A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Mood Boards for Brand Identity and UX Design Projects

I am currently a student in MICA's UX Design Masters program, here to share with you the method I used to create a mood board for a case study I conducted. Skip to Example Moodboard: Tribe — A mobile app for members of the backpacker community to find their tribe to see the final result of my mood board, why I chose certain elements, and how I applied the resulting theme.

Leer en español: Una guía completa para crear tableros de inspiración para proyectos de identidad de marca y diseño de UX.

Examples of effective mood boards. Sources (left to right): Pinterest, Hue & Tone, Pinterest

Introduction: What are Mood Boards?

A mood board is a collection of visuals that represent your product's desired aesthetic style and tone. Designers use them for inspiration by incorporating images, colors, textures, typography, and patterns that represent the desired mood or tone. Mood boards can be as simple as one image or as complex as you want them to be; the important part is having an idea in mind before starting on one.

I'm a huge believer in mood boards. I find that they're a great way to see all the different elements you can incorporate into a brand and how they work together. Below, I'll share the benefits of creating a mood board, how to create a mood board, and an example of its usage with my latest UX case study.

What are the Benefits of Using a Mood Board?

Mood boards are a great way to visually explore and brainstorm ideas. They prompt designers to think about how different colors, patterns, textures, and other forms of expression could work together to define a particular mood or attitude. Mood boards are used to showcase the company's current style or to describe the desired future style. In addition, mood boards can be used for advertising purposes or in a creative project.

Benefits:

• Mood boards help provide a focus for designers when trying to come up with new design concepts.
• Mood boards help UX designers and planners think about how people will interact with a product.
• Mood boards are a great way to involve the client early on and encourage collaboration.