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How to make a moodboard on Pinterest: from a board to a visual direction
How to build a moodboard on Pinterest: a private board, sections, visual search and picking references. How to turn a board into a moodboard for your project.
- How to set up a board and sections so you don't drown in Pins
- How to search for references precisely instead of scrolling for hours
- How to turn 200 saved Pins into a moodboard you can show
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How to make a moodboard on Pinterest: 5 steps
- 1
Step 1
Define the task before opening Pinterest
- 2
Step 2
Create a private board and sections
- 3
Step 3
Search precisely instead of scrolling the feed
- 4
Step 4
Curate and organize
- 5
Step 5
Assemble a moodboard you can show
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This guide is for you if you are
Starting a new project
A logo, a website or a poster: before you draw, you want to understand what it should look like.
Saving everything
You have hundreds of Pins, but when you need to explain your idea, nothing comes together.
Learning design
You want to collect references the way designers do before working on a brand or an interface.
In short
- A moodboard isn't a collection of pretty pictures; it answers "what should this project look like" for a specific task.
- Create a separate private board for the project and sections by theme: color, type, photos, composition, textures.
- Search with specific words and visual search: select the detail you need on a Pin and find similar ones.
- The main work is curation: keep a few references that together show one direction.
- References from Pinterest are for inspiration, not copying: the rights to images stay with their owners.
How to make a moodboard on Pinterest: 5 steps
- 1
Step 1
Define the task before opening Pinterest
Without a task, a moodboard turns into an "I like this" feed. For practice, take an invented project, such as rebranding a café next to a university, and write a few lines of brief:
- who the audience is: students, teachers, local residents;
- what impression it should leave: cosy, quick, homely, bold;
- where the design will live: the sign, the menu, cups, social media;
- 3–5 mood keywords, for example "warm, craft, morning, unpretentious".
💡 Mood keywords are your filter for every step that follows. Before each save, ask yourself: does this Pin support at least one of them?
- 2
Step 2
Create a private board and sections
On a computer, click the plus icon in the left panel, choose Board and enter a name. Turn on the privacy toggle (Pinterest's help calls it Keep this board private or Keep this board secret in different articles): only you and the people you invite can see a private board, so nobody sees unfinished work. Then, on the board page, click the plus at the bottom of the screen and create sections for each aspect:
- color: palettes, objects and photos with the shades you need;
- typography: signs, posters and packaging with interesting fonts;
- photos and illustrations: shooting style, light, angles, drawing technique;
- composition and layouts: menus, web pages, grids;
- textures and materials: paper, wood, ceramics, fabric.
💡 If you work in a pair or a team, invite others to the board: the owner chooses what collaborators can do — only save and comment on Pins, or also move and delete Pins and sections.
Show your moodboard
Fresh eyes will tell you straight away whether your visual direction holds together. People in the community share their work and get feedback. It's free to join.
Get feedback on your moodboardFree. 1,504 designers are already in the community.
- 3
Step 3
Search precisely instead of scrolling the feed
The Pinterest feed adapts to what you've already looked at and quickly pulls you in. Search with purpose:
- specific queries in English and Ukrainian: not "café" but "coffee shop menu typography", "kraft paper packaging", "warm morning light interior";
- visual search: open a Pin, click the magnifying-glass-sparkle icon and drag the corners of the frame to select just the detail you need — the lettering on a sign, a wall texture, a lamp. Pinterest shows similar images;
- Pinterest Lens in the mobile app: point the Pinterest camera at something around you, such as an interesting package in a shop, to see similar ideas;
- next to an open Pin, Pinterest shows similar ones; follow the chain, but keep coming back to your brief.
💡 Don't stick to café design. The best references often come from other fields: labels, old books, repair shop signs, ceramics. That way your moodboard won't become a copy of the competitors.
- 4
Step 4
Curate and organize
Collecting is easy, curating is hard, and curating is what makes you a designer. When the board has a few dozen Pins, stop and go through them critically. To move Pins into a section, click Organize at the top of the board, select the Pins and choose Move. How to curate:
- remove Pins that support none of the mood keywords, even if they're beautiful;
- look for repeats: if five Pins say the same thing, keep the most expressive one;
- check whether all the references together add up to one direction, not three different ones;
- if there really are two or three directions, split them into separate boards or sections and compare.
💡 A simple test: show the board to someone without explanations and ask them to describe it in three words. If their words match your keywords, the moodboard works.
Got a board but no direction? Show your moodboard to the community → - 5
Step 5
Assemble a moodboard you can show
A Pinterest board is raw material. To show it to a client, a teacher or in a portfolio, build one frame: move the strongest references into Figma or Canva and lay them out on a single canvas. Add what Pinterest doesn't have:
- a palette of 4–6 colors taken from the references, with HEX codes;
- a pair of fonts that fit the direction, with a sample heading and text;
- short captions: what exactly you take from each reference — light, texture, grid;
- the mood keywords from step 1.
💡 A moodboard shows a direction, not a finished design. The next step is your own sketches. Show the moodboard in the community and ask something specific: "does this read as 'warm and unpretentious'?"
You're not alone with these questions
We counted what people ask about most in our community. Learning, portfolios and Figma are the top three. So "where do I start a project and where do I find ideas" is very much on topic.
Messages by topic in Spaceberry Community, July 2024 — November 2026. Keyword search.
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Questions and answers
Didn't find your answer? Ask it in the community.
Can I use images from Pinterest in my design?
As a reference for inspiration, yes, but not as a finished element. Pinterest says that, where necessary, permission to use an image or video found on the platform should be sought from its copyright holder. For final layouts, use your own photos, licensed stock or graphics you make yourself.
How do I make a Pinterest board private?
When creating a board, turn on Keep this board private (some help articles call it Keep this board secret). To make an existing board private on a computer, open the board, click the three dots, choose Edit info and settings and turn on Make this board private.
How is a moodboard different from a Pinterest board?
A board is where you collect references. A moodboard is a curated, organized selection for a specific task, with a palette, fonts and explanations. You can develop the palette with [How to choose a color palette](/en/guides/color-palette) and the fonts with [Fonts in design](/en/guides/fonts-typography).
How many references should a moodboard have?
There's no exact rule. Aim for someone to grasp the direction in a few seconds: if they have to scroll, there are too many. Your Pinterest board can hold any number, but the final moodboard is better smaller and more precise. A simple test: remove one reference, and if the direction doesn't change, you didn't need it.
Is the Spaceberry community paid?
No, Spaceberry Community is free. It's run by Spaceberry Foundation, a non-profit organization. All you need to join is a Telegram account. In the chat you can ask questions, share your work for feedback and take part in design games: the same brief for everyone, a deadline and a community vote. Conversations are in Ukrainian.
Moodboard ready? Test it on people
Join 1,504 designers who learn, share their work and play design games. Show your moodboard and find out whether your direction comes across. The community talks in Ukrainian.
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