A mood board is a visually stunning display of ideas and imagery. Inspiration can strike when you least expect it and can be sourced from almost any genre. It can be from a swatch of fabric, historical artefacts, an image in a magazine, a flyer stuck to a tree, a stroll through a leafy park, a piece of art, food packaging, furniture or any other of the myriad ways our creative selves digest and process information and the world around us. The inspiration used to create a collection needs to be channelled and taken out of our heads and put down into some kind of formal (or informal) form which can then be used to give visual direction when designing your range. This form is traditionally called a mood board and is definitely one of the most fun parts of the design process !
The starting point
There are very little rules into how a moodboard should look. Some people favour a brainstorming frenzy whilst others prefer a more ordered style. Basically your board is representing you, your vision and brand and is a creative tool for your workflow going forward so go with what feels natural to you and your way of working. This is something you will refer back to when you get to range planning so it needs to make sense to you.
Creating your moodboard
Again, the rules are very much open. Remember, this is a creative process so enjoy! You may prefer to tear out pages or print photos-take lots, always, apply fabric swatches, use paint for colour inspo, add texture or maybe you are more digitally minded and like to use an app like Trello or gather images in pinterest, use Adobe illustrator or Photoshop but whichever method you prefer you are aiming for a collage of your ideas for your next collection and ultimately a theme which brings us nicely to…
What’s the story?
You will probably have started with an idea and want to elaborate on this theme or perhaps it is the the gathering of information that has sparked the idea. Either way, try to make your board coherent in feel, colour, imagery. Mixing soft focus nature images with sharp geometrics and bold colours, for example, may not get your message across (unless this is a juxtaposition you are going for obviously and in that case, knock yourself out!) Remember you are trying to capture your thoughts, theme and feelings.
Get Creative
Once you have decided on your imagery, get creative. Move things around until they look good to you. You don’t need a million images to convey your story. Maybe it speaks to you in just a few or maybe you love to build them up and the more the better. What you are aiming for is a pulled together look that flows from one image to the next and is unique to you and your brand. Have fun curating your board and express yourself!!
Adding text and headers
Text on its own might not be enough but adding text to enhance your thoughts and serve as a memory trigger is definitely a good move. Also, give your theme a name and a season and add this to your board. It will really bring your process full circle and serve as an excellent starting point for your next collection.
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