Why You Need a Mood Board for Your Small Business

Your brand is defined by every piece of content you put out into the world. So how do you keep all of these areas cohesive? Start by creating a mood board for your small business!

Why do you need a mood board for your small business?

A mood board is a collection of images, colors, patterns or textures that helps define the overall style, vibe and personality of a brand. Web designers, like me, use mood boards to help pinpoint key themes and stylistic elements of a client’s brand. The visual inspiration becomes a guide to create a brand that feels like client. Win!

But web designers aren’t the only ones who use mood boards to help their creation process, and you certainly don’t have to be a designer to benefit from using a mood board. Chances are, you’re a one-person show, doing all the things to market and grow your brand.

Focusing on all the tasks sometimes looks a little like this: you relish in the tasks that come naturally to you and let the more challenging ones fall to the wayside. Suddenly all of your social media graphics look like a hot mess, your website features every color in the rainbow, and your fonts change like your mood.

Using a mood board for your small business keeps you consistent online!

Remember: a mood board will keep you consistent

Design distraction is real and it’s keeping you from building a stand-out brand that is recognizable, memorable, and profitable. By creating and using a mood board designed with your brand in mind, you will be able to keep a cohesive style when:

• Designing and branding your website
• Creating social media graphics
• Finding your Instagram theme
• Editing your photos and videos
• Styling your outfits or photoshoots
• Producing work for brands, sponsors or clients

Visuals prevail where words fail. When we use visuals, concepts become easier to understand and implement.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with a client who said they wanted a “minimal” design, only to realize they didn’t mean minimal at all.

With so many other small busineses out there, you want to stand out from the crowd and showcase your brand in a unique way, not just as a copy of someone else’s branding.

How can you create a mood board for your small business?

Creating a mood board will give you insight into what makes your brand unique. Better yet, it will give you direction for how you can infuse consistent elements into all areas of your brand. Think of a mood board as your true north.

If you really wanted to, you could use my tried & true method of cutting and pasting. But then you’d have to pack that inspiration board in your suitcase, and that’s just not practical now, is it? Instead, I’ll show you how to use Pinterest to create a simple mood board that you can take with you anywhere.

1. Create a secret board on Pinterest.
2. Search for a destination that matches your brand.
3. Save any images that stand out to your board.
4. Take a look at your board. Are there any consistent colors or themes?
5. Delete the pieces that feel out of place.

Once you’ve created your mood board, you can combine colors to create a color palette and find font inspiration that matches your brand!