Lets do a Inspiration board!
Now for a bit of fun. It’s the last week of the month, and as such, I have something a bit more fun for you. An inspiration board can be a fun and ‘inspirational’ way to get your ideas around brand identity to form a cohesive image in your head.
There is a difference between a mood board and an inspiration board.
Mood Boards are all about feeling, conceptualized, psychological ie mood, colour.
Feeds into the -
Inspiration Board is about details, colors, textures, specific details of your brand identity
Dictionbary.com describes an inspiration boards in the following way, inspiration boards are a collage of various items, as photographs, drawings, words, fabric swatches, paint chips, and textures, used to visualize specifics in the design of a project or event, and often created after the general look and feel of the design has been established with an inspiration board.
Inspiration boards are helpful for the following reasons. 99Designs.com says the following about inspiration boards and why they are important.
‘Inspiration. If you’re still in the process of working out your brand identity, an inspiration board will help bring things into focus, like company attributes, vision, identity, and the emotions you want your brand to convey. Affirmation. If you’re already sure of who you are, an inspiration board will affirm and support your brand identity. It will also help you translate concepts like culture and values into tangible things, like design.
Guidance. An inspiration board that accurately reflects your brand can act as a guide to keep you focused on your brand identity when creating your logo, business cards, website, or other marketing materials.
Communication. An inspiration board ensures that your designer, company principals and stakeholders understands your brand and your vision right from the start.’
Today’s inspiration board is all about what you have learned about your brand identity. To lock in what you have discovered while thinking about this dream that is to be your business. I also recommend getting to know your niche client in the same way, build up a physical image of him or her that is tactile and a constant reminder of who you are in the business of problem solving for.
I suggest first completing a quick mood board, which in my opinion can be purely digital you would be concentrating on your broader choices. Pick colors to create an emotional response. Dark colors can create a somber mood, while a bright palette exudes energy and happiness.
Pinning your style down, is it going to be masculine or feminine flavoured? Futuristic or vintage? Industrial or posh? Edgy or peaceful and serene? Don’t be afraid to experiment. Once you’ve laid down the basics, you’re ready for your inspiration board.
How do I do that you may ask. Should it be digital, or collage with pics and paper? The fact of the matter is that we all respond to visual stimuli in different ways, but, importantly, its all about the feel of the paper, the textures and smells, think about an interior designer who is putting together a look for a room. The smells, the textures, the colours, all play into the identity of the room, it is the same with your business. Are you all about earthy textures and colours, or, bright modern colours and slick surfaces? My advice is to physically build it and then digitize it too. All the time keep your target market in mind, include images they’d relate to, colour, visual metaphors, art, words, quotes, fonts, texture, patterns and shapes.
The image here from 99Designs.com illustrates my point. A business that offers holistic therapy, the target demographic is women in their 40s and 50s. With them in mind, the designer asks what kind of imagery they might find appealing? What might capture their interest or grab their attention?
Lastly have fun, experiment, use inspiration from all over, collect, think, dream, try different options until you come up with a cohesive idea. I promise it will be worth the time and energy and believe me your designer will love you for it!
Jacci Rudling
JacciR Design
www,jaccirdesign.com
