Hello guys. Have you ever wonder why your design look like the same in every single projects? and you think you can’t go futher if you keep doing these things. Yes, I do. I was the designer who don’t know how to make my design better. I joined some design classes, read many articles just for improving my designs. And the result of trying to do these thing is I quited my job.
I spent my whole day for looking meaningless designs on dribbble when I was in my ex-company. While I see any good website with the awesome animation elements, I will copy the style without thinking. And of course this is not work at all.
I. What is moodboard
A mood board is a type of collage consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. It can be based upon a set topic or can be any material chosen at random. A mood board can be used to convey a general idea or feel about a particular topic. They may be physical or digital, and can be effective presentation tools. — Wikipedia
So moodboard is just many many designed layouts from over around the world collected in one place. It is all design elements from color, typography, material to spacing, pattern, structure,..everything you want to put in your design.
II. How it work
By collecting the design, knowlege it can remind you anytime you need or when being stuck in your design routine. Incase you meet the clients who don't have any idea for their product this can helps you lead you client and get what they want by creating the moodboard and send them. I tried it and I can work smoothly with the freelance project all time.
Specially with the guy who got ADHD (attension deficid and hyperactivity disorder) like me. In agency you may work 3 to 5 projects in the same time. And whenever I got the client's feedbacks or agent job need to be done. I will forgot all the idea for my current design. So when I creating the moodboard this will remind me what I was thinking at this time.
III. How to make
I usually make the moodboard by researching on pinterest, awwward, dribbble after I got the low-fi wireframe with the full functional
Remember you just start searching wireframe after you make the researching about your competitor, your industry enought. Moodboard just helps you to layout your design, combine the elements. This does not help you create something super cool with no meaning
Record everything you read, you see relate to your product and collect it into the board. Pin it online, screen shot or event print it but remember to save all of it in the one place. I always screenshot everything I see into one folder. So when my research is enought I can review it again easily.
Incase you need to send your client, just put it in the keynote or ppt file in the clearly and beautiful way. Just put it into the function categories, I always give them the categories below
- Color
- Font
- Typography
- Website elements (button, form,..)
- Illustration, photo style(optional)
- Layout style
And finally combine all you got in your file into the mockup layout to show them how it work. And remember to add the reason why you choose these elements for making sense what you give them
Summary
- Every single designer have their own process, method to help their design better. But I do belive that when you working long enougt in this industry sometime you will feeling your work just the same as what you have done.
- Making moodboard can help you make something new, more awesome and even helps you and your clients have the same voice.
- Before making moodboard, please have some competitor or industry research or you will make the beautiful design without meaning.
Thanks for reading, and just comment anything you want below
