During an interview, I was asked why I decided to become a graphic designer. I told them my honest answer, “The movie 13 Going on 30”. I explained that her creative process of collecting things to establish the vision of her magazine spread made me want to do the same. I’ve always liked to collect and save things that are memorable to me. A menu, a tag or ticket stub. Designing is more about the process and the collection of ideas, than doing stuff in Photoshop.

Creating a mood board is a way of organizing thoughts and creating a consistent visual treatment. There are different ways to create a mood board. If you like hands-on projects, then pinning different things that inspire you to cork board might work. If you’re more of a techy person, maybe it’s collecting images online to create a mood board in Photoshop like the image above. The whole point is to be inspired before you create. And also, to show others collaborating on the project, a visual representation of where your vision is at. You can incorporate color palettes, font treatments, quotes, examples of photography that you like, and the list goes on.

Perhaps you’re thinking, well isn’t that what Pinterest is for? Yes and no. Yes, you can use Pinterest to make a board for your project. But grouping image of that relate to one another within one board, isn’t an option on Pinterest. So take the time, be inspired, inspire others, and mood board your heart away.

Send your summer mood boards to @styldbygrace on Instagram. I’ll repost my favorites!