Moodboard.

Words such as 'modern', 'premium' or 'friendly' mean something different to everyone. For one person, modern is a dark, minimalist design with plenty of white space; for another, a colourful page with illustrations. A moodboard translates such adjectives into images before anyone invests hours in a design that misses the mark.

Typical contents are photos with the desired lighting and visual language, a first colour palette, font samples, textures and materials, snippets of websites, packaging or interiors that appeal — and, just as important, examples that deliberately do not fit. Depending on the project, a moodboard is made in a design tool such as Figma, on a digital pinboard or entirely on paper.

A moodboard is not a design and not a template to copy. It sets a direction from which independent designs are then developed. For that reason it should not become too specific too early: a board with twenty screenshots of a single competitor's website almost inevitably leads to a copy. Images from other industries that carry a mood work better — a piece of architectural photography, a wine label, a hotel interior.

The moodboard is especially helpful on projects with several decision-makers. When management, marketing and sales talk about images rather than words for the first time, contradictions surface early — and can be resolved before the corporate design or the website is designed.