The Mood Board Process Modeled and Understood As A Qualitative Design Research Tool

Fashion Practice
The Journal of Design, Creative Process & the Fashion Industry
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The Mood Board Process Modeled and Understood

as a Qualitative Design Research Tool
Tracy Cassidy
To cite this article: Tracy Cassidy (2011) The Mood Board Process Modeled and Understood as
a Qualitative Design Research Tool, Fashion Practice, 3:2, 225-251
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The Mood Board

Process Modeled
and Understood
as a Qualitative
Design Research
Tracy Cassidy Tool
Tracy Cassidy is a Senior Lecturer Abstract
in Fashion Marketing and Leader
of the Fashion Technologies
Research Centre in the Department Mood boards are fundamental tools used in design industries. The term
of Clothing Design & Technology at mood board is often used generically to cover a wide range of board
Manchester Metropolitan University. types, each having specific uses. The types of boards considered to be
Tracy is a trained knitwear
designer and operated a number a vital part of the design process that facilitate creative and innovative
of businesses prior to developing thinking and application, as opposed to those associated with market-
a career in academia. She is the ing to merely present and communicate product to an audience, are
first author of Colour Forecasting
(Blackwell Publishers, 2005). the focus of this study. The creation of mood boards involves a rec-
t.cassidy@mmu.ac.uk ognizable process coupled with creativity. The creative process used
to develop mood boards can be seen to have three fundamental stages
226 Tracy Cassidy
that offer the creator opportunities for deep levels of engagement to

take place in order to develop creative and innovative design solutions.
This study explores and models this process uncovering the underlying
principles in relation to working methodologies and problem-solving
theories. Further system models conceptualize the working methodolo-
gies of thirteen individuals in case studies using observation techniques
and think-aloud methods. An evaluation of the participants’ levels of
engagement with the process stages enriches the analysis, drawing con-
clusions for best practice approaches to the task and the understanding
of mood boards as qualitative research tools.
KEYWORDS: case studies, creativity, problem solving, evaluation,

mood board process
1. Introduction
This article sets out to bring about a better understanding of the mood
board creation process and, in concurring with Garner and McDonagh-
Philp’s (2001) declarations of mood boards being qualitative research
tools, to further establish this concept by demonstrating that it is the
depth of engagement with particular stages of the process that deter-
mines differences in the “quality of the data” presented on resulting
boards. The depth of research and inquiry into a subject or theme un-
dertaken to produce a mood board is therefore established as being the
essential driver that distinguishes a mood board as being a qualitative
research tool presenting quality visual data from a board that merely
presents a collection of visual images and objects. The article suggests
that even though the process is creative, if the creator understands the
process and engages more consciously with the stages then more mean-
ingful boards can be realized, which in turn are more likely to bring
about more creative end-products. This would assist fashion companies
to more effectively employ style as a point of differentiation in fashion
apparel, increasing their competitiveness in the global marketplace.
A previous study, using seventy-six Year 1 and thirty-seven Year 2
students, highlighted the importance for creatives to better understand
and to fully engage with the mood board process in order to develop
creative and innovative ideas and products. Following on from this
study, in order to model the mood board process, a further investigation
was undertaken using a series of exercises using participant observa-
tions with a “think aloud” type method combining naturalistic obser-
vations and spoken protocols. A final experiment was then conducted
to test the refined model. The observations were used in conjunction
with problem-solving theories to develop, test, and refine the model
and to identify areas of the process that would benefit from deep levels
The Mood Board Process Modeled and Understood as a Qualitative Design Research Tool 227
of engagement, thus establishing mood boards as qualitative research

tools. In all cases the design projects were related to the development of
fashion apparel for the younger mass-market demographic.
1.1. Aims and Objectives

The aim of this study is to model the mood board process to give a
better understanding of the technique as a qualitative design research
tool.
Objectives:
• to model the mood board process using the working methods of
individuals and problem-solving theories.

