If you’ve been one of our clients, you’re probably aware that moodboards are almost an essential step in our collaboration. Early in the process, we present one or more carefully curated moodboards and discuss them with you, for varying lengths of time. If, however, you’ve never worked with a creative agency, it’s possible that you’ve never been invited to use and comment on such a tool. You might even be unsure about what exactly a moodboard is.

However, since the moodboarding stage is crucial in our creative process and our collaboration with you, the client, we thought it was important to provide you with a little guide on how to use it. The idea is simple: the better prepared you are for this step, the more relevant the collaboration around the moodboard will be, and the better the results will be.

What is a moodboard? How do you create one? How do you interpret, use, and comment on it? This article provides answers to all these questions!

Moodboard: Definition

A moodboard, also known as a concept board, is a collection of visual elements (images, textures, colours, photos, typography) that helps define the broad aesthetic lines of a project, such as branding.

A moodboard serves as a starting point, a springboard, to create the visual atmosphere of the brand, its general aesthetic, its “look & feel.” In other words, it helps establish a shared creative direction, approved by the client, before diving into the actual creation process (logo design, colour palette selection, typography choices, etc.).

It’s also a tool that can serve as a reference for designers throughout the creative process, not only for the brand itself but also for its marketing tools. By regularly referring to the moodboard, designers ensure the creative direction approved by the client is maintained.

Creating a Moodboard: Best Practices

Start with the brand’s positioning and its targeted audience. The moodboarding phase follows another equally important, if not more crucial, phase: the strategic positioning of the brand. This involves identifying the target audience, analysing the competitive market, defining what makes your brand unique, its mission, vision, and values… A moodboard that doesn’t consider all this information has little chance of being relevant.

Avoid being influenced by fleeting trends and favour a visual direction that is justified and grounded in the brand’s story and positioning. For instance, the colours chosen for Only Fresh Food, from the moodboard phase, are quite trendy, but they are also references to natural pigments important in Indian culture and often found at spice market stalls. Even though they are on trend, they belong in this project because they tell a story.

Don’t limit yourself to visuals related only to graphic design or branding. It’s important to draw inspiration from various fields: photography, architecture, fashion, cinema, nature, etc. This opens up the range of possibilities and prevents you from creating visuals that are too similar to existing ones.

Choose a single direction, clear and precise. The moodboard is like the designer’s compass. If the elements in it point in different directions, chances are we’ll lose our way. So, focus on one idea, one direction.

As a client, how to interpret and comment on a moodboard provided by a designer?

At Grafico, our moodboards are based on the information gathered during the discovery phase—comprising numerous exchanges with the various stakeholders to fully understand the vision, needs, and expectations—and on the brand’s defined positioning strategy. When we send you a moodboard, our goal is to confirm our understanding of the project and share our creative vision with you. We aim to ensure mutual creative understanding before moving forward.

Therefore, it’s important for you, as the client, to know how to interpret a moodboard in order to understand our vision as designers and get a concrete idea of what your brand could ultimately look like.

Here are our four key tips for properly interpreting and commenting on a moodboard:

1. Don’t focus on details

In a moodboard, each image shouldn’t be studied individually. It’s the overall composition, created by combining these visuals, that should be considered. It’s also possible that some images in this moodboard have nothing to do with your business. For example, our moodboard for Blu Element (mobile accessories) featured, among other visuals, packaging for… dental floss!

2. Don’t try to create a hybrid between two moodboards

One moodboard = one direction. Mixing two moodboards would mean multiplying possible directions, making the creative focus too vague. While making a choice can be tough, resist the temptation to split the difference.

3. Don’t hesitate to ask the designer if in doubt

If a particular image raises questions or if you’re struggling to visualize the final result, feel free to ask us.

4. Don’t ask for opinions from everyone around you

Or at least, not from everyone. Most of your close ones probably don’t share your vision for your business and aren’t familiar with the strategic thinking that led to the creation of the moodboard. Their feedback may be based purely on their personal tastes. So, who should you ask for feedback? First, your business partners, of course, those who know and share your brand vision and positioning. It may also be helpful to ask one or two people who belong to your target audience.
Share what you like with the designer. Designing the moodboard doesn’t have to be one-sided. Feel free to share with us elements you’ve seen that align with the vision you have for your brand.

The Moodboard as a collaboration tool

At Grafico, we primarily see the moodboard as a collaboration tool, aimed at aligning us, as designers, with you, the client, on the same page. It can be refined until it perfectly reflects your brand. Once again, don’t hesitate to ask questions or suggest ideas. Some clients even take the initiative to create a moodboard themselves, which we can then use as the foundation for our creative direction. In any case, this collaborative work helps us get to know you better, understand you better, and ultimately create a brand that meets your expectations.

Conclusion

The moodboard is much more than just a collection of images: it’s an essential tool for collaboration and creative clarification. It helps establish the visual foundation of a project while ensuring that the designer’s vision and the client’s vision are aligned from the start of the branding process. A well-designed and well-interpreted moodboard becomes a valuable guide, ensuring consistency in the creative direction throughout the development of the brand. It’s through working together, with openness and dialogue, that the magic of creation takes shape, leading to results that meet everyone’s expectations.