A mood board is the secret to consistent artist branding

BUILD YOUR BRAND WITH BOARDS

Mood boards are the perfect way to begin building your artistic business brand. You can keep them for reference when making decisions on the look, feel and message of your brand and truly personalize them. Before we get into how to use them, let’s talk about what it is, exactly.

WHAT IS A MOOD BOARD?

Sometimes called an “inspiration board” or “vision board,” it’s basically a collage of images, text, and whatever else that expresses a particular vibe or goal you’re striving for.

Traditionally they were made with foam panels or cork boards and you could pin things to them manually. Anything from magazine clippings to fabric samples to handwritten notes were used and arranged like a collage. Now most people use Pinterest — that’s what I do. You can find images from all over the world and drag + drop them to organize your virtual mood board.

They help guide your choices when starting a project or business or brand. You craft it to fit the aesthetic and values of your brand. Everything down to the details can (and should) be included: specific textures, fashion style, typography, composition, lighting, moral values, messaging, era, color, video samples, and more.

CREATE A STURDY FOUNDATION

While these are super fun to make, they’re also incredibly important to get right.

To begin using one to create your personal brand, I suggest starting a new secret board on Pinterest. Add everything you want to include in your brand. Make sure to include pictures you took on your own, maybe of yourself in a favorite outfit and some of your favorite illustrations. Photograph your work hanging in frames. Pick a font that you want to continue using throughout your portfolio site, Instagram images, and on products. Find images of product packaging that you’d love to emulate. Include all the things.

Then when you’re done, edit.

Take out the things that don’t match. Editing is hard because you love everything you’ve pinned, but a brand needs to be very specific. If you chose cool tones as your brand color, take out that flowy red sunset. If you see any two images that you wouldn’t 100% associate with the same brand, delete one.

When you’re finished, it should look totally cohesive and totally “you” — the honest version of you that you’d like your customers to see.

USE YOUR MOOD BOARD FOR BRAND DECISIONS

Once you’ve got a beautiful collage of pictures on Pinterest that fits your vision of your artistic future, don’t ignore it.

Consult your mood board when you need to design, create or plan any new project. For example:

• Building (or redesigning) your portfolio site or online shop? Consult your mood board. Use those same fonts, textures, and especially photo filters. If you hire a designers, email the board link to them to communicate the exact look you want.

• Hired for an installation project at a gallery or getting a solo show? Consult your mood board to guide the experience you want guests to have when they show up. How should they feel? What should they see? What should they take away from the event?

• About to begin a new painting? Consult your mood board and ask yourself if it would fit into it. This will help you hone in on your art style, too. If it doesn’t fit, tweak your idea until it does. Soon enough your artwork will look as cohesive as the rest of your brand, making you utterly unmistakable.

ARTIST PRO TIP

If it doesn’t belong in your mood board, it doesn’t belong in your brand at all — meaning it doesn’t belong on your social media accounts! Art accounts on Instagram are usually the first interaction a person has with your brand. It’s their first impression. Make it a good one!

If you need to, keep a separate personal account. You can post all your blurry dog pictures and dinners with mom there instead of making your brand vague and unprofessional. When a person isn’t impressed with their first glance at your profile, they will never click through to your site, follow you, or buy your art.

For a better example, here’s a screenshot of my Pinterest mood board, and here’s a screenshot of my Instagram profile. They’re consistent!

The goal is for your brand to be consistent and recognizable across all platforms. Your mood board is your cheat sheet for getting it right!

So when you’ve finished crafting your mood board, it may be a good idea to start cleaning up your social media to match.

When you’ve created your mood board, link to it below! I’d love to see your amazing new brand 🙂

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