Difference Between Mood Board and Concept Board

Both mood boards and concept boards are visual presentations which may be in physical or digital forms. These boards may utilize various materials such as images, texts, fonts, colors, and textures.   They convey style ideas and are used in similar fields like fashion design, interior design, and architecture. Mood and concept boards also involve similar processes such as verifying the topic, exploring styles, collecting images, and evaluating the board. Hence, some may use them interchangeably. However, they have certain distinctions; the following discussions present some of these. 

What is a Mood Board? 

A mood board is a collage of images, texts, and objects regarding a topic. It is a visual presentation of what is felt regarding a general or particular idea. This presentation tool balances creative freedom and coordination.  It is often used by design professionals and creative artists such as photographers, interior designers, and graphic designers to convey the style or qualities which they would like to pursue.  In digital design, this may also be referred to as “visual territory board” since they help setup the direction of the rest of the project. In addition, it may used as an inspiration, and an affirmation of a brand identity. 

Mood boards may be in digital or physical form. The traditional ones are usually made out of foam which can be cut up and painted on. They may take a lot of time to create; however, for the kinesthetically inclined, they tend to have a higher impact. In comparison, digital mood boards are quicker to create, particularly when collaboration projects are involved.  They may include videos, sounds, and can be easily shared online. 

The steps in making mood boards include clarifying the goal, exploring several themes, collecting related texts, images, and other visual elements, improving fonts and colors, adding some notes, and asking for feedback. Also, some of the advises in the creation of this visual tool include avoid overloading the senses, keep the target audience in mind, clearly convey your identity, use appropriate imagery, utilize texture and colors, and emphasize key concepts in organizing images.  

What is a Concept Board? 

A concept board, also known as a presentation board, is a stimulus material or a starting point of a certain creative process. It is an arrangement of images, texts, textures, and colors which can help explore various styles. It can describe the direction of a project, a guide tool for a designer, and communicate design ideas. For instance, in interior architecture, concept boards are used to graphically present inspirations for the project. This visual and/or verbal presentation can also resemble advertisements since they outline the attributes and benefits of a certain product. 

Concept boards may be in physical or digital form; the classic ones are usually mounted on large boards so they can be easily seen by a group of people. Similar with mood boards, digital concept boards are quicker to create and share. The steps in creating a concept board include identifying the concept, researching about the concept and related visual presentations, collecting pertinent images, texts, and other materials, organizing the various materials, evaluating the output, and doing the necessary adjustments. 

Difference between Mood Board and Concept Board

Aim

Generally, a mood board is a visual presentation which aims to convey what is felt regarding a general or particular idea. This presentation tool balances creative freedom and coordination. In comparison, a concept board, is a stimulus material or a starting point of a certain creative process.

Another Term 

 In digital design, mood boards may also be referred to as “visual territory boards” (Digital Design Dictionary) since they help setup the direction of the rest of the project. As for concept boards, they may also be known as “presentation boards” (Online Design Teacher, 2016). 

Physical Form 

Traditional mood boards are usually made out of foam which can be cut up and painted on (Wyatt, 2020). On the other hand, the material for physical concept boards is not that specified, the images and texts are usually mounted on large boards such as A3 cardboards (Moretti, 2017) so they can be easily seen by a group of people. 

Dictionary

As compared to “concept board”, “mood board” is found in most dictionaries. For instance, Dictionary.com defines it as a board utilized by designers on which models or samples of different colors and textures are displayed to assist in choosing which elements fit together. In contrast, the word “concept board” is not defined. 

Applications 

Though the applications that can be used for mood boards may be used for making concept boards, some of the specified “mood board apps” include “GoMoodboard”, “StudioBinder”, “Mural”, “PatternTap”, and “Evernote”. In comparison, searches for “concept board apps” would usually lead to “Conceptboard”, a virtual collaboration tool; it is a centralized digital workspace in the cloud. 

Mood Board vs Concept Board

Summary 

• Mood and concept boards convey style ideas and are used in similar fields like fashion design, interior design, and architecture.
• Both boards may present a collage of images, texts, and objects which may be in digital or physical form. 
• Generally, a mood board aims to convey what is felt regarding an idea while a concept board is a stimulus material of a certain creative process.
• In digital design, another term for “mood boards” is “visual territory boards”. In comparison, concept boards are also known as presentation boards. 
• Unlike “concept board”, “mood board” is found in most dictionaries. 

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