Concept Board

Concept Board

What is it?

Concept boards are visual tools used to convey the design concept and creative vision for a project. Compared to a mood board, they're a more concrete and detailed representation of the design direction. They include specific design elements such as layouts, typography choices, color schemes, and sample content and are more like a rough draft or initial design proposal.

Concept boards are essential communication tools that allow you to streamline the design process and facilitate decision-making. Because they are less time-consuming and resource-intensive than fully developed designs, they allow you to quickly prototype and visualize multiple design ideas and variations. By presenting concept boards to the client before developing the full design, you reduce the risk of creating a final design that doesn't meet the client's expectations. This can save time and resources, minimize the risk of misunderstandings, and reduce the need for major design revisions down the line.

Concept boards also work as a critical self-reflection and decision-making tool for designers themselves. By visualizing multiple ideas side by side, you can objectively evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and alignment with project goals, target audiences, and brand requirements. This facilitates idea generation and refinement before committing to a specific design direction, ensuring that the final product remains cohesive and aligned with the project's objectives.

      When to use it

      1. To iterate and refine design concepts quickly without getting caught up in the intricacies of detailed design drafts.
      2. To allow stakeholders to provide input and feedback at an early stage, eliminating misunderstandings or misinterpretations

      Remember to

      1. Choose impactful and representative images, typography treatments, and visual aids to convey the essence of your design concept.
      2. Keep it focused and cohesive: While it's important to explore different design possibilities, ensure that your concept board maintains a clear and coherent direction

      Step-by-step

      1

      Gather inspiration and references

      Collect inspiration and references that are relevant to the project. This can include existing mood boards, Pinterest boards, existing presentation content, and any other presentations from the client. Also, look for presentations that are similar in nature, format, or purpose to the project you're working on.

      2

      Define design elements

      Define the key design elements that will be incorporated into your boards. For a presentation concept board, these elements typically include a chart and/or diagram, typography and type relationships, color schemes, icons, imagery, and 1-3 sample layouts. Determine the specific choices for each element that align with presentation content.

      3

      Brainstorm and sketch ideas

      Start generating design ideas by brainstorming and sketching rough concepts. Think freely and explore various directions while keeping the brand's identity, values, and target audience in mind. Consider design details such as rounded corners, outline versus solid versus gradient, image style and tone, etc. Don't worry about perfection at this stage; focus on capturing the essence of each idea.

      4

      Select the strongest concepts

      Review and evaluate the sketched ideas based on their alignment with the brand's objectives and visual identity. Select the most promising concepts that have the potential to communicate the desired message effectively.

      5

      Explore and refine concepts on digital boards

      Transfer the selected concepts from your sketches to digital concept boards. Create separate boards or groups of boards for each concept. Organize and structure the digital concept boards in a logical and visually pleasing way, considering the flow, hierarchy, and composition of the elements. Use layout techniques like grids to create consistency and balance.

      6

      Select concepts for client review

      Choose 2-3 concepts that effectively communicate the desired message and align with the brand's objectives and visual identity. Ensure each concept is distinct from one another while staying consistent with existing brand guidelines and the nature of the presentation.

      7

      Present and discuss

      Develop a narrative or description for each concept on the concept boards. Clearly explain the thought process, reasoning, and unique selling points behind each design. Encourage discussions and gather feedback from the client to understand their preferences and expectations.

      8

      Make adjustments and finalize

      Based on the feedback received, iterate on the concept board if necessary, making adjustments and improvements. Once the concept board is approved, it serves as a guide for the subsequent design stages.Make any final refinements or modifications before moving forward with the project.

      Guide coming soon