Mastering Visual Communication: Create Effective Style Boards
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Lauren Atherton
I’ve known for a long time that I’m a visual learner.
Whether I’m doodling notes or presenting a new logo, it’s so much easier for me to share an idea visually than to write or talk it out. Sometimes there just aren’t words to describe the type of style you’re looking for, and it’s easier to show it than to explain it.
One of the easiest ways to communicate visual ideas is to put together a style board. A style board is a series of pictures, colors, textures, and patterns that help translate key visual ideas into a cohesive aesthetic.
Style boards are popular with designers of all backgrounds (interior design, graphic design, event design, etc), and Pinterest has become the go-to research tool designed for finding and pinning images together in one place.
Style boards aren’t just for your visual design though. They can help communicate website functionality, event themes, or campaign ideas – and are far more effective for visual designers (like me!) who work best from an aesthetic example.
At the start of every branding project, we use style boards to make sure we’re on the same page with our clients. And you’ll have a huge advantage if you’ve already put together a style board together! I’m always surprised at how well this process brings together abstract ideas and helps us start on the right foot.
Follow my 3-step process to create a magical style board for your next project:
1. Start with descriptive keywords.
Highlight 5-10 keywords that reflect how you want donors to feel when they interact with your design, campaign, or event. These keywords set the direction for your visual style and will inform your image search. Here are some descriptors to help get you started:
- Artistic
- Balanced
- Bold
- Bright
- Calm
- Collaborative
- Creative
- Curious
- Decisive
- Driven
- Earthy
- Energetic
- Forward-thinking
- Friendly
- Generous
- Grounded
- Inclusive
- Innovative
- Modern
- Optimistic
- Organized
- Perceptive
- Passionate
- Practical
- Quirky
- Resourceful
- Supportive
- Sustainable
- Uncompromising
- Understated
- Visionary
- Warm
- Youthful
2. Next, place keywords into a grid.
3. Finally, we’ll fill in the blanks using a variety of images, including colors, fonts, icons, textures, patterns, illustration style, photography, or website examples to bring the ideas together.
Use the keywords you wrote down in Step 1 to find images or you can start with Pinterest boards I’ve curated based on brand personalities.
Get really specific with your search by matching up keywords like this:
- Pair each of the keywords you wrote down with an element of design, like website, photography, texture, etc.
- Search for: [descriptor] + [box]
- Example: “artistic color palette” “earthy icons” “modern fonts” or “warm photography”
Lauren Atherton
Related Resources
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