A moodboard is a digital collage of images, typically posted to a tumblr blog, or else consisting of an entire Pinterest board. On tumblr and similar sites, moodboards are usually assembled into a single image, rather than each component image being posted as a discrete file from the others, and usually this assemblage is scaled and pieced together in such a way that the result is a square with black or white borders separating the images from each other.
As the name suggests, moodboards represent a specific "mood" for their creators, usually through impressionistic suggestion of the experience of having that emotion, or through symbols which bring that mood to mind. The mood is rarely as simple or nonspecific as happiness or anger; the "moods" in moodboards are usually specific and nuanced emotions experienced as a result of some specific phenomenon of media or architecture: a song or album, a scene in a film or television series, a relationship dynamic between two characters in a novel, a famous painting or an entire museum, or a prominent historical site like a castle or cathedral. The artist compiles images intended to reflect or relate to the feelings the artist associates with that media or architectural experience, and - because of the impressionistic and highly personal (even synaesthetic) nature of these images, the way they connect to that emotion will not always necessarily be obvious to viewers, but the overall gestalt provided by the collage is still meant to be felt clearly by the viewer.
One variant of a moodboard is a stimboard, comprised of images which represent or evoke physical textures, such as coloured sand, sequins on fabric, fidget putty, and other elements which would be interesting to engage with in a tactile manner.
Another variant of a moodboard is a pride flag moodboard. In this variant, the images compiled are meant to evoke feelings of playful gladness, such as fireworks, balloons, butterflies, flowers, and soap bubbles. These images are digitally edited to prominently feature one colour each from the pride flag of a specific LGBT identity, such as bisexuality or asexuality, causing the moodboard's overall colour palette to add up to that pride flag's recognisable colours.
Yet another variant is the digital altar, a moodboard or entire series of moodboards posted to a single blog, each in veneration of a different deity in a neopagan religion.
Some bloggers post moodboards exclusively, creating no other content, and often taking requests by other users of their preferred blogging site. Rather than take requests, some bloggers use moodboards to make requests, designing them as impressionistic story prompts for their favourite fanfiction author to develop into a drabble, vignette, or other short piece. Still others create moodboards to reward quality fanfiction with a companion image; these moodboards are often posted at the introduction page of a fanfic, serving as a kind of preview or splash screen for future prospective readers.
On Pinterest, moodboards manifest as a much looser, more sprawling and disorganised collection of any images they find on the site which fit the emotional impression they aim to capture. They are not carefully pruned and curated as they are on tumblr and other sites where visual space is at a premium; Pinterest boards can be scrolled continuously, without these constraints. One of the utilities of Pinterest boards is helping artists and designers find references they can use for their own creations, and moodboards on Pinterest further sort these references by colour palette and emotional tones.
A fanmix is the musical equivalent of a moodboard, and it is not uncommon for a moodboard and fanmix to be inspired one by the other (in either order of causality), or for both to be posted together on the same blog entry, using the moodboard as album art for the fanmix.
A web weaving is the verbal (textual) equivalent of a moodboard, compiling text quotes (often as screenshot images of text in an aesthetically appealing font, rather than directly typed text), sometimes including a few images related to the quotes thematically, to capture an emotional gestalt through the assemblage, just as moodboards and fanmixes do.
Iron Noder 2023, 22/30