• to refine and validate the mood board process model.
• to establish mood boards as qualitative design research tools with
recommendations for best practice approaches.
1.2. Methodology
Mood boards are tools used by designers to bring together apparently
incongruent visual data to promote inspirations to develop suitable end-
products. This creative process can essentially be viewed as solving a
design problem. Problem-solving theories, described in section 3, were
explored to identify the theoretical stages that individuals engage with
when solving problems. From the literature, the three key stages were
found to be: (1) the initial state or the brief, followed by (2) a series of ac-
tivities to arrive at (3) the goal state or end-product (Figure 1). However,
the series of activities could not be determined through the literature and
therefore observations were conducted to model this part of the pro-
cess, as described below. Each of the observations used a type of “think
aloud” method that Van Someron et al. (1994) had formulated in order
to better understand thought, reasoning, and decision-making processes.
This method is based on the previous work of Gestalt psychologist Karl
Dunker in the 1930s (Garnham and Oakhill 1994) where participants
in experiments were simply encouraged to talk out loud their thoughts.
This method is now recognized as useful for those researching human
problem-solving activities, enabling a systematic approach to the data
collection in direct relation to the activity under exploration.
Participant observation exercise 1 employed sensational-emotional
interpretation to produce a mood board where the process was re-
corded in relation to the problem-solving theories and involved only
the researcher, who has many years of experience in developing mood
boards. A rough flowchart was developed with additional notes made
periodically while working through the process, which were derived
from being conscious of the thought processes and speaking these out
loud, thus making statements of what was being done and why. The
resulting flowchart was sanitized and used as an initial process model.
Participant observation exercise 2 employed visual, verbal, and
sensational-emotional interpretations to produce a second mood board
228 Tracy Cassidy
Figure 1
Initial mood board process model
showing the two fundamental
stages.
involving the researcher and a small group of six first-year BSc novice
students studying product development and fashion marketing in a UK
university. This exercise was also based on the think aloud method, this
time including notes observed from the visual cues from the partici-
pants’ behavior and their verbal discussions while working as a team.
The researcher assisted the process but allowed the students to flow
freely through the stages, noting their discussions. The process stages
were checked against the initial model and minor amendments were
made. The model was again sanitized and simplified (Figure 2).
Observations were then undertaken over a five-week period in the
design department of a UK university to develop the case studies, also
employing a think aloud type method combining visual and verbal
interpretation. The working methods of thirteen second-year fashion
design students were observed and recorded in order to understand
their intuitive or preferred approach to the task of producing mood
boards without any outside intervention. The model shown in Figure 2
was used as a standard for each observation as it provided a quick
means to record the verbalized stages and to realize changes each
made to the standard model and why. Each of the thirteen resulting
models were then sanitized for the analysis, briefly described in sec-
tion 4.2.1, where firstly comparisons were made between each of the
individuals’ processes and the standard process, and then individu-
als’ processes were compared with each other. The models then en-
abled further analysis through the assessment of engagement of each
Figure 2
Further developed mood board
process model.
individual with each stage of the process discussed in sections 4.3 to 4.5.
While in this instance the case study was conducted as a primary
research activity, for the participating students this was an assessed
module that was simply being observed. Therefore, it was important
to use a method that would not interfere with the learning and teach-
ing of the module.
Finally, an experiment was conducted to test the refined model
using an assessed assignment with two sets of first-year students. In
all instances the student participants were asked to use images and
only if appropriate to include small objects, such as shells, beads, etc.,
and were discouraged from using fabric samples or apparel designs.
The research methods are further discussed in section 4 in relation to
230 Tracy Cassidy
the development and refinement of the model. This research approach

follows a review of the literature that was used to underpin and de-
velop the conceptual models.
2. Mood Boards Explained
Mood boards are design and marketing tools used extensively within
the fashion industry and fashion-related or consumer product industries
to communicate information visually. They are, therefore, an important
inclusion in many higher education units of study where the subject area
mimics such industrial practice or where the subject matter lends itself
well to this mode of presentation style (Julier 2000). Mood boards are
primarily used by designers to bring together sets of visual data, usually
in the form of imagery, but can also include small objects, such as shells
or gemstones etc., that link to a theme derived from the design brief.
Mood boards provide a “space” to arrange the collected visuals in a
meaningful manner to the designer that enables the flow of thoughts,
inspirations, and creativity for design outcomes—products. The use of
mood boards as design tools is a well-established part of the design pro-
cess in the fashion industry, used to develop ideas for style, color range
development, fabric designs, etc., for fashion apparel. However, because
they are, by nature, creative tools, little guidance for their development
is readily available for students or practitioners in order for them to un-
derstand how to improve their own mood board creation skills or how
to better benefit from their application in the design process. A range of
mood board types has been identified, each given a name that reflects
its general purpose, which can be grouped into four basic categories
(Cassidy 2008) as follows:
Category 1 boards remain relatively unchanged and are used to
represent a company’s target market, often encapsulating the social,
cultural, and personal values of the typical target consumer. They are
generally referred to as lifestyle, customer, or customer profile boards,
and underpin all design and marketing decisions made by the company.
An example of a customer profile board is shown in Figure 3.
Category 2 boards are always designed with the target market in
mind and are used at the initial experimentation stage to explore and
develop design ideas. They are usually non-product specific. Typical
names used for this type of board include mood, concept, ideas, inspira-
tion, image, source, theme, story, and style or presentation boards. The
lifestyle elements of the target market are translated into product ideas
setting an overall feel for the project or product range. These boards
are in essence potential qualitative research tools as they allow for the
exploration of ideas for products or themes. A series of boards may be
produced to explore different ideas and therefore play an important
Figure 3
Customer profile board—an example of a category 1 type board.
role in design and innovation. An example of a mood board is shown

in Figure 4.
Category 3 boards are used to further develop and refine ideas and
are more product-specific. Specific board types include styling and theme
boards, forecasting, and color, fabric, and sample boards. Each of these
boards enables designers’ to focus on specific areas of the design sepa-
rately to bring about a strong product concept. An example of a styling
board is shown in Figure 5. These boards are used extensively by fash-
ion designers to enable all aspects of design for new apparel ranges to be
fully explored to bring freshness and originality to the garment ranges.
Category 4 boards are used for presenting products to clients in mar-
keting and sales efforts. It is important for these boards to be profession-
ally developed employing strong visual communications to demonstrate
not only the product or service but also to support and strengthen brand
232 Tracy Cassidy
Figure 4
Mood board incorporating a color
palette—an example of a category
2 type board.
image and identity. These boards may be referred to as presentation or

