How to create a Moodboard for a Brand that Reflects your Personal & Business Style

In this blog post, I want to show you how to create a moodboard for a brand. How should a business strategically create a moodboard for a brand that reflects their personality and style? I get so many clients who come to me for help with their brand design that they are not ready for it. They haven’t asked themselves the right questions! They might have a Pinterest board full of gorgeous logos and moodboards. But they haven’t sat down and thought about the most important thing! Their AUDIENCE!

When you are working on building your brand, the first important thing you want to do, even before going wild on Pinterest, is to define the message that you want to communicate to your audience! It is essential that you take some time to pinpoint who you are speaking to and what you want to impart to them! The feelings, mood, style, etc. Once this is clear, it is time to start creating a moodboard. I get back to these clients with a long questionnaire that helps them address all these questions! When that is done…the FUN BEGINS!

Here are my tips on how to create a moodboard for a brand that speaks your message and attracts the right clients!

Where to look for images for your moodboard

A moodboard is a physical or digital collage of ideas that can include photography, design, illustration, color palettes and textures to help you define the direction of your brand. It gives you a visual point of reference and brings clarity in your direction.

You can grab images from Pinterest, magazines, cards, stock images, Instagram. Just be sure to note down their source, especially if you would want to share online!

Very often people think they’ll just go online for 1 hour, pin everything they like to a Pinterest board and their done. I would suggest that you take your time. Yes create a Pinterest board where you pin any images that align with your brand idea. Sit down with an old box of magazines and cut out some images and paste them to your journal! You can continue to do this even after your “official branding process” is done. By collecting your style inspiration and consistently surrounding yourself in it, it becomes an ingrained part of who you are and it will continue to inspire your visuals even as you progress and grow in your business!

How to make a Digital Moodboard

I recommend using a simple software like Canva! It already has a ton of Moodboard templates laid out for you so all you have to do is upload your images and drag them into the picture. I also love the idea of creating a real-life moodboard by cutting and pasting images into a collage! I feel like this would be a gorgeous reminder to keep hung on your office wall.

Choosing your Color Scheme

While building your moodboard, start finding images that have an overall color and feel that go well together. Start picking the colors and create a palette on the side of the board. If something doesn’t fit, take it out and replace it with another that fits the emerging color scheme and style of the board. Things should start looking and feeling cohesive now!

Diversify your Elements

As you work on your moodboard try to choose a variety of elements: textures, images, fashion, nature, home interiors, and typography! 

Here is an example of a very simple moodboard I created for my client. 

I always create 2 or 3 for them to choose what resonates with them best and I would recommend this to you too. Create a couple of moodboards and then choose to work with the one that speaks to you the most! Ask your audience too! They are the ones who your brand needs to attract!

I hope this gets you on the right track and gives you the right steps on how to create a moodboard for a brand

Once your moodboard is complete, you can now start working on your logo and Brand Styling Guide. If you are feeling lost about designing your own Brand Styling Guide, check out the Canva brand board template I have available in my Canva Template Shop.

Are you having a hard time creating your brand visuals? Do you need some external help in the process? Check out my portfolio to see how I can help you and Let’s talk!!!