Inspiration
To jump right in, Inspiration Boards (sometimes called mood boards) are a visual compilation of inspirational elements used by designers to flesh out ideas at the very beginning of a design project. Anyone outside of the design industry may roll their eyes at the mention of an inspiration board - but they are extremely vital for establishing the aesthetic feel of a future product of production.
Inspiration boards can influence all the ideas a designer has in mind. This loose design format allows you to explore assorted styles and layouts without any limitations. This includes color palettes; with all the various combinations you plan to use. This also includes materials; samples that will show the quality and impact of the products. Most importantly, the inspiration board features the concepts. This includes a collection of pictures that show the basic idea of what a designer plans to accomplish in the project.
As a result of using inspiration boards: you can actually have complete confidence in the design.
Say you’re a designer and you complete this beautiful rendering of a home that you put your whole heart and soul into… then the client says they don’t like it. What?? You put in hours upon hours of labor only for your work to be unappreciated and torn apart. Where did you go wrong? To put it simply, you, as the designer, didn’t give the client a chance in the beginning of the process to give you input about their wants and needs.
Were they looking for rustic or modern? Polished chrome or oil rubbed bronze? Carpet or hardwood? Inspiration boards are intentionally casual to inspire and create a feedback process to avoid too much invested time in the wrong direction.
An inspiration board can get you out of that creative rut and back to what you love- designing. Gather the inspiration you need and ensure satisfaction for the next project at hand. Really, they are great for any project with a design component, and can save both time and money on the project overall. Enjoy the process!