Why You Need a Mood Board When Creating Your Small Business's Logo (And How to Make One That Actually Works)

You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint, right? Unless you’re one of those TV contestants who swears they can “just wing it” that ends up with a disaster even Chip and Joanna refuse to touch. Not really ideal. This same logic applies to logo design. If you’re after something that accurately represents your brand (and doesn’t look like it was pulled from a 1997 clipart CD), you need a solid foundation. Just like a real house that was build with a blueprint. The answer: a mood board.

Think of a mood board like a Pinterest version of your small business's and brand's soul. Without the questionable DIY projects scattered haphazardly. It's a curated collection of colors, images, typography, and design elements that come together to capture and define the visual direction of your brand. Believe us when we say having one will make the process of logo design (or revision) approximately 1,000 times easier - for both yourself if you're DIY'ing it or if you're working with some super cool people like us.

Who Needs a Mood Board? Your Small Business Does.

You might be thinking to yourself, "Can't I just whip a logo up myself or tell a designer what I want?". And, sure, you can give it a shot but words only get you so far. In our experience people tend to use phrases like, "modern but classic," "bold yet understated," or "fun and professional," which can all mean wildly different things to different people. Even to us sitting in the same office! What a mood board does is translates these vague ideas into something tangible that not only shows, but also tells. Now if only you could master your alphabet...

Need more convincing? Because we have it. Here is what makes a mood board so dang great:

• Clarity: It brings everyone together on the same page before you any actual design even begins.

• Consistency: We've said it before, but, consistency is IMPORTANT as hell. A mood board for your logo helps keep that consistency and alignment with the rest of your branding for your small business.

• Inspiration: Your mood board is a visual roadmap, that helps steer you (or your designer) towards ideas that get you where you want to be.

Basically, it should help prevent that awkward moment where your designer presents something that looks like it belongs on the bottom of a $15 skateboard from 1997 when your goal was "high-end luxury."

Making a Mood Board that Doesn't Suck

Now that we've convinced you that a mood board is the way to go, let's get into the nitty gritty of how this all comes together. If you're working with a professional, they should help you navigate this process and maybe even be there for some (or all) of it. Spoiler alert: this isn't just slapping random magazine clippings and collages on some colorful posterboard like a science fair project. Here's some good news for you though, we've broken it down to just 5 easy steps.

1. Get Inspired Before you start combing through those old issues of TV Guide and People Magazine, ask yourself:

   1. What emotions do I want my brand/small business to evoke?

   2. Who is my audience? What kind of audience am I targeting?

   3. What are some other small businesses I admire and why? Once you've answered some of these questions for yourself, start pulling inspiration from all sorts of places like Pinterest (we also have an account - check it out), Instagram, Dribbble & Behance, and, yes, those old SEARS catalogs and old packaging buried in the back of the pantry. (we also have an account - check it out)
      

2. Define Your Color Palette

   Color plays a huge role in branding your small business. There's a reason a lot of businesses in the same industry often have similar hues. There's a whole science behind the colors businesses use and the emotions they can stir up. Heck, we wrote a whole blog on it! We definitely suggest heading that way and reading it for some finer points of color use while branding. In this article, we'll leave it to this: pick 3-5 colors that represent your small business, make sure they work well together, and keep working your way through this list.
   

3. Choose Typography that Matches Your Vibe Fonts have personalities. A bold, chunky font sends a completely different message than something light and delicate. Ask yourself:

   1. Do I want something classic (like Times New Roman) for a traditional, high-end look?

   2. Or would a more modern (sans-serif) font like Helvetica better reflect my business?

   3. Would a quirky, hand-drawn font add character or just be too distracting?
      

4. Include Visual Elements & Textures Branding your small business isn't just colors and fonts. Patterns, photography style, even textures (woodgrain, marble, linen, etc.) add depth and character to your mood board and future logo. If you're all about organic, natural products you might lean towards earth textures or hand-drawn elements. If you're going for a sleek, tech-savvy feel, clean lines and geometric patterns might be the way to go.
   

5. Put It All Together With all your images, typography, and colors it's time to compile everything together in a cohesive layout. There are lots of ways to do this, but Canva is probably easiest for beginners. Other good options would be Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, or even ProCreate. The key here is going to be keeping everything balanced - remember: COHESIVE. We're not out to make a random collage of unrelated ideas. This is your brand, not junk journaling.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Using Your Mood Board for Logo Design

The hardest part (for most people) is done. Now all that's left is to share your mood board with your designer and talk about your thought process behind it. Any designer should allow you at least a couple revisions of any logos they create, so keep in mind that the first, or second drafts are typically not what you're stuck with. When you're reviewing the logos they send over compare it to your mood board - does it match the vibe you had in mind? If not, why? Open, honest feedback is the key to success to ensure your money isn't wasted and the time spent is productive.

Most important is to stick to your plan. In our fast-paced world it's easy to get distracted by trends, but the mood board should keep you grounded in your vision about what actually represents your small business.

Creating a mood board isn't just another step to the logo design or revision process, it's an essential one. That is, if you want branding for your small business that is professional, consistent, and visually aligned with your identity. Let's be real though, it's also kind of fun.

So before you dive headfirst into logo design, don't skip this step. Your brand, and likely your designer, will thank you for it. And if you need help? Well, that's what we're here for. So hit us up! We'll make sure your logo is more "iconic" and zero "clipart catastrophe."