# How to use an ad moodboard for ideas

> An ad moodboard sets the look of your next ads before anyone shoots. How to build one, keep it fresh with new matching ads, and use it in a creative brief.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-07
- **Category**: Creative
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-guides/how-to-use-moodboards-for-ad-ideas

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An ad moodboard is a small set of reference ads and images that shows the look and feel you want: light, colour, framing, pace and type. Build one with 12 to 20 references before a shoot or a design sprint, and link it in the brief so the designer sees the target instead of guessing from adjectives.

## Moodboard or swipe file?

They hold similar things but answer different questions.

| | Moodboard | Swipe file |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | "What should it look like?" | "Why did this ad grab attention?" |
| Size | 12 to 20 references | Grows for years |
| Lifespan | One campaign or season | Ongoing |
| Notes per item | One word on the look | Hook, angle, offer, format |
| Who reads it | Designer, editor, photographer | Strategist, copywriter |

If you need the long-term library, start with [what a swipe file is](/glossary/swipe-file).

## Build a moodboard in five steps

1. **Write the feeling in three words.** For a fictional monsoon campaign for Northwind Escapes: "green, slow, cosy".
2. **Collect 30 references.** Use ads from a public ad library, your own past ads, photos and film stills. Mix in sectors other than yours, so the board is not a copy of your rivals.
3. **Cut to 12 to 20.** Keep only what matches the three words. Remove anything you love that does not fit.
4. **Group by what to copy in spirit.** For example: light (overcast, soft), colour (deep greens, warm lamps), framing (close hands on chai cups), type (small, lower third).
5. **Add one "not this" row.** Three references the team should avoid, such as bright beach shots for a monsoon campaign.

## Keep it fresh

A moodboard goes stale as the season moves. Add new references every week or two, and drop the ones the team has already used.

Marxx has a **Moodboard digest** for Slack: new ads that match your moodboards, sent to the client's channel. It is off unless you switch it on under **What goes to Slack** in the Slack settings. We make Marxx. See the [Marxx in Slack page](/features/slack).

## Use it in a brief

A moodboard does its job inside the brief, not in a folder.

- **Link it at the top of the brief**, under the goal.
- **Name three things to take** from it: "soft daylight, hands in frame, captions low".
- **Name one thing to avoid** from the "not this" row.
- **Say what stays yours.** Logo, product, offer and words come from your brand, never from a reference.

The [UGC brief template](/templates/ugc-brief-template) and [video editor brief template](/templates/video-editor-brief-template) both have a references line where the moodboard link goes.

## Common mistakes

- **Too many references.** Fifty images give the designer fifty directions.
- **Only rivals' ads.** The result looks like everyone else in your sector.
- **No words.** A board without "take this, avoid that" notes gets read ten ways.

## FAQ

### How many images should an ad moodboard have?

Twelve to twenty is enough to set a look. More than that starts to pull in different directions.

### Can I put competitor ads on a moodboard?

Yes, as references for light, framing or pace. Do not reuse their footage, words or layout.

### Who should own the moodboard?

The person who writes the brief. They choose what stays and explain it to the designer.

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