DESCRIPTION
The concept and the way of using mood boards has developed, adapted and evolved over time. It’s used in many industries. Mostly applied in creative environment, adaptions are happening in many others to identify messages in different ways.
The purpose is to give the message, product, solution the right doze of emotions. In many cases, product owners struggle describing the product from another perspective than their own. Instead of forcing a working product description from them, working this out together is more efficient. The mood of what the product owner combines with his solution helps to find the right way to tell it. Colors, feelings, atmospheric environment and even sound or tastes help to understand the message design. Therefore it should always be a team creation in a workshop mode. Transferred to digital tools, the gathering can even be extended to others and adapted afterwards.
USED BY
Mainly used in creative industries such as marketing, branding, interior design, content creation, TV and movies, this adaption helps to transfer same techniques to physical products or IT solutions. It used in product owner and branding workshop where visual storytelling is designed to convey concepts and engage audiences and to create concepts with creative agencies, rooting back to its original use.
Approximately needed time
- Step 1: 1-2 hours
- Step 2: 2-3 hours
- Step 3: 2-3 hours
- Step 4: 1-2 hours
- Step 5: 1 hours
- TOTAL: 7-11 hours
METHOD
MATERIAL YOU COULD NEED: Digital “infinite board”-tools, digital creative tools for layouting and concept design, color palettes, textures, haptic materials, text snippets from magazines & newspaper, quotes, scissors, glue & tape, pictures & videos, audio clips and music.
STAKEHOLDER GOOD TO KNOW: Those responsible for the message and product. Marketing teams, content creators, designers, content strategists, target audience representatives.
STEPS
MOOD GOAL: Set the framework of what exact feeling you want to design.
Establishing a clear objective, closing the scope for more focus, ensures the mood board aligns with the intended message. Determine the story’s purpose, target audience, and desired emotional response.
Supporting methods: Audience analysis, storytelling frameworks, personas.
Example: For a brand launch, the goal might be to convey innovation and trust.
CURATION, BABY: Select visuals, text and whatever comes into your mind.
Gather images, colors, fonts, color palettes, textures, haptic materials, text snippets from magazines & newspaper, quotes, pictures & videos, audio clips & music, and whatever else you need to make feelings “touchable” to understand the message design.
Supporting methods: templates, design principles.
Example: For a wellness brand, calming colors and nature imagery or for a cyber security company dark ambient music in a forest by night.
ASSEMBLE AND TRANSFORM: Cluster contributions.
Cluster whatever has been gathered. Sound to sound, pictures to pictures, text to text, design elements to… etc. Create a matching description to every cluster. Define if there is a layout which already appears to be important. Is there also a chance to see a reflection of the story’s progression from problem to solution? If yes, use the advantages of displaying this too.
Supporting methods: Design software, layout grids.
REVIEW, REFINE & CHALLENGE: Ensuring the mood board reflects what’s supposed to.
Collect feedback from the workshop team, designers, general stakeholders. By chance, add customer opinions and understanding, make adjustments & corrections if need, and ensure alignment with objectives. Do not hesitate to re-start (part of) the workshop, if it’s supporting the design and concept phase of the storytelling approach. Adjust color schemes based on feedback to better evoke desired emotions.
Supporting methods: Feedback sessions, Surveys, A/B testing.
IMPLEMENT & SHARE: Make it sustainable by using it in design and concept.
Share the mood board to relevant persons & teams, use it as a reference for ongoing projects and consistent content creation. Gather continues feedback.
Supporting methods: Project management tools, brand guidelines.
