The Brand Inspiration Checklist : Your First Step to a Stronger Visual Identity
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the idea of rebranding or refreshing your visuals, I get it. Before diving into logos, colours, or typography, I always start with one thing: inspiration. Not just what looks good, but what feels aligned to your personality and brands core values.
That’s why I’ve created a Brand Inspiration Checklist to help you gather the right kind of references, ones that guide your visual identity with clarity, purpose, and excitement (because otherwise, what’s the point?!)
Whether you're DIY-ing your brand or collaborating with a designer, this checklist will set the tone (literally) for everything to follow.
Why Start with Inspiration?
Your brand visuals are how you make people feel. Before they even read a word. But when we don’t take time to collect meaningful references, we end up creating from guesswork, not intention.
Moodboards, Pinterest pins, colour palettes, and typography styles all act as a compass, pointing you toward a visual language that aligns with your brand values, personality, and dream audience.
They provide the backbone of your new brand identity, giving context to your decision making and meaning to every detail you or your brand designer creates.
The Brand Inspiration Checklist
Use this to guide your own moodboarding process, you can download my free, printable PDF here or follow the steps directly below:
Colours
Gather images with colours that feel aligned with your brand personality
Use Pinterest or photo sites to collect at least 5 colour-rich images
Note which colours show up repeatedly (patterns = clues!)
Consider cultural/emotional meanings behind colours you’re drawn to
Screenshot or save palettes that catch your eye (not necessarily to use yet)
Personality & Tone
List 3–5 brand personality traits (e.g. confident, playful, grounded)
Identify 2–3 core emotions you want your brand to evoke
Brainstorm 3 brands (in or outside your industry) that embody a similar vibe
Write down 1–2 keywords for tone of voice (e.g. cheeky, wise, clear)
Collect quotes, phrases or taglines that feel on-brand
Imagery Style
Collect photos that visually capture the mood of your brand (not just what you sell)
Gather different types of imagery: people, objects, environments, textures
Identify what lighting styles you’re drawn to (natural light? studio? shadowy?)
Observe emotional tones: are the images soft and calming? Bold and high-contrast?
Pin screenshots or scans from magazines, movies, Pinterest, etc.
Typography
Browse inspiration sites (Behance, FontsInUse, Typewolf) for styles that resonate
Save examples of font pairings you’re drawn to (don’t worry about names yet)
Consider: Do you lean towards serif, sans-serif, handwritten, experimental?
Pay attention to font vibes: classic, playful, modern, techy, editorial?
Save headlines, packaging, or book covers with typography you admire
It’s Time to Collate!
Create a dedicated space for your findings - Pinterest Board, actual board, table top
Use categories or columns (e.g. Colour / Type / Imagery / Tone)
Label each image with why you saved it (emotion? colour? layout?)
Review your board: What themes or patterns are emerging?
Additional Visual Inspiration
Save logos you like (focus on style, not content)
Pin examples of layouts you love (websites, packaging, book spreads)
Collect patterns, textures, or symbols that feel “right” to you
Screenshot motion design or animation that feels aligned (for future video/IG use)
Save any unexpected inspiration; architecture, clothing, album covers, etc.
Want the Full Checklist?
I’ve put together a printable version of the Brand Inspiration Checklist you can use to build your moodboard with clarity and intention.
I have been working on my rebrand for Make it Pretty for over two years and it all started with a messy Pinterest board, some swatches, and a whole lot of gut instinct. Trust your eye, listen to your intuition, and have fun with it.
The big reveal is coming soon, but I couldn’t help giving you this early peek behind the scenes. Let this be the first spark in reimagining your own brand story.