usage boards. An example of a marketing presentation board is shown
in Figure 6.
While mood boards have purpose and importance they should also
be effective, innovative, and fun to use, providing a powerful tool or
technique for communicating a statement or focus of a project (Garner
and McDonagh-Philp 2001). They are in effect organically produced
though the tools themselves are conceptual and symbolic rather than
literal. While often collage-like in appearance and apparently com-
posed of incongruent elements, the creation of effective mood boards
comprises carefully selected visuals gathered through research that are
not only complementary but together strongly express a unified vision
and specific message, usually in relation to a given brief. The arrange-
ment of the visual elements is best presented with careful deliberation
Figure 5
Styling board incorporating style,
color, and fabric directions and the
inspiration theme—an example of a
category 3 type board.
s timulating creativity in the design process and communicating design

concepts and application to others visually (Boyes 1998).
Mood boards can be used to encourage the development of cre-
ative abilities, to articulate creative thinking and for the exploration
and communication of these in a visual manner. They can be used to
stimulate the initial understanding of a brief in order to engage with a
project, regardless of whether they are a requirement or not. They can
therefore be used to assist private exploration of a concept or challenge
a problem, as well as a tool for communicating solution concepts that
enable the mood board creator to explore and experiment with different
media and different styles of visual presentation. Mood boards can be
used iteratively to further explore and engage with the creative process
and are, in essence, visual qualitative research and analysis tools (Gar-
ner and McDonagh-Philp 2001).
234 Tracy Cassidy
Figure 6
Marketing presentation board
for a trend forecasting software
package—an example of a
category 4 type board.
This article takes the reader through the development of the mood
board creation process, with an emphasis on the importance of pay-
ing particular attention to the stages that determine the quality of the
boards that will benefit the design process. In doing so, the reasons for
encouraging practitioners to adopt the suggested approach are given.
3. Problem-solving Processes and Theories
Mood boards are essentially creative visual problem-solving, and in some

instances, problem-finding tools (Garner and McDonagh-Philp 2001).
The concept of a psychological theory for problem solving developed
by Newell & Simon was discussed by Van Someron et al. (1994). They
recognized the stages that the problem solver essentially undertakes
during the process of finding a solution to any given problem, begin-
ning with the initial state, the starting point. Subsequent steps thereaf-
ter inform and change this state as more data is collected and thought,
reasoning, and decision-making processes naturally occur. With each
of the steps taken a change occurs in the current level of knowledge of
the problem solver. Any number of steps can be taken until a satisfac-
tory solution is found known. It is implied that the knowledge given
in the beginning of the process and the knowledge gained through the
steps has a direct effect on the end result or goal state (Garnham and
Oakhill 1994). Garnham and Oakhill’s problem-solving theories have
been further substantiated more recently by Holyoak and Morrison
(2005). In the creation of mood boards, the creator begins with the
brief and undertakes research in order to develop the mood board, the
width and depth of the research and the creator’s thoughts and deci-
sions directly affect the resulting board(s). The content and aesthetic
appearance of the board is therefore determined by the type, qual-
ity, and quantity of the research data collected, and its interpretation,
which is also dependent upon the emotional state of the individual at

the time of creation.
At some stage, either when the data collection process is completed
or at a stage when the information can be collated for use while col-
lection is still in progress, the information undergoes the procedure of
analysis. Jorgensen (1989) recognized that initial information gathered
effectively defines and refines the research problem or challenge and the
data collection then becomes more specific. A stage then comes to pass
whereby the additional information has lesser importance than that of
the analysis of the information.
After the analysis stage the data is then evaluated. This procedure
may involve scientific measurement or a more intuitive judgment. Jor-

gensen (1989) also recognized creativity as being the key element re-
sponsible for discovery resulting from the analysis of data. The process
of evaluation concludes with the interpretation or explanation of the
problem. Jorgenson’s work is further verified through Hughes and Shar-
rock’s (2006) discussions of participant observation methods.
Vaughan (1979) claimed that intuition has a strong bearing on what
we know and believe to be correct and plays an integral part in decision
making on all levels in everyday life, though it is not always consciously.
This was reinforced by Sinclair and Ashkanasy (2005) who view intu-
ition as a managerial decision-making tool. Intuition can be viewed as
being the ability to quickly and effectively make decisions relevant to
a problem, seemingly on an unconscious level. Where insight is said
to be related to knowledge, intuition is said to be related to process.
Flexible educated intuitions are considered desirable by Atkinson and
Claxto (2003), though a balance of intuition (professional judgment)
and research-based knowledge may be considered to be more benefi-
cial. In either case, the theories suggest that the change in knowledge or
state through the acquisition of new knowledge and data is essentially
a learning curve or journey of discovery until a satisfactory solution is
found. Therefore experiential learning can be realized as a fundamental
element of problem-solving tasks.
3.1. Experiential Learning and Problem Solving

The concept of learning by doing was long established in traditional
craft-based learning and teaching models (Atkinson and Claxto 2003).
In current learning and teaching practices experiential learning recog-
nizes the learning process and the acquisition of new skills and concept
developments as being central to its methodology (Michelson 1996).
The critical aspect has been identified as being the interaction between
the learner and the materials they use (Neary 2003). David Kolb had
recognized that learners engage more with the learning process when
they take ownership of a project or task and are allowed to make dis-
coveries for themselves (Thorne 2003). Encouraging learners to tap into
or unlock the creative abilities required for problem solving through the
236 Tracy Cassidy
creation of mood boards lends itself well to experiential styles of learn-

ing. Britzman’s (1998) theory of experiential learning respects conscious
thought being interrupted by the unconscious, and the uncanny psychic
conflicts that can result as tensions between the conscious and uncon-
scious (Fenwick 2003). Boud et al. (1985) recognized the more recent
inclusion of reflection in academic practice as central to the learning
approach and Ghaye and Ghaye (1998) interpreted reflection as a cre-
ative process. Moon (2004) viewed reflection and experiential learning
as one and the same controlled by the learner, that is engaging conscious
awareness and the willingness for self-improvement, and that reflection
and experiential learning for developing learning opportunities and ex-
periences could also include opportunities for empowerment and eman-

cipation (liberation) as part of the process.
Experiential learning and teaching methods were used throughout
the evaluation research experiment that is discussed below in section 4.
However, when testing the efficiency of the process model only one of the
two groups under study were given the model to work with and the effect
of this is evident when comparing the results discussed in section 4.7.
3.2. Assessment or Evaluation

While it is not the intention to discuss the issues surrounding academic
assessment in this study, recognition must be given to the fact that the
assessment or evaluation of a mood board in relation to its content,
context, and visual appearance should be considered as an inherent part
of the creation process through the decisions made, the reasons for those
decisions, and the reflections undertaken throughout. Suffice to say that
in the case of academic assessment it is most likely to be the level of suc-
cess that has been achieved in attaining the overall learning outcomes
of the assignment that a student is to be professionally judged upon in
relation to the academic level of study. Such assessments will most likely
take into consideration the students’ understanding and engagement
with the learning experience as well as recognition of specific aspects,
such as the use of visuals, sensitivity to the mood created, innovation
and creative thinking and the development and use of skills such as
research, awareness, and presentation. Suggestions in relation to assess-
ment are inferred in the recommendations for best practice in section 5.
However, by way of example, with reference to the student assignment
attached to the case study exercise discussed in section 4.2.1, where the
mood boards constituted 20 percent of the entire project, it was the
ability of the individual to develop a strong theme of one’s own choice
that was assessed through the development of four or five mood boards.
The tutor assessed the students on their ability to present the boards in
a professional manner, which constituted a quarter of the weighting;
the credibility of the theme in relation to being promoted as a fashion
trend was also weighted at one quarter of the mark and the remaining
weighting was an assessment of the level of research undertaken by the
individual for the mood boards. The manner or levels in which students
engaged with the process was not part of this assessment, though it was
evident later that the tutor’s marks concurred with the differences iden-
tified in the individual models developed through the research.
4. The Initial Mood Board Process Model
As discussed in section 1.2, a simplistic model (Figure 1) was developed

incorporating the steps identified in the literature review. The model
was further developed with the expansion of the creation/development

stage using the recorded information obtained from the first participant
observation exercise. In order to test and refine this modified model
(Figure 2) a second participant observation exercise was undertaken
and again the process stages were recorded and later compared to the
model to enable the refinement.
In the first exercise the researcher was afforded the luxury of spend-
ing many days collecting imagery etc., using all available resources,
whereas in the second exercise the task time was drastically reduced to
a matter of hours and reliant upon the relatively limited quantity and
quality of the visual data brought to the session by the participants in
relation to the given brief. It was evident from this second exercise that
the extent of research undertaken at the initial inspiration/inquiry stage
and during the continual data collection process as part of the creation/
development stage affects the resulting boards in relation to aesthetic
appeal, visual communication of ideas and inspirations, and, above all,
the effectiveness of a mood board as a qualitative research tool. Also
the engagement with the iterative processes of the creation/development
stage is relative to the width and depth of the research stages and to
the quantity and quality of data collected to be used for the develop-
ment of the board(s). To further understand these stages of the process,
individual working methodologies of thirteen student participants were
observed and modeled; these are discussed in section 4.2.
4.1. The Mood Board Development and Creation Process

This process involves the exploration of a problem and of a solution,
or alternative solutions. Typically the design process begins with a brief
that essentially suggests a problem to solve in relation to a real-life sce-
nario relative to the subject area and will usually require at least one
mood board to be produced. Once it is understood what the intention of
the brief is, the inquiry process can begin. Initial inspirations are sourced
leading to a wider and deeper research process as the gathering, plan-
ning, and selection of materials and techniques are incorporated. This
stage requires individuals to suppress judgment in order for creativity to
flow. Pakel-Dunlop (2007) asserts suspended judgment is a vital element
of creativity, as it is essentially an emotional energy that can inspire
238 Tracy Cassidy
creative moods and considers creativity to be intrinsic to the qualitative

research process. This initial research stage should be stimulating, moti-
vational, and unrestricting, incorporating divergent thinking in order to
begin to explore all possible aspects of the problem creatively.
The second stage involves the development and creation of the mood
board and should ideally include on-going data collection, which usu-
ally becomes more refined and focused, further exploring and develop-
ing ideas. The creator works with selection and elimination processes,
which include analytical, interpretation, and evaluation skills to explore
alternative solutions in relation to the problem. This part of the process
requires a deeper level of engagement in order to develop creative and
innovative solutions. The mood board(s) may be presented to a captive

audience and are normally used as a springboard to further develop
design ideas into workable design solutions, either through sketchbooks
or further boards.
The process of developing a mood board is in part subjective and
part objective, using a selection of soft and hard tools. The soft tools
include awareness, observation, intuition, and inspiration. Because
soft tools are, in essence, sensations within the mind it is difficult to
measure, analyze, and evaluate them, thus making them subjective in
nature. The hard tools include all data available via the vast pool of
diverse resources from which inspiration can be drawn.
4.2. The Case Studies

As discussed in section 1.2, thirteen students’ methods were recorded on
a weekly basis while each voiced their board development by declaring
what they had done, how and why. They also verbalized how they then
felt about their own working processes, that is, their reflections, consid-
ered an important part of the learning process, previously discussed in
section 3.1. Four color-story mood boards were to be produced using
four individual themes or moods, where an overall theme was optional.
Each mood board required a title and the presentation of a relevant
color palette for a given season. The weekly tasks are shown in Table 1.
The students were also asked by the tutor to consider a target market,
consumer lifestyles, and a company image.
4.2.1. The students’ methodologies

The pictorial representations of the individual working methodologies
were illustrated in relation to Figure 2 in which the actions undertaken
were added in boxes and thoughts in bubbles. The models were then
sanitized for clarity. Three examples are shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9
that best illustrate the study findings. Eight students presented manual
boards and five presented computer-generated boards.
On the standard model (Figure 2) the initial state began only with
the brief. As the tutor talked through and embellished on the brief, and
showed previous examples of work, a box indicating tutor input was
Table 1
The work plan.
Week 1 Talked through the handbook and assessment requirements.

Visit to the library to look at trend packages.
Students were encouraged to start collecting images/other media
and think about their four themes.
Week 2 Students observed and discussed previous student’s work to give an
understanding of their assignment requirements.
Students were encouraged to develop their own ideas of
presentation.
Semantics were discussed for conveying the mood of each theme
and overall theme if desired.

Many students had started collecting images, color cards, fabrics
etc., and discussed their ideas for themes.
Week 3 Students showed and discussed their progress to date.
Brainstorming as a group.
Some students had already made their mood boards.
Others had decided themes.
Week 4 Students showed and discussed their story boards and ideas.
Week 5 Continued to show and discuss work and problems to date.
Week 6 Submission of the mood boards.
added to the student methodology models linking to the brief to repre-

sent this additional input.
Five of the students claimed their initial thoughts were inspired by
the details given in the brief itself as they thought about possible overall
themes. As four themes were required these students interpreted this as
being four linked themes as opposed to four independent themes that
can work well together as a package. For this reason the four seasons
and the four elements were common starting points. Three students also
thought about other aspects of the project requirements at this stage,
such as the company concept and marketplace. One student left the ses-
sion in pursuit of fabrics that were required for the latter stages of the
assignment that should have been inspired by the mood boards.
Two students first thought of specific topics of interest to use as start-
ing points for inspiration, these were lifestyle and interior design, re-
spectively. Three students thought abstractly about things that appear
naturally in sets of four as well as titles and keywords, and another
also thought initially in this way but also thought about possible color
palettes and fabric ideas, which should have organically developed from
the mood boards themselves.
The inquiry stage indicates what could almost be viewed as a pre-
requisite, whereby a research stage is necessary in order to gather to-
gether a resource of materials to begin developing the mood board(s).
In section 4.1 it was proposed that this initial inquiry stage should be as
240 Tracy Cassidy
Figure 7
Student method example 1.
broad and deep a research stage as possible in the time frame to obtain
a rich and diverse collection of visuals to make selections from in the
main stages of the process. Five students demonstrated a controlled ini-
tial search having specific topics in mind; this method is demonstrated
in Figures 7 and 9. Three students began with less preconceived ideas
for the themes and thus began a more random collection process, as
seen in Figure 8. However, these students were generally unaware of
how they were selecting materials and therefore it can be assumed that
an intuitive process of a sort was used.
Two students claimed not to have made an initial inquiry but con-
ducted random searches bringing the visuals directly to the boards.
Both of these students also sourced fabrics at this stage, a latter task
of the project as previously stated. One student appeared to develop
the boards outside the development process as thoughts of colors for
Figure 8
the four seasons were used and therefore four palettes were developed
independently of and prior to the mood boards from which the color
palette should have evolved. This then lead to a controlled collection of
supporting images for the colors to build into the four seasons’ theme.
Another student worked in a similar manner developing the color pal-
ette first and sourcing fabrics without any development of theme ideas.
In practice iteration can begin in the inquiry stage, which makes it
difficult to be entirely certain where precisely in the process the indi-
vidual leaves the initial inquiry stage and moves into the actual develop-
ment stage. When developing the case studies, theoretically the point
242 Tracy Cassidy
Figure 9
where the individual sits down to develop the boards is interpreted as

when the initial inquiry stage ends and the development stage begins
and further sourcing becomes the continual data collection stage. The
continual data collection stage ends at a point in time where either the
individual is satisfied that enough visuals have been sourced or the in-
dividual is forced to abandon further collection due to time constraints.
Two students demonstrated a limited data collection stage resulting in
sparsely developed boards; this method is shown in Figure 7. Four stu-
dents began with a random search in the initial inquiry until themes
were decided on and then the collection became more controlled, which
can be seen in Figure 8. A further four students continued their con-
trolled data collection, accepting or rejecting and replacing visuals until
they were satisfied with the results, as illustrated in Figure 9. One stu-
dent also continued to collect images but simply added them to the
boards without a rejection process and another began with a collection
of fabrics that inspired a late controlled data collection process.
Color palette development is included in the students’ process mod-
els as the inclusion of a color palette on each board was a requirement
of their brief. It is purposely placed under the analysis, interpretation,
and refinement stages on the model as color palettes should evolve or-
ganically from the images used on the boards.
Four students worked on other project tasks simultaneously to de-
veloping the boards, undertaking tasks such as collecting fabrics and
scanning images for the layout stage, shown in Figure 8.
4.3. Initial Inspiration and Inquiry Stage

Thought plays an important part in the development of initial inspira-
tion, which may be directed by previous knowledge or experience or
entirely intuitive. In the case studies eight (61.5 percent) of the students
appeared to have developed their initial inspirations for theme ideas in
an intuitive manner, though previous knowledge was also evident in their
thinking. Only one student was clearly directed by experience evidenced
by the similarity of the resulting boards with those previously shown to
the students in week one. Students started to collect data in the initial
research inquiry stage either through a random collection process or
by a more selective or controlled collection process in relation to their
theme ideas. Four students (30.8 percent) used visual stimuli as their
initial inspiration following a random data collection process. Further
to this, one student used what could be described as a semi-random/
semi-controlled data collection process as some limitations had been
imposed through thought, but not enough for the student to be sourcing
specific image types. Only two students incorporated extensive further
research into the creation/development process; the remaining students
used a larger proportion of the images and other materials sourced in
the initial research inquiry stage.
While the initial inspiration may be thought or visually inspired, gen-
erally once the thought, decision, and reasoning processes begin and a
direction or idea is decided upon further data collection and thought
processes tend to become more controlled and more defined. However,
even in the process of collecting data in a more controlled manner, there
is still the possibility of finding a random source of inspiration that may
still eventually be rejected or accepted to replace an existing idea, thus
changing the shape of the inquiry and resulting boards. It can therefore
be said that it is the thought, decision, and reasoning processes that
filter out the eventualities and bring together a satisfactory end state.
However, it can also be said that it is the quality and quantity of data
sourced that gives the creator more options and scope to bring about
more affective or effective mood boards.
244 Tracy Cassidy
4.4. The Process Model Refined

The findings from the case studies were used to further refine the inquiry
stage of the process model shown in Figure 10. Initial inspirations may
be instigated in the first instance purely by thought in relation to previ-
ous knowledge/experience triggered by cues in the brief or by additional
input given at the briefing stage. Alternatively, a totally random inquiry/
research stage may take place with less predetermined thoughts influ-
encing this early stage. Inevitably at some point in the process thought,
reasoning, and decision-making processes will begin in order to make
sense of the data collected enlightening the creator and influencing a
more controlled and reasoned collection. This second-stage collection
process becomes a crucial part of the iterative analysis, evaluation, and

interpretation processes where the problem and solution merge.
4.5. Engagement with the Process

The findings highlighted aspects of the process that, certainly in these
case studies, few of the students readily engaged with at any great depth,
which has a direct influence on the quality of the final mood boards in
relation to content, context, the brief, and the assessment criteria. The
creator needs to engage deeply with the process in order to develop
creative and innovative ideas to exploit mood boards as qualitative re-
search tools, in doing so more innovative and creative design solutions
are encouraged to evolve.
The brief, whether a written brief for students or an assumed brief
for industry personnel, indicates a starting point through various cues
enabling a degree of focus from the onset and consequently some direc-
tion for the research inquiry stage where initial inspirations evolve in
relation to the problem. This research stage requires width and depth in
order to exhaust the more obvious possibilities to access more diverse
eventualities through the suppression of judgment, thus engaging with
creativity. In the case studies, few students engaged solely with this ini-
tial stage at the onset as many were addressing parts of the project that
should either be a natural progression from the mood boards, such as
style and fabric ideas, or would have been better approached through
the development of further mood boards specific to these areas, such as
company image and target marketing or customer profile boards, i.e.
category 1 boards discussed earlier in section 2. The second stage of
the process is enriched by the continual data collection process as this
further educates and enlightens the creator, enabling deeper connections
with the creative process to bring about less predetermined solutions.
In the case studies, many of the students at this stage became preoccu-
pied with the tasks that were unrelated to the mood boards to complete
other aspects of the project. A more systematic approach to the delivery
of the assignment would have encouraged a concentrated effort on the
creation of the mood boards resulting in a stronger visual content and
design direction.
Figure 10
The refined mood board process model.
4.6. Testing the Efficiency of the Process Model

An experiment was conducted to test the efficiency of the process model.
Two first-year cohorts from two undergraduate programs undertaking
the same unit of study were used. The first task of the assignment re-
quired a customer profile mood board and the second was a brand-
ing mood board. Group A (sixty-two students) were introduced to the
246 Tracy Cassidy
process model and encouraged to work through the inquiry stage, con-
ducting a wide and deep research sourcing initial inspirations, and then
through the development stage, paying attention to the selection and
elimination of data in direct relation to the requirements of the brief.
The mood board process was not explained to Group B (sixty-four stu-
dents). To ensure unbiased marking, both sets of boards from the two
groups were mixed together and then marked anonymously by the re-
searcher/tutor and all marks verified by an independent second marker.
The marking criteria in both cases attached 50 percent of the weighting
to the width and depth of research evident, 25 percent to the overall
clarity and sense of the content in relation to the brief, and 25 percent
for the visual appeal and professionalism of the presentation.
4.7. Results
Table 2 shows the highest and lowest marks attained for the two mood
boards for both groups. Clearly the lowest mark in Group A, where the
process was explained, was higher than the lowest mark in Group B for
both mood boards. While the highest mark for each group for the first
mood board assignment is almost the same (by chance the highest mark at-
tained belonged to Group B), the highest mark for the second mood board
is significantly greater in Group A where the process was explained.
Table 3 shows the range of marks as percentages for the four boards.
It can be seen that the percentage of students failing the first assignment
task (marks of 39 percent or less) total 3.2 percent for Group A and
11 percent for Group B. Most students inevitably improve their marks
each time they repeat the process for any given task. The percentage of
Group A students failing the second mood board assignment fell to 1.6
percent but still 10.4 percent of Group B students failed this assignment
task. The highest concentration of marks for Group A students are in
the 50–69 percent bands for the first board and in the 60–79 percent
bands for the second board. Whereas the highest marks for Group B
students are in the 40–69 percent bands for both boards.
Table 4 shows the improvement in marks from the first assignment
to the second assignment. While most students improve their marks
Table 2
Mark extremities.
Group A Group B
Process Explained Process Unexplained
Lowest Highest Lowest Highest

Mark Mark Assignment Task Mark Mark
32% 74% Assignment 1 18% 76%

Customer Profile
39% 92% Assignment 2 22% 78%
Branding
Table 3
Range of marks.
Group A Group B
Process Explained Process Unexplained
Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Assignment 1 Assignment 2

Customer Branding Mark Range Customer Branding
Profile 0–9% Profile
0% 0% 10–19% 1.6% 0%
0% 0% 20–29% 1.6% 4.1%
3.2% 1.6% 30–39% 7.8% 6.3%
6.5% 0% 40–49% 20.3% 20.3%

33.9% 8.1% 50–59% 39.1% 37.5%
42% 43.5% 60–69% 23.4% 28.1%
12.9% 33.9% 70–79% 6.3% 4.7%
1.6% 9.7% 80–89% 0% 0%
0% 3.2% 90–100% 0% 0%
Table 4
Improvements in marks.
Group A Group B
Process Explained Range of Marks Process Unexplained
0% < –20 0%
0% –19 to –15 0%
0% –14 to –10 4.7%
3.2% –9 to –5 18.8%
1.6% –4 to –1 18.8%
0% 0 0%
24.2% +1 to +4 32.8%
29% +5 to +9 10.9%
19.4% +10 to +14 4.7%
14.5% +15 to +19 7.8%
8.1% +20 > 1.6%
through repeating processes thus improving skills and knowledge, 4.8

percent of Group A students and 42.3 percent of Group B students at-
tained a lower mark for the second board than for the first board. This
may be due to a less concerted effort or because this board required
more of the students’ own artwork where the first board required more
sought images. The results also show that overall 95.2 percent of Group
A students improved their marks whereas only 47.8 percent of Group B
students improved their marks.
248 Tracy Cassidy
5. Best Practice
The results shown in Tables 2 and 3 suggest that knowledge of the

mood board creation process generally yields higher marks when the
work is assessed for education purposes and therefore this initial in-
struction and guidance is preferable. However, mood boards involve a
high level of creativity and therefore individuals should be encouraged
to engage with the process iteratively to avoid the creation of sterile
boards. It is recommended that for novices the research inquiry stage is
emphasized in early attempts. In subsequent attempts the skills should
then be developed and enhanced. It is essential not only to provide con-
structive feedback but also opportunities for the novice to reflect on the
process undertaken in order to encourage higher levels of engagement
in subsequent attempts.
It is also recommended that students are made more aware of the
power of mood boards and encouraged to approach them specifically
as qualitative research tools that will assist them to develop more
innovative solutions and enrich their knowledge of the subject area
under exploration. This can also be extended to those in industry
that do not already approach the development of mood boards in
this manner.
Where possible, it is preferable to allow individuals to become ac-
quainted with the process as an exercise in its own right before including
further project tasks. This will prevent the mood board element being
dismissed as a less-important task and will promote the importance of
the boards as design tools that bring about creative and innovative de-
sign direction and solutions.
Once students are more familiar with the process it is highly recom-
mended that they are encouraged to conduct research in depth, exhaust-
ing as many resources as possible within the time frame and to continue
with this process for as long as possible, suppressing judgment until
more creative solutions emerge. This requires well-developed time man-
agement and organization skills.
The most common problems identified that contribute to poor-qual-
ity mood boards in any context are as follows:
1. lack of understanding the task.

2. lack of adhering to the brief.
3. not being selective with visual data collected.
4. not conducting a wide enough research data collection stage.
5. not engaging fully with all stages of the process.
6. running out of time.
7. paying more attention to other tasks.
8. n
ot taking a systematic approach when several tasks are to be
completed.
5.1. Best Practice Recommendations

From the research conducted in this study the following best practice
recommendations are concluded:
1. understand and focus at all times on the purpose of the mood

board to be developed.
2. work through the entire process stages with awareness, purpose,
and reflection.
3. conduct a wide and deep research inquiry stage at the onset.
4. continue to source additional inspirational materials throughout
as much of the developmental stage as possible.
5. engage with the decisions, thoughts, and reasons for selecting

and eliminating visuals throughout the selection process with
continual reflection.
6. develop strong visual communications and presentation skills.
7. for students—be aware of the brief, the assessment criteria, and
learning objectives and reflect on the work as it progresses in
relation to these.
for practicing professionals—be aware of the design brief,

target market, and marketplace for the product and reflect on

the work as it progresses in relation to these.
8. develop strong analytical and evaluation skills, time management
and organizational skills, awareness and observation skills.
9. enjoy the personal journey on which the research process can
take you and reflect on your self-development.
10. suppress judgment and allow the creative juices to flow.
6. Conclusion
Observation methods were used to understand and model the mood

board process and to evaluate levels of engagement with the process
stages in order to produce effective mood boards and thus creative
problem solutions. The refined model is a result of exploring problem-
solving processes and theories coupled with the working methodologies
of individuals in two participant observation exercises and a case study.
While the observations and modeling of the students methodologies
were instrumental in the development of the mood board process model,
the efficiency of having knowledge and experience of working with the
process with awareness was not an objective of the case study. The eval-
uation to determine the success or effectiveness of mood boards, which
includes the impact of the overall visual layout, visual content, and aes-
thetic appeal, through assessment was addressed through an evaluation
research experiment, though the highly sensitive issues surrounding the
subjectivity of assessment are not included as this is an area beyond the
remit of this particular study. The results of the assessment experiment
250 Tracy Cassidy
do, however, support the benefits of working with knowledge and

awareness of the process model as students were found:
• to produce more effective mood boards on their first attempt than
students not engaging with the process with awareness.
• more likely to improve their skills producing higher quality boards
than the previous attempt when repeating the process.
While only thirteen students were observed through the case studies, the
results suggest a flexible though succinct process exists and that it is the
depth of engagement with each fundamental stage coupled with creativ-
ity that differentiates the resulting mood boards and thus the quality of
the boards as qualitative research tools. However, further study using

a more rigorous think aloud method and more stringent evaluation cri-
teria is recommended to further substantiate the findings of this study.
However, the study does support the concept that using mood boards as
qualitative research tools can further enhance creativity and therefore
can result in more creative end products. Within a highly competitive
business environment, creative and innovative fashion apparel is crucial
for companies to maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace and
a more strategic use of mood boards in the early stages of the design
process may be viewed as a key component.
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Fashion Practice

The Journal of Design, Creative Process & the Fashion Industry

ISSN: 1756-9370 (Print) 1756-9389 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rffp20

The Mood Board Process Modeled and Understood

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175693811X13080607764854

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Fashion Practice, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp. 225–252

The Mood Board

that offer the creator opportunities for deep levels of engagement to

KEYWORDS: case studies, creativity, problem solving, evaluation,

of engagement, thus establishing mood boards as qualitative research

1.1. Aims and Objectives

individuals and problem-solving theories.

the development and refinement of the model. This research approach

2. Mood Boards Explained

role in design and innovation. An example of a mood board is shown

image and identity. These boards may be referred to as presentation or

s­ timulating creativity in the design process and communicating design

3. Problem-solving Processes and Theories

Mood boards are essentially creative visual problem-solving, and in some

which is also dependent upon the emotional state of the individual at

may involve scientific measurement or a more intuitive judgment. Jor-

3.1. Experiential Learning and Problem Solving

creation of mood boards lends itself well to experiential styles of learn-

periences could also include opportunities for empowerment and eman-

3.2. Assessment or Evaluation

4. The Initial Mood Board Process Model

As discussed in section 1.2, a simplistic model (Figure 1) was developed

was further developed with the expansion of the creation/development

4.1. The Mood Board Development and Creation Process

creative moods and considers creativity to be intrinsic to the qualitative

innovative solutions. The mood board(s) may be presented to a captive

4.2. The Case Studies

4.2.1. The students’ methodologies

Week 1 Talked through the handbook and assessment requirements.

and overall theme if desired.

added to the student methodology models linking to the brief to repre-

where the individual sits down to develop the boards is interpreted as

scanning images for the layout stage, shown in Figure 8.

4.3. Initial Inspiration and Inquiry Stage

4.4. The Process Model Refined

process becomes a crucial part of the iterative analysis, evaluation, and

4.5. Engagement with the Process

4.6. Testing the Efficiency of the Process Model

for the visual appeal and professionalism of the presentation.

Lowest Highest Lowest Highest

32% 74% Assignment 1 18% 76%

Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Assignment 1 Assignment 2

6.5% 0% 40–49% 20.3% 20.3%

through repeating processes thus improving skills and knowledge, 4.8

The results shown in Tables 2 and 3 suggest that knowledge of the

1. lack of understanding the task.

5.1. Best Practice Recommendations

1. understand and focus at all times on the purpose of the mood

5. engage with the decisions, thoughts, and reasons for selecting

target market, and marketplace for the product and reflect on

Observation methods were used to understand and model the mood

do, however, support the benefits of working with knowledge and

the boards as qualitative research tools. However, further study using

Atkinson, T. and G. Claxto (eds). 2003. The Intuitive Practitioner: On

s timulating creativity in the design process and communicating design

1. understand and focus at all times on the purpose of the mood

5. engage with the decisions, thoughts, and reasons for selecting