Designing a new website for your business is very exciting, but how do you know that your brand will be properly reflected in the finished product? A mood board is one way to guide the web design process and ensure that the website you receive is the website that you are looking for. Taking the time to create a mood board ensures that your web design team will be on the same page as you and your team throughout the web design process, but first you need to understand what they are and how you can create one. Gauge Digital Media is always ready to work alongside your team to ensure that your new website captures who you are and appeals directly to your target audience.
What Is a Mood Board?
Remember in elementary and middle school when you would sit down with a magazine, clip out pictures and words that appealed to you and glued them onto a piece of paper? Think of a mood board like a digital, upgraded version of the collages you’ve made in the past. These elements show what you are looking for in your website. Unlike a mock-up, which shows a visualization of where things will be on your website and where things like copy will go, this will have visual elements that capture what you’re going for.
What are some of the elements that you can include in a mood board for your website?
- Fonts
- Colors
- Graphics
- Patterns
- Images
- Grids
- Pictures of other websites that you like or that you find aesthetically pleasing
- Copy and phrases that you would like to incorporate
- Layout sketches
- And more!
In general, the more information that you can conceptualize ahead of time, the better. This helps our designers at Gauge Digital Media to get a great picture of what you’re looking for. Unlike more polished presentations, they are designed like a brainstorm that captures your best ideas and gives a general idea. Is your website going to be playful and informal or something more professional? Do you want users to engage with your website or have a more passive experience? We are here to guide you as necessary.
What Are the Benefits of Using a Mood Board?
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Avoid Misunderstandings
Many times, accidental misunderstandings lead to unfavorable results, major edits or serious problems with a website. In order to reduce the chance of any surprises, a mood board can help make sure that all stakeholders understand the parameters of the website and the inspiration for it. Mood boards also give you the chance to make sure that your design preferences are feasible by the design team. Sometimes businesses like the visual appeal of one design but another adjustment might make it more usable for their target audience. This preliminary period with our team allows us to make sure that you get the best website possible.
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Streamlined Design Process
The web design process can be quite lengthy and involved, and creating a mood board is one way to streamline it and accelerate the timeline for your website. Misunderstandings often lead to revisions and edits that are very time-consuming, and those misunderstandings can frequently be avoided entirely with a little bit of time invested in mood board creation at the start of the project.
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Substitute for a Style Guide
Many businesses do not have a formal style guide, and a mood board can serve as a substitute if you don’t currently have one. It can also be useful if you have never had the time to create a cohesive, detailed look at your brand before. Some companies only have a color scheme and slogan, so taking the time to create a mood board can also assist with other marketing and branding efforts through better developing your brand vision. The work that you do on your mood board can be used and repurposed through other aspects of your digital marketing if you choose to partner with Gauge Digital Media for other services as well.
Tips for Creating an Effective Mood Board
- Take your time when creating your mood board and don’t be afraid to look around. What do your competitors’ websites look like? What do you want to be different? What do you like on their website? Go through your own current marketing materials to consider what things you want to be integrated into your new website, like brand colors or a slogan. By starting early, you can build a strong mood board that perfectly captures what you are looking for.
- Work with your digital marketing company and team to determine the best format for the mood board. There are websites that allow you to create one and many other ways that you can gather your ideas together. We are always happy to help you find the best way to gather and express your thoughts.
- When creating your mood board, focus primarily on aesthetics and design instead of content and copy. The content for your website will be custom created by our team, so you don’t need to worry about details like finding the perfect words now. Many times, businesses will get sidetracked by focusing on content too early in the process and end up not having the best design possible. We work with businesses like yours through every step of the process, so we can help you through the design phases and later content work.
We Are Here to Help Grow Your Business Online and Through Google Search
Working with a professional digital marketing company is the best way to make the most of your website and all that Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn ads, Google Analytics and other digital advertising platforms have to offer. To learn more about the best digital marketing strategies for your company and reach a bigger audience than ever before, work with Gauge Digital Media. For a quote or to schedule a call, contact us at (443) 201-7709.
