Moodboard Meets Business

Social media has become a pervasive presence in the last years. With dozens of platforms to express who we are and what we believe, it’s no coincidence that often we forget that the purpose of these sites is not to receive the most “likes” possible. These beautiful platforms offer us the opportunity to express what inspires and brings us joy within our lives. It’s a culmination of all things “you” in one area – keeping in mind, however, that what you accrue in social media land does not technically belong to you, but to the business that hosts the site. (So back up your important stuff!)

Pinterest has not had the explosive popularity of Facebook and Instagram – but its interface is one of my favorites along with Evernote. It allows me to create a virtual mood board – or vision map – for projects. Here, I can show, which often communicates far more than mere tell. Here’s a recent example of how I used Pinterest:

When it came time for me to retake some professional portraits for my new website I found one of the best, and easiest, ways to communicate with my amazing photographer Suzanne Preparata was through a moodboard. On Pinterest, I created a private board – not visible to the public – and there, I gathered professional portraits of people whom I admired (with whom I also felt a kind of kinship). I sent her a link to the private board, so only she could see it. She understood immediately what I was going for. This visual tool allowed Suzanne to understand my own personal aesthetic, which made her job a little easier. I must give credit to Suzanne’s amazing portraiture skills as well as her intuitive ability to draw out a person’s “soul” (her personal philosophy in photography), but having a clear visual form of communication is what truly helped art direct the project.

Now, I also suggest that clients create a moodboard for their brand, and gather images that feel like who they are and what they want to become. Pinterest is one way. I also use Evernote for Business. Evernote’s notebooks are wonderful because they can contain websites, text, images and PDFs – a true multimedia journal. The interface is less visual than Pinterest, but the content can be far more dynamic and personalized.

Feel free to be in touch and share your ideas – and visions! And find my public boards here.