Create your visual mood board — a tool that will be your road map to represent the look and feel of your business. It will help you keep your brand beautiful, sharp, and cohesive across all visual channels.

1. B R A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L | PART SEVEN
07
Includes
C R E A T I N G A M O O D B O A R D
T H E M I K I F O T O + C O M O O D B O A R D
S T O R Y P R O M P T B O N U S : S H A R E Y O U R
C L I E N T E X P E R I E N C E
D E F I N E Y O U R V I S U A L V I B E : D E S C R I B E
Y O U R B R A N D A E S T H E T I C
V I S U A L V I B E B R A I N S T O R M
VISUALVIBE

2. WWW.MIKIFOTO.COMB R A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L | 2
BRANDING IS ABOUT
SO MUCH MORE
THAN WHAT PEOPLE
SEE. IT’S ABOUT
HOW YOU MAKE
PEOPLE FEEL._
Kimberly Haydn

3. WWW.MIKIFOTO.COMB R A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L | 3
Develop a
cohesive
aesthetic
for your
brand
NOW that we have clarity on our brand
story, it’s time to move to the creative
part! How can we bring our brands
to life through images? How can we
develop a cohesive aesthetic for our
business? How can we build a unique
visual narrative and avoid the copy-cat
trap? The first step is to gather all of
your ideas and content from the first five
lessons and create a visual mood board.
What exactly is a mood
board or inspiration board?
And why is it important?
A mood board is a tool that will serve
as your visual road map. It will represent
the look and feel of your business — a
collection of carefully curated images
that act as creative direction for your
brand identity. If we don't intentionally
think about our brand "look" and take
time to define it, how are we going to
create a brand that's memorable and
recognizable?
I like to use Pinterest to build this
“digital” mood board, but you could
also do it the old-fashioned way with a
poster board and magazines if you'd like
a tangible board to hang in your work
space. You can even flag your favorite
images on Instagram. You choose your
own creative adventure!

4. WWW.MIKIFOTO.COMB R A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L | 4
Before you start, I want you
to take a step back and revisit
your mission, your vision,
and all those keywords from
the Brand Brilliance section.
You’ll use those elements as
a springboard to develop your visual
vibe.
Next, think about the feeling you
want people to get when they interact
with your brand. Think about the
mood you want to develop for your
audience. Think about the overall
client experience you want to create.
Think about the look and personality
you want to convey with your personal
brand. Think about the style and
vibe you want to evoke. Jot all these
thoughts on paper.
Start compiling pictures via Pinterest or
from pages in a magazine. Pin pictures,
colors, expressions, locations, outfits,
moods, textures, fonts, environments —
anything that stands out and connects
with your brand story.
Themes and ideas will emerge from the
visual mood board. You might begin to
see patterns and reoccurring stories.
Connect the dots between the images.
When you notice an overarching theme,
write it down and begin to curate and
edit the images to so that the selection
reflects this particular story. Eliminate
any visuals that don’t fit your vision or
brand story. You’ll begin to see your
individual aesthetic and style take
form.
Once your visual vision is complete,
jot down a few words that reflect your
brand identity and style. Is it rustic,
boho and natural? Is it calm, nurturing
and feminine? Is it modern, edgy and
disruptive? Look closely at the stories
and subject matter in the photos. What
are the objects and scenes that keep
showing up? For instance, if flowers
are in several images, maybe you have
a feminine, colorful vibe and should
consider using a floral element in your
visual content. If a beach location
keeps popping up, maybe the serene
ocean colors are something you want
to consider for your website and logo?
This mood board will serve as the
visual reference for your brand style.
VISUAL
MOOD

5. WWW.MIKIFOTO.COMB R A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L | 5
MikiFoto Style
Vibrant, Fun, Inspiring, Feminine, Sassy
Mikifoto Colors
Soft Pink, Fuschia Pink, Sea Blues
Mikifoto Textures
Confetti, Sand, Floral, Palm Leaves
MikiFoto Mood
Confident, Curious, Colorful
Mikifoto Content
THEMES
Leader, Creativity, Community, Adventure
MikiFoto Subject Matter
Photography, Travel, Speaking, Teaching, Creative
Space, Flowers, Beach, Tribe
WANTTOSEETHEMIKIFOTO+CO
MOODBOARD?

6. WWW.MIKIFOTO.COMB R A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L | 6
Linking your core story to your
visual vibe is an important step
in developing your brand identity.
Your brand narrative, personality
and values should be reflected
in your aesthetic. Our objective
is to avoid being a copy cat or
looking like a trendy, glossy brand.
Instead, we want to design a brand
that has depth and meaning. We
want to create a sustainable and
cohesive look that you can use for
your business across all of your
marketing from website to business
cards to photography to logos.
Once you've designed this mood
board, this tool can share your
visual vision with people you hire
(like web designers, copywriters,
photographers, etc). It will help
clearly communicate your brand
vibe to anyone who works in your
business and keep them on track
and consistent.
Keep in mind that as your brand
grows and evolves, this is an
exercise that you can revisit and
revise. Our brands are never really
done and set in stone. They change
as we change.
M I K I F O T O . C O M
Mallika

7. WWW.MIKIFOTO.COMB R A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L | 7
KEY TAKEAWAY
A mood board is not just a
collage of pretty images but
a creative tool that will help
define your brand identity
and share your visual vibe
with people on your team.
HOMEWORK
Create your own Pinterest
‘Branding Visual Board’ and
share the link in the group. If
you are familiar with Canva,
try creating a collage of your
top images.
STORY PROMPT BONUS
Your vibe attracts your tribe! Write a
blog post or social media post sharing
the feeling and style of your client
experience. Get personal and reveal
your personality. This is your time to
shine and not play small or hide. Use
a visual that matches the tone of your
content.
Want to see an example of how this can
look? See here.
THE
TAKEAWAYs

8. WWW.MIKIFOTO.COMB R A N D C O N F I D E N T I A L | 8