The most effective design tool for establishing your desired style is the mood board. A mood board is a collection of proposed elements for a design project.

The image to the right is an example of a mood board proposed for a hotel web site. Note the types of elements that are included:

Color Palette
Patterns
Textures
Typography
Navigation
Photography

If you are unsure of the elements you’d like to include, it would be to your benefit to browse the internet to see what types of things appeal to you. Maybe you’re drawn to a cool retro texture or the grungy edging on a photograph... whatever it is, bookmark it.

When you’ve gathered some visual cues, shoot them on over to Little Pie Studio so we can get a sense of the styles you like. From there, we can begin creating some mood boards for your project.

Here are some mood board variations created for one of our clients. The elements that were initially proposed acted as the starting point of the project. Notice the changes that were made as the client narrowed her style preferences.

The mood board on the left shows the color palette created after the initial consultation with the client. Textures and style elements were suggested accordingly. The mood board on the right shows the client’s preferred colors, texture and typography. It was decided that the floral elements be removed entirely to give the site a simpler, more professional look.

The finished site can be seen here: http://www.paolamenacho.com/