Here’s what to pin and what to search for to gather the best ideas and images for your new visual brand Pinterest inspiration board.
Whether you’re working with a designer or taking a DIY approach to your visual brand, the best place to start is by curating a collection of images, graphics and patterns to one central location, and a fan favorite is Pinterest.
The name of the game is: If you find it inspiring, pin it.
Shoot for pinning at least 30 images to the shared brand board, with a variety of color schemes, photographs, graphics and logo designs. This will help you/your team/your designer get a pretty solid idea of what you’re envisioning for your visual brand with enough to sift through for your mood board.
During this process, you’re not proofing. By that, I mean you’re collecting everything. This isn’t about going back and making sure everything looks cohesive and aligns. Similar to writing, you want to get all the information on one board, then it’ll be time to refine and cut.
Note: If you’re working with a brand designer, it’s their job to go through and pull out the images that will align best with the new direction.
Here are four categories of ideas that we recommend searching for and pinning:
Color Schemes
Start by searching for color schemes. If you have a favorite color or color palette, type that into the Pinterest search bar. For example, if you’re really into yellow, type in ‘yellow color scheme’ and see what comes up. Don’t worry about keeping the colors cohesive at this point. If you like it, pin it.
Another idea is to add in adjectives based on how you want people to feel when they experience your brand. This will help you tap into the power of color psychology. So, if you want someone to feel calm and relaxed, try typing in something like ‘calming color scheme’ and see what comes up.
Logos
Then move onto logos. We recommend searching for specific styles and layouts. For example, perhaps you like the hand drawn style, so try searching for that. Or, maybe you want something more modern and minimal.
In terms of structure and layout, are you wanting a text-based logo, something more circular (like a submark) or do you want a graphic element included?
This is a great time to utilize the comment section and write why you are drawn to that particular graphic. Is it the font they used or maybe the graphic that’s accompanying the text? When you can identify what exactly is drawing you in, it will help you/your team/your designer get a better idea of what you like.
Lifestyle and Feeling
The last category is about bringing to life the brand experience – the feeling you want to portray. Pin images that embody the feeling(s) you want your brand to emulate. Reference your strategy and pull words from the ‘how’ section (how do you want people to feel when they experience your brand?). Building on the example from above, you can type in something like ‘calming lifestyle photography’ and see what comes up.
Graphics and Patterns
Brand patterns and custom graphic elements can be a great way to enhance your overall brand experience and really bring the personality to life. Try searching for brand icons, custom brand patterns and/or textures.
Shoot for pinning at least 30 images to the shared brand board, with a variety of color schemes, photographs and logo designs. This will help you/your designer get a pretty solid idea of what you’re envisioning for your visual brand with enough to pull together your mood board!
Last, but not least, have FUN! You’re pulling together inspiration for your new visual brand – this is really exciting and a time to celebrate! The possibilities are endless and you have the ability to take your new visual brand in whatever direction you choose!
Happy pinning!
All my best,
Pin for later!
