Why Mood Boards are Essential for all Creatives

First of all - what is a mood board?

A mood board is a compilation of pictures, colors and textures; expressing a concept, style & feeling that will help guide the decisions that therein contribute to your overall design.

You may think that design or “mood” boards are only really useful for wedding planners, interior designs or other design based creatives. Sorry to break it to you, but… you’re wrong!

Mood boards can be useful to anyone trying to organize their thoughts, gather inspiration or convey a vibe. Whether you’re a photographer with a client asking “what should I wear to our waterfall engagement session?” or are simply wanting to spruce up your guest room - here are 3 reasons that mood boards can be a useful tool for any creative endeavor.

Get Inspired

Mood boards are a great way to find your direction. What are you drawn to? We always recommend going on Pinterest first to seek inspiration! When you look back on your pins do you see a common color, style, texture, vibe? These important design aspects should guide your mood board! Use specific photos that especially inspire you whether its of nature, flowers, linens…it doesn’t matter! Keeping all the images that make you feel the most in one place continuously give you inspiration.

Mood boards can be specific or can generalize the vibe for the overall event, room, photoshoot, etc. Just by glancing at the mood board below you can easily grasp the style of the whole event.

Clear Communication

Mood boards help convey your concept in a precise and clean way. By creating a color palate and incorporating design specific photos (exact rental items you’ve selected, hair and makeup inspiration, etc), there is little room for misinterpretation!

Mood boards are easily understood across the board - rather than writing the venue, the florist, the rental company and the photographer a lengthy message using vocabulary that they might not even understand (“what’s a charger?” “what do you mean by floral wall?”) - a mood board is a simple and effective way to communicate your design.

Any vendor who briefly looks over the mood board below should have no question as to what the ceremony space is to look like!

Stay Organized

These nifty little design tools can be referred back to later on in the design process and will help you refocus your mind on your initial direction and inspiration.

It’s easy to get lost within a store, hire catalogue or even in your own head! If you feel yourself getting offtrack - go back, review your mood board and you’ll refresh your mind on your original plan. If you accidentally went in a different direction (chose brass silverware instead of copper or bought the blue dress instead of pink) you could risk throwing off your entire design. It’s best to reflect on your boards frequently to keep the direction in the front of your mind!

See what we mean? There’s a million ways to use a mood board and there’s just as many reasons why you should use them!