When a designer is ordered to make some kind of collage or image, he puts his talents, skills, attitudes, mood into his creation. And it is not necessary that the customer likes the project. In this case, the work will have to be redone, spending time and effort again.
To protect yourself from this, it is advisable to coordinate the main points with the client before starting to create a design solution. And here the mudboard can help - this is a sketching board of the future design, which is submitted to the customer for consideration.
Further in the article, we will consider what these boards should be, what is needed to create them.
What is a mudboard?
Often, in order to realize an idea, it is necessary to reflect certain feelings - a feeling of joy or pain, mood or something else that is difficult to convey in words. To solve this problem, mudboards can perfectly serve. These are original boards on which various textures, images, texts connected by one common thought are applied in the form of a collage or collection of pictures.
The nuances that need to be agreed with the customer before starting work are as follows:
- images, illustrations, photo materials;
- colors used;
- textures and fonts;
- headings, titles, inscriptions;
- logos and graphic shapes.
After the client approves the design project, you can begin to implement creatively.
Where to get ideas from?
Since a mudboard is a kind of collage, it will take a lot of ideas, images and pictures to take somewhere to take it.
There are several possibilities for this:
- photo stocks - special resources where a lot of photos are laid out, sorted into categories;
- communities and groups of designers in social networks - in them authors share their ideas and creative works;
- information sites for photographers, designers, artists - there you can find many palettes, patterns, fonts;
- old illustrated magazines.
What not to include in the board?
Before you submit a mudboard for consideration, you need to check it for the absence of those elements that do not need to be included so as not to spoil the impression and the result of the work.
These components may be:
- Inappropriate to the general idea of color and style. The overall picture should look harmonious.
- Unobvious and difficult to understand associations. Each element should be clear to both a specific client and other people.
- Too popular pictures. Do not use hackneyed, frequently used images. Stereotypes must be avoided and originality shown.
- Long phrases and phrases. It should be borne in mind that a mudboard is a format more than a visual presentation of information, so the use of excessive refinements, details and unreadable texts will be inappropriate.
The task of the mudboard is a concise and accessible presentation of the design, according to which the client will understand what associations the final product will cause the audience.
How easy is it to make a mudboard?
In order to assemble a mudboard, you can use ordinary graphic editors such as Photoshop, Coreldraw or any other. Or for these purposes they use special services designed specifically for creating collages.
Among the services for creating mudboards, it is worth noting the following:
- Niice - has two types of accounts, its own selection of images;
- Olioboard - allows you to create boards, share them with other people and view other people's work;
- Realtime board - you can store three created boards, use joint work with three invited colleagues and arrange video demonstrations;
- Moodboard is a service that allows you to add an unlimited number of your images and has ready-made templates that you can modify.
These service sites significantly save time and allow you to immediately see the result of work.
What is a mood board?
This term is called mudboards non-professionals in design skill. These are ordinary people who tell a story on such a board or make plans.
One of the incarnations may be the story of childhood or life, when photographs from different periods are collected on a collage in one piece. In the same way, you can share your vacation experiences and convey the mood of relaxation and fun.
Another version of the mudboard is the "tree of goals." Before you assemble a mudboard with plans for the future, you need to decide on priority and long-term tasks. Then they select the appropriate pictures and arrange them in accordance with the deadlines for the implementation of the set plans. Such a board is hung above the desktop, literally “before your eyes”, to periodically remind you of your goals. This is a kind of programming of the psyche using visualization.
Such a collage can be made with your own hands on any material using improvised means: glue, pins or buttons, felt-tip pens or pencils. More advanced ones can translate their ideas into a computer version.
Mudboard Build Tips
For the proper assembly of the mudboard, it is worth considering some rules that will allow the creative product to make the proper impression.
These tips are simple:
- To build, you must first select a large main picture, and then place smaller ones around it to enhance the meaning of the picture, secondary ones. There may be several such groups in the collage, depending on the goals set.
- It is very good if there are embossed polystyrene figures or glued images on the physical mudboard - tactility enhances the effect of exposure.
- There should be little text on the board, but it must be applied in large print. His gaze will stop on him, and the words will provoke thoughts.
- The materials that make up a mudboard should be easy to understand, have a general meaning, and be explainable.
- An important role is played by clarifying details that cause an emotional response.
Moodboards are a very convenient means of expressing feelings and moods, as well as plans for the future. This is a great option for presentations and the opportunity to convey the main idea to the audience.