Mood Boards, Storyboards & Campaign Boards — When & How to Use Each 

Introduction 

Chaotic briefs cause blown budgets. Pre-visualisation tools align teams before cameras roll or ads launch. Here’s a no-fluff guide to the three boards that save sanity—and money—in 2025. 

1 Mood Board – The Vibe Setter 

What: Collage of colours, textures, references. 

Use: Stakeholder alignment in <20 min. 

Tools: Pinterest, Milanote. 

Tips: Limit to 9 tiles max; overload dilutes clarity. 

2 Storyboard – The Visual Flow 

What: Frame-by-frame sketches with action + dialogue notes. 

Use: Video/reel shoots, explainer animations. 

Tools: Storyboarder, Canva whiteboards. 

Pro Move: Include camera movement arrows (pan, tilt) so DOP preps rigs. 

3 Campaign Board – The Strategy Brain 

What: Kanban-style map covering objectives, audiences, channels, budgets, KPIs. 

Use: Multi-platform launches and always-on performance plans. 

Tools: Notion database with filtered views. 

Sections: 

  • Goal & North-Star metric 
  • Audience personas 
  • Creative assets required 
  • Launch calendar 
  • Measurement cadence 

4 Workflow—How Boards Link 

Mood Board → Storyboard → Shoot → Assets → Campaign Board (distribution & spend) 

Teams that bypass Mood Board redo colours later; skipping Storyboard adds 17 % extra shoot hours (Picaro post-mortem audit). 

5 Case Study Snapshot 

A Bengaluru cosmetics startup used all three boards. Result: 4-minute shoot delay, zero reshoots, launch 3 days early, +27 % under budget. 

CTA 

Want our board templates + a 30-min training video? Download free or engage Picaro’s Campaign Architects to run your next launch.