Whether you're looking for a plausible reason to your boss spending long hours scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest or want to make more honest use of your time presence to earn creativity points, this article is for you.

Trend board, quesaco?

Have you ever had that awkward moment when you tried to explain to your client – ​​boss – sister – colleague – baker the concept and aesthetics of your new project – dog – living room – book? You may have used all the figures of speech in your repertoire, but nothing helped: it's as if you don't speak the same language at all.

Well a trend board is what, at the time, could have saved your life.Used in many sectors, from industrial design to interior architecture, including fashion and personal development, the trend board or moodboard is a compendium of visual elements presented on a limited surface, the sum of which is supposed to represent a whole concept or idea.

Thus, more or less need words to convey your idea.The trend board is for example particularly relevant to quickly present a complex concept, such as an atmosphere or a brand identity, to an interlocutor.

How do you plank?

You can just as easily make a 100% digital trend board as using a good old pair of scissors and a glue stick, but if you want to use it in a professional setting, let's start from principle that you will make a board on the computer.

For greater ease and for a more professional rendering, we recommend using layout software such as InDesign or graphic design software such as Illustrator.Whoever thought strongly that Word would do just as well get out of the room right away! Word, as its name suggests, deals with text, not images.If you don't have InDesign, you can use free online solutions like Canva.

Finally, give it your all and trust your instincts.Scroll through Instagram and Pinterest with a light heart: we've finally put an end to your digital wandering by giving it a purpose!

How to use Instagram and Pinterest as real creativity tools?

If Instagram and Pinterest are full of good ideas, they are also a nest of platitudes.Be careful not to fall into the nets of the net.In order to be creative, you will have to snoop a little and pass the first layers of the popular content.

On Pinterest, this can be done in two main ways: by sailing from suggestion of similar content to suggestion of similar content, a solution that quickly reaches its limits, or by carrying out a search by member rather than by pin.

For example, we wanted to produce a trend board for the photo shoot of our products and therefore sought to recreate the atmosphere conveyed by the visual identity of our brand while contextualizing it: a breakfast scene, people who write, organize their day in a good mood, etc.We're looking for a slightly vintage aesthetic, faded colors and fairly minimalist images, so we went to the pages of artists with this touch and searched among their pins and suggested similar content.

On Instagram, the search will also be done by members, or by hashtags.The principle of the trend board being to reflect an atmosphere or a concept, do not hesitate to broaden your vision or on the contrary to focus it on details, such as textures or materials.If you are working on the creation of universes or identity, explore the five senses: smell, sight, touch, taste, hearing… All of this can contribute to touching your interlocutor.

Let's imagine the office of our dreams together! To do this, scour the net in search of the furniture you dream of.You can push the vice to include product references.Also think about colors, but also about textures and materials.

If you hesitate between several styles, we strongly recommend that you start by selecting a color palette.Pinterest is full of examples of favorable associations! Also keep in mind that this is a piece that should promote concentration.So avoid over-exciting colors, like red, or neurasthenic colors, like white, and opt instead for hues that create calm and stimulate creativity, like green or orange.

When finished, share your creations with us on Instagram by tagging us in your post.