5 Mood Board Mistakes Surface Pattern Designers Make
Mood boards can be incredibly helpful when developing collections but only if they give you clarity instead of overwhelm.
Here are a few common mistakes I have made too many times and caused trouble for myself every time. I see lots of other people doing this too…
1. Adding too many images
If your board feels chaotic, creating your collection probably will too. Strong mood boards are usually more edited and intentional than people expect.
2. Focusing only on aesthetics
A collection also needs direction. Think about:
- products
- audience
- mood
- and where the designs might live commercially.
3. Mixing too many visual styles
If some images feel soft and vintage while others feel bold and modern, the collection can start to lose cohesion.
4. Using Pinterest without filtering
Collecting inspiration is useful. Endless scrolling without intention usually isn’t.
5. Forgetting the end goal
The goal isn’t to create a beautiful mood board it’s to create a strong collection. This even means removing beautiful images if they don’t help you create better.
A good mood board should help you make design decisions faster and create artwork that feels more cohesive and commercially clear. Too many images that don’t fit your collection goal can lead to constant decision making whilst creating, making life way harder than it needs to be.
If you’d like a deeper breakdown of my process, including licensing themes, mood board methods, and worked examples, you can check out my Licensing Themes + Mood Board Toolkit here:
