In the planning stage, you may make a mood board to help gather thoughts.
Inspiration is one of the essential parts of the process of building a product and brand. Because without inspiration, what are the energy and motivation of driving your product?
Itโs important to keep inspiration personal. Ask yourself: what am I naturally drawn to in life?
Many designers start the research and development process with
a mood board.
A mood board, which can be physical or digital, is a collection of drawings, images, photographs, quotes, or other objects that help to hone your vision. It evokes or projects a particular style or concept.
The mood board will provide clarity and confidence in your knit design. And it all starts with inspiration.
I recommend finding your inspiration by becoming an active observer of life.
Inspiration surrounds us, so go out into the world and document it with a camera, your phone, a journal, or sketchbook.
Spend time in a public place (a park, a museum, a library, โฆ ) and engage with your surroundings.
If you have any passions outside of knitting, draw from those sources as well. Find ways to bring your passions together.
Inspiration is subjective, so there is no right or wrong answer for what inspires you. Donโt feel weird if your inspiration comes from your sofa watching movies or an unlikely source!
Have you found how and where do you find inspiration?
After the inspiration, comes the idea.
If you feel so inspired and have an idea in mind, write or sketch it down! Thoughts, feelings, colors, stitch patterns, yarns, shapes,โฆ put all onto paper. This is the first step in making your design idea a reality.
If you donโt have a clear idea in mind or if you have too many, start to create a mood board.
Itโs a great way of capturing your source of inspiration that you wish to use for your design. Choose elements and images that call to you, and this will be the base of your design.
Be thoughtful about your color choices. How can you use color, prints, textures, or other embellishments to create a personality for your product? If an image or a specific color trigger you to dive into your dash for some yarn, then do it!
As you are putting your mood board together, think of the story of your design. Why are you attracted to certain elements and images over others? How does looking at your mood board make you feel? What’s the story that it’s trying to convey?
A mood board is the visual representation of your creative direction and will unify the brand message.
Create a mood board that gives clear meaning and direction to an idea and tells your story.
Remember, you don’t need to create the perfect design. You need to start.
And start simple, learn the process, practice it over and over, and gaining confidence.