How to Make a Mood Board — A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Make a Mood Board 

First, let’s define mood board

Mood boards can be used as inspiration for any kind of creative project, from designing a movie set to creating a work of art. To understand their value, let’s take a look at the definition. 

We’ll walk you through how to create a professional looking mood board using StudioBinder’s software. Remember, however, that these steps are universal to however you create a mood board.

Inspiration for How to Create a Moodboard

1. Find comps

The first step is deciding on the approach you want to take for your mood board. A board for a wedding, a board for a feature film, and a board for a website will all look very different.

So take a look at other comparable mood boards out there for the medium and genre you want to be in. Essentially, put together a mood board of mood boards. See how other creatives are assembling and presenting their ideas.

Finding visuals

2. Select images

The first step is selecting visuals to include in your mood board. This includes gathering images, text, quotes, videos, and other visual elements that help to illustrate the objectives. 

When searching for visuals, it’s essential to consider how they will interact with each other as well as how they represent the project’s overall vision. It can be helpful to start by using the list of keywords you created before related to the project, then search for visuals that match those terms. 

This is especially helpful for incorporating more abstract concepts like the idea of ‘melancholy’. There are various ways melancholy can be expressed, but through visuals, creatives can be more specific. 

Provide additional text

3. Add details

Now that you’ve assembled your inspiration, you may want to include notes on some of your selections, like what about a certain image you want to emulate.

Text can also tie images together. For example, you can delineate which images are more relevant for a costume designer versus for a production designer.

Assembling a mood board

4. Put together your mood board

Once you’ve gathered all the necessary visuals, it’s time to start organizing them into a cohesive board. While this can be done physically, digital mood boards have plenty of benefits such as efficiency and organization.

It can be helpful to first group similar visuals together, then arrange them in a manner that best conveys the project’s objectives. This is also an opportunity to experiment with different layout options and see which one works best. It’s important to keep in mind that they should be flexible — if something isn’t working, don't be afraid to rearrange the visuals or start from scratch. 

Sharing your board

5. Finalize & Share

Once you have completed putting together all aspects of the mood board onto one big surface area then it's time to finalize it. Export your mood board so that others can see what goes into creating your unique vision and share it with friends or colleagues who might find inspiration from it too – after all part of its purpose is communication. 

Get approval or notes from your clients and additional thoughts from your collaborators. You can then go back into your board and make updates, or you can use the conversations it’s prompted to inform your next steps in the project, like a storyboard.

Mood boards are an incredible tool to express and communicate your creative vision while also serving as a reference point for all team members involved in the project. 

Up Next

What is a Mood Board?

Looking to learn more about what a mood board consists of? Check out or next article where we dive into the definition of a mood board and the essential components of one. 

Up Next: Board Essentials →