6 min
Before you design your brand, you need direction
This can save you a lot of time, confusion, and unnecessary revisions.
Before you start designing your brand, you need direction. A clear creative direction.
That’s where a mood board comes in.
What a mood board is
A mood board is a collection of visuals that represent the look and feel of your brand.
It helps you explore and define your creative direction before you start designing.
Why it matters
Having a creative direction makes designing much easier.
You don’t need every detail figured out yet, but you do need a clear direction to move in.
Without it, design can feel overwhelming because there are endless possibilities and directions to choose from.
Your brand strategy helps narrow things down.
Your creative direction narrows it even further.
So instead of guessing, you have a clear direction to follow.
How it connects to your brand
In previous videos, we discussed your brand strategy and all the components it consists of.
That strategy helps guide your visuals.
So your mood board isn’t just random inspiration, it’s aligned with your brand.
What to include in a mood board
Your mood board can include:
typography styles
color palettes
imagery or photography style
logo style references
illustration or graphic styles
textures or patterns
We are not designing the brand yet.
We are simply exploring direction to design in.
How to create a mood board step by step
Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Define your direction
Look at your brand strategy.
What are you trying to create?
For example, a warm and welcoming brand or something more modern and minimal.
Step 2: Gather inspiration
Collect visuals that could work.
This can be from Pinterest, Dribbble, Behance, Instagram, or even your daily environment.
Use whatever works best for you or a combination of them.
Step 3: Focus on consistency
Start narrowing things down.
Ask yourself:
Do these visuals feel like they belong together?
Keep what fits and remove what doesn’t.
Step 4: Build your mood board
Bring everything together in one place.
Keep it clean and intentional while shaping a clear direction.
Step 5: Add notes
This step is often skipped, but it’s important.
Add short notes explaining:
why you chose certain colors
why the typography works
what feeling the imagery creates
This helps you communicate your thinking and design decisions more clearly.
Create different directions
We typically create two mood boards so there are two creative directions to choose from.
You can create as many as you like, but two helps keep things focused.
This allows you to:
compare options
explore different ideas
make a more confident decision
How to choose your direction
Once you have your options, ask:
Which direction fits your brand strategy best?
Which connects best with your audience?
Which feels most aligned with your brand?
It should work strategically and feel right for the brand and audience.
Example
Let’s use the bakery example.
Their brand strategy includes:
purpose: bringing joy to families through fresh, quality baked goods
values: kindness, quality, and community
personality: warm, friendly, and welcoming
Based on this, we explore two directions.
Direction 1: warm & cozy
soft, warm colors
natural textures
friendly handwritten-style fonts
lifestyle imagery
Direction 2: clean & modern (but still warm)
soft neutral tones with warm accents
simple typography
minimal but approachable layouts
bright, natural photography with people
Both directions feel warm, friendly, and community-focused, just expressed in slightly different ways.
Final thoughts
A mood board helps you:
define your creative direction
explore visual ideas
stay aligned with your brand strategy
Create different directions, add notes, and choose the one that fits your brand best.