Branding is all about consistency, consistency, consistency. Especially with the new year at our heels (which, can I just say, OMG what??), there’s no better time to think about refreshing your brand with a new focus and perspective. At Gossip Genie, we shine by helping businesses curate their vision. One way we do this for our clients is to create a mood board to capture the overall scope of each brand we manage. It’s unimaginably valuable to have someone constantly keeping an eye on your company’s public-facing image.
If you’re from outside the design space, a mood board can potentially be seen as unneccessary, and even a bit daunting. A good thing to keep in mind is that a mood board is essentially just visual brainstorming. There’s no better way to bring a team’s visions and ideas to life than to add imagery to them.
Here are a few things the genies keep in mind when creating a brand vision:
1. Word association
A good exercise to begin with is to jot down a list of words you hope consumers will associate with your brand. These are the thoughts and emotions that should spring to mind when followers view your content. If it’s an outdoor-themed business, you may generate words like “adventure, freedom, earthy, textured”. If it’s a food product, maybe “mouthwatering, decadent, creamy, aromatic”.
2. Visualize the vibe
Once you have your keywords narrowed down, begin collecting visuals from other brands that have the aesthetic you hope to achieve. There’s no shame in recognizing that there is a lot of inspo out there that can direct your own vision. Expand this by finding other images that add to the desired vibe of your brand. Collect them in one place. You should be able to pick up on an overarching visual theme, whether it be a focused color pallet, or a particular subject matter.
3. Get a second (and third) opinion
Once you’ve created your mood board, take it to a few fresh sets of eyes to get their perspective. Have them view the images without your list of keywords. Ask them to reveal the words and emotions that they feel when viewing your board. Do they match your vision? If so, success!
To close, feast your eyes on a few examples of how the Genies curate our client’s overall look to create a united, consistent, visually appealing social presence:
