noteboard
Collect images with a reason to keep them
Upload, drop, or paste the images that help explain the direction. A reference might be useful for its color, texture, composition, or the feeling it creates. Add a short note about that choice while it is easy to remember.
An online mood board can hold photographs, illustrations, typography references, and your own concept text. Add named color swatches beside the images so the palette is available for discussion too. You can keep written planning notes nearby without making them part of the final visual composition.
Arrange the collection until the direction makes sense
Use Fit to show an image in full or Crop to focus on the useful part. Group related cards so they can move together, align their edges, and distribute the space between them. The arrangement can make the strongest reference clear before someone reads the notes.
Try a few combinations and remove images that pull the board toward a different idea. A playful illustration and a restrained palette might work together, for example, while an unrelated formal photograph makes the overall direction harder to explain.
Keep a short statement beside the composition. “Bold color and hand-painted texture” gives a collaborator something to discuss. You can revise the wording and the references together as you agree on the direction.
Example: a playful illustrated campaign direction
The illustrated preview uses a cat riding a blue pencil, with orange, blue, and a warm paper color. It could be a reference for a fictional stationery campaign where the team wants the imagery to feel playful and handmade.
The useful part of the board is the explanation of what to carry forward. The final campaign can develop its own artwork while retaining the agreed color relationships, texture, and tone.
What the references contribute
- Illustration
- A simple character and visible brush texture suggest a playful, handmade approach.
- Palette
- Orange and blue lead, with a quiet paper background around them.
- Direction note
- Keep the imagery expressive and the surrounding layout simple enough to let it lead.