The terms mood board and brand board are sometimes used interchangeably, but I see them like this:
A mood board is a visual collection of images, textures, colors, etc that represent the vibe of your brand. While designing, it’s good to have this nearby for inspiration but the images will not necessarily make it to your project. I did this with my current brand while keeping in mind the type of clients that I wanted, and how I wanted them to view my business. Below is my mood board.
A brand board is a more refined version of your mood board. It should outlay all parts of your brand including, but not limited to, color palette, fonts, logo, sub-marks, and design elements. It will act as a guide for you or a designer to use when creating everything. All of the pieces in the brand board should be final!
If you don’t have a clear vision of who your dream clients are, stop now and fill out this branding audit workbook. You can thank me later!
Now, let’s go over the 5 reasons why a mood board and brand board will level-up your business!
1. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency!
Keeping your brand consistent when you have a brand board in place becomes easy. The brand board acts as “rules” for your brand. This is similar to when larger companies use style guides. No matter if it’s a week from now, or a year from now, your clients will know it’s from you.
2. Keeps Everything Cohesive
Keeping your brand consistent when you have a brand board in place becomes easy. The brand board acts as “rules” for your brand. This is similar to when larger companies use style guides. No matter if it’s a week from now, or a year from now, your clients will know it’s from you.
3. Builds Brand Recognition
Like Nike and Apple before you, your branding will be recognized from a mile away. A small business that has perfected this is The Crayon Case.
Without a doubt, the owner went through the process of working with a designer to create her brand identity, and it shows! And honestly ladies, the proof is in the pudding! She had phenomenal success over the Black Friday weekend achieving 1 million in sales in just 90 minutes!
4. Make Strong Connections with Clients
With a mood board, you can ensure that your brand will connect with your dream clients immediately. You can connect with them on an emotional level by showing them images that they relate to. Without a mood board, not only could you be scaring away your ideal clients, but you could be attracting the wrong ones!
5. Build Your Credibility
What if every time you saw an ad or shoe from Nike, the logo and font were different? And their entire website was bright pink and feminine, but then all of the stores were black, gray, and very masculine? And everything looked like someone’s 16-year-old niece put it together in a weekend? You probably wouldn’t want to buy from them since it looks like they have no idea what they’re doing and aren’t willing to invest in their business.
The same goes for your business. By investing time in a mood board and brand board you automatically build credibility for your brand. Showing that you are willing to invest in your brand gives clients the confidence to work with you. Having everything look professional, polished, and pulled together doesn’t hurt either!
I hope that this has given you reason enough to invest time putting together your mood board and brand board. It will be more than worth it when you have a more successful business and more clients!
Would you rather be running your business than messing around in a design app? Let me give you a hand with a complete branding overhaul.
Or if you’re more of a DIY diva, give my mood board and brand board templates a try in my shop!
