Mood board
A mood board is a collection of images, colours, textures and type samples that shows the feeling a brand or project should have. It helps people agree on direction before design work starts, so feedback is about the look, not guesses.
In practice
What it means when you are the one making the decision.
A good mood board is short and edited. Ten to fifteen images that agree with each other are more useful than a hundred that do not. It should include things to avoid as well as things to aim for.
It is a conversation tool, not a design. Use it to confirm the direction, then let the designer translate it. Never present it as the result.
Example
Before designing a cafe identity, the owner and designer collect twelve images of lighting, tiles, paper and lettering they both like, and discard four that pull in different directions.
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