How moodboards help build a strong brand that supports your business goals.
I recently had a client that was a little confused. After presenting a moodboard to her I had left her wondering what was the goal of it. I realized that by failing to tell her what the purpose of a moodboard was and why I was making it, I was making her feel lost. It’s easy to get lost in industry jargon and forget that not everyone knows what your talking about. My competent business client was wondering when the web design process was going to start – oops, fail on my part!
Moodboards benefit you, the entrepreuneur, in building your brand. A strong brand increases trust in your audience.
What is a Moodboard?
First, let’s go over what a mood board is and isn’t. Moodboards show a picture of the aesthetic proposed for a design project. They include colours, font samples, photos, graphic patterns, textures and UI elements. Moodboards are a tool to assist the designer in creating a web design. It ensures that the client and designer are on the same page. Moodboards present the chance to kill a bad idea before too much time is invested in it. Moodboards help develop a brand that supports the marketing goals. Moodboards help pin down if your proposed design aesthetic supports your brand values. Moodboards help build a brand that supports the business owner’s marketing goals. I wrote an article that explains branding persona‘s that may interest you.
Communicate clearly!
Moodboards detail how the brand is going to be visually represented.
A designer should consider how a client will react when presenting mood boards. They can be overwhelming if the client isn’t expecting them or understands their aim. Will they understand their purpose?
One book that talks about this subject is “Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience by Tom Greever”.
A designer’s responsibility is to provide a smooth design process. A smooth design process builds trust and confidence in the designer’s abilities. I’m pleased to report that my client was happy again once I explained what the goal of a mood board was and the goal.
Build a strong team
A mood board often doesn’t include the actual imagery needed for the project. A mood board can keep everyone involved with building your brand on the same page.
Learn more about branding in my blog.
Has a mood board helped you build a strong brand? Did you feel it was a useful part of the process? Comment below. Read more about website branding on my blog.
