources, such as online platforms, books, magazines, art, photography, or your own sketches. The images you choose should be consistent with the creative brief and the objectives of the project. You should also consider the quality, the resolution, and the copyright of the images.
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
- Linda Kafka 🌀WELL AP 🌿GreenLeader AP, CAPS, Adaptiv Home, SIDC, author Educator | transforming residential design thru 🌿biophilia and neuroaesthics. Certification provider, subject matter expert, speaker, resource, industry unifier. One of Canada's leading expert on aging well in place.
You need to use relevant photos for a mood board which shoukd include inspirational imagery, color palettes, textures, typography examples, mood-setting scenes, product references, and branding elements. These visuals capture the desired mood, atmosphere, and aesthetic direction of the project. They help communicate ideas, themes, and inspirations, ensuring alignment with the client's vision. Remember most people are not visual and relevant photos help guide tge client
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3 Arrange the images
The third step is to arrange the images on your mood board in a way that creates a coherent and compelling visual story. You can use different methods to organize your images, such as by category, by contrast, by hierarchy, by alignment, or by proximity. You can also use shapes, borders, backgrounds, or text to create visual cues and connections. The arrangement of your images should highlight the main elements and principles of design that you want to emphasize in your feedback.
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
- Linda Kafka 🌀WELL AP 🌿GreenLeader AP, CAPS, Adaptiv Home, SIDC, author Educator | transforming residential design thru 🌿biophilia and neuroaesthics. Certification provider, subject matter expert, speaker, resource, industry unifier. One of Canada's leading expert on aging well in place.
Creating a coherent and compelling visual story is essential from a neuroscience perspective because it leverages how the brain processes information. Neuroscience research shows that the brain is highly responsive to visual stimuli, with visual information processed faster and retained longer than text alone. A coherent and engaging visual story activates multiple regions of the brain, including those responsible for emotions, memory, and decision-making
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4 Add annotations
The fourth step is to add annotations to your mood board that explain the rationale and the purpose of your images. You can use labels, captions, notes, or comments to provide context and clarity to your images. You can also use questions, suggestions, or compliments to provide feedback and guidance to the creative team. The annotations should be concise, specific, and constructive. They should also relate to the criteria and the expectations of the project.
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
- Linda Kafka 🌀WELL AP 🌿GreenLeader AP, CAPS, Adaptiv Home, SIDC, author Educator | transforming residential design thru 🌿biophilia and neuroaesthics. Certification provider, subject matter expert, speaker, resource, industry unifier. One of Canada's leading expert on aging well in place.
Keep things clear and simple. Its part of our genetic program to keep information clear and simple otherwise we lose interest in the message and it exhausts us.
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5 Share the mood board
The fifth step is to share the mood board with the creative team and invite them to respond and collaborate. You can use different channels and formats to share your mood board, such as email, social media, video call, or presentation. You can also use different tools and techniques to facilitate the discussion and interaction, such as polls, surveys, quizzes, or games. The sharing of your mood board should be timely, respectful, and engaging. It should also encourage feedback and input from the creative team.
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6 Update the mood board
The final step is to update the mood board based on the feedback and the progress of the creative work. You can add, remove, or change images or annotations to reflect the changes and improvements in the creative work. You can also use different versions or layers to show the evolution and the development of the creative work. The updating of your mood board should be frequent, consistent, and transparent. It should also document and celebrate the achievements and the challenges of the creative work.
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7 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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- Ankit Patel Co-Founder + Chief Brand Officer at Obvi | Forbes Featured
Mood boards aren't just for giving feedback; they show off your creative style and how you lead. Think of it like this: the way you pick, place, and talk about the pictures and ideas on your mood board helps your team understand how to be creative together. Use mood boards not just to finish a job but to make your team excited about trying new things, being brave, and working well together. Imagine your mood board as a big, blank page where it's okay to try something new, where it's good to stretch beyond the usual, and where doing something amazing is always the goal. The best ideas come from really caring about what you're doing and believing in it—use your mood board to light up that spark in your team!
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