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Mood boards

Mood boards are a visual way of determining the appropriate ‘feel’ of a product or service. They are often used by designers to generate discussion with the project team about issues which are difficult to describe in writing or verbally, such as styles, forms, lifestyles, cultural trends or brand attributes.

To create a mood board, collect any materials which encapsulate the concept of the brand/brief/identity you are trying to develop such as images from magazines, small objects, photographs, product wrappers, advertisements or tickets. Materials which represent texture or feelings such as ‘softness’ are important as are any relevant graphics, key words or symbols. Arrange and stick these materials onto a piece of cardboard.

The boards can be any shape and size, depending entirely on the mood and tone of the idea you want to express. Mood boards can be used effectively to make product proposals, to summarise brand attributes, to illustrate lifestyles and cultural trends. The boards are useful presentation aids to ensure that everyone is thinking along the same lines