Creating Inspiration Boards for Your Projects

March 18, 2015

As a visual person, I find myself constantly creating inspiration boards for new projects. Whether I’m starting with a new branding client or I’m planning an exciting new business venture, one of my favorite aspects of the planning process centers around creating an inspiration board! In my experience, I’ve found these handy little guides can not only give you some visual motivation that gets your creative juices flowing, but it also can keep you on track as you move forward with a project. I use inspiration boards every time I begin with a new branding clients, as I’ve found it’s a great way to communicate the overall aesthetic for a new brand, as well as ensure we’re on the same page vision-wise before moving forward. If you’re in an industry like weddings and events that requires you execute your client’s vision to the letter, I encourage you to try your hand at putting together a simple, clean inspiration board to get the project started on the right foot.

Blush Mood Board

Although the actual design and layout of an inspiration board differs from designer to designer and depends entirely on your personal taste, I prefer to rely on simple, clean guides that allow the images to shine through. There’s no magic number as far as images are concerned, but I usually include anywhere from 5-8. Since I’m working with such a relatively small number of images, it’s important to hone in on photos that perfectly represent the aesthetic I’m trying to create. So what kinds of photos should you think of incorporating? I like to include a healthy mix of images that reflect the color palette and textures or patterns that mesh well with the project. I also like to include photos that capture the feel of a project. It’s one thing to create a brand, product or project that’s beautiful on the outside, but if it’s not making my client’s target audience feel something, then I haven’t done my job to the best of my ability.

Marsais Photographie Branding Mood Board

Whenever I need to pull images for an inspiration board, I always start with Pinterest, the mother of all digital inspiration boards! Whether I’m working with a client or I’m gathering ideas for a new project, I like to create a secret Pinterest board to collect images that are a good fit. I also attempt to subtly stalk the blogs of some of my favorite photographers to make mental note of what kind of shoots they’ve captured recently. Some of the most emotive images on mood boards come from real engagement sessions, weddings or portraits! If you’re sharing this inspiration online, be sure to credit the original sources whenever possible. For example, on Instagram I try to tag all the vendors involved in a mood board if I can locate their original source.

Illume Retreat Styled Shoot Mood Board

So you’ve compiled all sorts of images, culled through them all to select the best and most beautiful, and laid them out neatly in one place. Now what? Use this final inspiration board as a guiding compass for your project. When faced with decisions on design or aesthetic, use this board as a reference point to ensure that you’re moving in a cohesive forward motion. After a project is completed, print out your vision board and hang it in your office or tuck it away in a binder with other project-relevant materials. Not only will this help remind you of your project’s aesthetic and vision, but also letting your eyes rest on a visually pleasing source of inspiration can serve as an instant mood booster!

Do you rely on inspiration boards for your projects? If so, what are some of your favorite ways to use them?

  1. Karlie says:

    Bonnie, if you don’t mind me asking, what application do you use to compile your mood board in? I’ve had trouble finding a good one for styling mood boards and am just curious!

    Thank you for your posts -they are always so insightful.

    • Bonnie Bakhtiari says:

      Hi Karlie! I like to use InDesign or Illustrator for mood boards. If I’m formatting for print, I’ll often just use InDesign. Hope this helps!

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My name is Bonnie – I’m a brand designer, strategist, and writer which all adds up to one eclectic conglomeration of qualities that enables me to serve you well! Past clients have dubbed me "the Joanna Gaines of brand design," and I've had more than a few call me a dream maker, a game changer, and a design wizard (my Harry Potter-loving heart didn't hate that one, let me tell you!). At the end of the day, I'm a big-hearted creative who will get teary-eyed as you share the heart behind your business; who will lose sleep over the perfect font pairings and color selections to bring your brand to life visually; and who will work tirelessly to empower, encourage, and equip you to share your work with the world intentionally. 

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