Mood board – your mini-guide: how to do it the right way

If you work in the fashion industry you know how pictures communicate better than words and that’s why moodboards have been created. Knowing how to create a moodboard is a really useful skill, it might seem boring and easy to do but it’s actually really difficult.

In today’s article I’ll explain you how to create the perfect mood board.

First of all you need to understand why mood boards are so important.

They’re not creative projects but fashion tools used to communicate ideas between stylist, photographers, fashion designers…

There are two major types of mood boards:

The first one is used to get inspirations for a future collection of clothes
The second one is used to get organized on fashion projects (editorials, fashion campaign, fashion shows…)

Even the biggest fashion houses use moodboards to get inspired for the next collection.

Usually, the style office does some brainstorming activities and adds, on a wall, pictures, phrases, objects, piece of textiles and other things to define the collection’s mood. Shapes and patterns are then developed and styled.

Fashion freelancers use mood boards too: behind every campaign, lookbook or editorial there’s a moodboard.

To be really useful a mood board needs to have specific features:

CONSISTENCY

Sometimes even people who’ve worked in fashion for years build mood boards in the wrong way, choosing images that don’t match each other and that are confusing. It’s better to put a few but consistent photos.

For example you can choose to use for your editorial the ‘80s mixted with the Asian Culture but you have to find images that only represent that two aesthetics.

You can’t pull images about 90s or 70s shapes, not in this case.

VARIETY

The mood board needs to contain several sections: one for the styling, one for the make-up ect.

Some famous photographers put in the mood board only three pictures. They’re so clear that the team won’t need anything else. For newbie I suggest to be more organized and to search for lots of images to rely on later, during the actual shoot.

CLARITY

Moodboards are tools that communicate ideas in a clear and brief way. If need to explain your moodboard needs this means there is something wrong with it. The pictures need to explain your idea in the easiest and clearest way possible because words usually in fashion are not objective.

If you say: “I want pink lips!” the photographer will think about a particular shade of this color while the make-up artist will pick up a different one. That’s why you must use pictures!

Now let’s get pratical! I’ll explain how to create you best mood board.

THE FORMAT

Years ago moodboards were made cutting pictures and pinning them over wood boards or pieces of paper. Today it’s better to create them on your computer so you’ll be able to send them to you co-workers easily.

You can use different programmes: Indesign, Photoshop, Pages, Publisher, Microsoft Word, Power Point etc.

Remember to save them as a pdf format and to resize them using SmallPDF.com so you’ll be able to send it via email.

WHERE TO FIND IMAGES

Searching for images is the most important thing of the whole process. It’s so difficult to fin good, original images, most people only use Google Images and Pinterest without really diving deep in the whole editorials universe.

My teacher used to say: “You can tell if someone reads fashion magazines or not just by looking at their mood board.”

She’s so right. You have to develop your visual culture and you can’t do that by reading only Vogue or Vanity Fair. Why don’t you try to explore the world of indipendent publications?

I suggest you to take a look at these ones: Schon Magazine, Purple Magazine & Dansk Magazine.

About searching for images online try not to use Google Images and instead look at this ones: Fashion Editorials.com, The Red Lists.com e Art + Commerce.com.

Having good quality pictures could make the difference when you’ll send the mood board to model agencies and showrooms.

THE LAYOUT

There are no rules regarding the layout, but I suggest you keep it simple and minimal in order to enhance your pictures.

To be complete the mood board should have these sections:

MOOD
STYLING
PHOTOGRAPHY + LIGHTS
MAKE- UP AND HAIR
MODEL POSING: this last section usually seems useless but I think it’s important to show it to the model on set. She’ll get what posing she’ll have to do and the correct mood.

It’s easier to show her what you want instead of describing the whole situation!

SHARE IT!

Last but not least you have to share your moodboard with your co-workers, they will analyze it and maybe add some modifications.

The stylist will send the moodboard also to showrooms and press offices to ask for clothes that match the project’s aesthetic.

Today moodboards need to be sent also to model agencies to help the booker choose the most suitable model for the project. I suggest you to attach the mood board to the e-mail or to send it via Wetransfer.

That’s it, that’s all you have to know. Now you’re able to do a professional moodboard! Don’t worry if the first one doesn’t come out as you wished, you’ll get better by practising it.

Why don’t you try to make your personal moodboard and to share it with us on Instagram? The only thing you need you do it’s to tag @glamobserver on Instagram.

I can’t wait to see your works!

Article by Beatrice Mazza