Have you created a website mood board yet?
What’s that, you’re asking?
Let’s just say, it’s like cutting out a bunch of photos of super cute hairstyles you love and bringing them to your next haircut appointment so you can say to your stylist, “How close can you get me to looking as smokin’ as Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde?”🤞🏼
So, when you’re beginning to visualize your website’s look and feel, ask yourself:
What feelings do I want to evoke?
What imagery speaks to me?
What other brands inspire me and why?
For me, I wanted my site to say “vintage-digital,” “creative and thoughtful,” and “modern and earthy.”
I had no idea what the heck these words would look like in website form, so I started scouring the internet for anything that sparked those feelings when I saw it.
Here’s when Pinterest becomes your best friend.
I actually had never used the site or app before my logo designer, Jen Quinn, asked me to start a board to give her inspiration when creating my logo.
Then, my photographer, Heidi Hapanowicz, insisted I create a board before our branding photoshoot.
And let me say, they totally nailed it after being able to see all the images floating in my head pinned down to a Pinterest board.
So now, I’m absolutely adamant about having all of my clients start a mood board when we start a web design project.
This takes a TON of guesswork out of what style, emotion, and aesthetic their website should ultimately contain.
So, step one when creating a website you’ll be in love with at first iteration (or at least super close to first) goes like this:
Start a Pinterest mood board.
Pin every image that inspires you, from colors to fonts, to images of people doing the stuff that you do, to cute haircuts Charlize has had while playing a multitude of badass babes.
Go wild.
Then, head back to your board after a few days, then weeks, and see what sticks.
Keep what “sparks joy” and toss what doesn’t really work.
That’s right, KonMari all over that board.
Once you’ve got your branding mood honed, you should already be feeling a million times better about your website really feeling like a part of you.
Once you’re ready to start designing, give me a shout and let me know how I can help you bring things to the next level.
Until then, get to pinning down your mood!
With lots of moody support,
Jen
