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Building Your Bookish Website Vision Board
Why Create a Website Vision Board?
A Website Vision Board is a helpful tool whether you’re designing a site on your own or working with a designer. It allows you to visually see all the elements that represent your brand, color scheme, and desired style for the website. If you hand this off to a designer, they’ll be one step closer to bringing your vision to life. If you’re doing it yourself, it’s a great way to clarify your ideas and make sure you’re on the right track. It helps you:
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Align Your Design Choices
A Website Vision Board allows you to experiment with various elements like colors, fonts, and images all in one place. By placing them together on the board, you can see how they complement each other visually, making it easier to identify the best choices for your site. This step ensures you make well-informed decisions before you finalize any design elements.
Why it matters: It helps you create a cohesive design that aligns with your brand’s message and tone. It also lets you experiment with ideas before committing to them on your live site.
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Stay Consistent
Your website is often the central hub of your online presence. Consistency across your website, social media, and email is key to building a strong brand identity. A Vision Board helps you maintain that consistency by allowing you to see your brand colors, fonts, and images all in one place. This consistency will make your website feel unified, reinforcing your brand’s personality across all your communication channels.
Why it matters: Consistency creates a more professional look and helps your audience immediately recognize your brand. Whether they’re visiting your website, following you on social media, or receiving an email from you, it’s important they feel a unified experience.
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Work with Your Designer More Effectively (even if it’s you)
Creating a Website Vision Board is not just for designers—it’s for anyone looking to get clear about their brand’s online presence. It’s a valuable tool for self-reflection and a powerful way to guide the design process, ensuring your website is not only visually stunning but also a true reflection of who you are and what you offer.
Why it matters: By providing your designer with a visual reference, you help them better understand your brand’s aesthetic and your specific design needs. This means less back-and-forth and more effective collaboration, ultimately resulting in a website that truly reflects your vision.​
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If you’re working with a designer, having a Website Vision Board is an excellent way to communicate your style, preferences, and overall direction clearly. Instead of trying to explain your vision with words alone, you can visually show your designer what you’re aiming for, saving time and ensuring that your ideas are understood.
Think of your Website Vision Board as a blueprint—it won’t be your final design, but it sets the tone and direction for your site.
Now that you understand why a Website Vision Board is valuable, let’s walk through how to create one.
Step 1: Give Your Board a Name
Action: Open the Canva template.
What to Do: Replace the placeholder name ‘Website Vision Board Template’ with your own name or business name.
Example: “Sally Smith’s Website Vision Board” or “Prestige Cover Design’s Website Vision Board.”
Why: This helps personalize the vision board and ensures you’re focusing on your unique brand identity.
Step 2: Add Your Colors
Action: The template will have a set of color circles.
What to Do: Select each color circle, then use the menu at the top to change its color.To quickly find your colors, type the hex code for your color into the search bar. For example, if your color is Rich Burgundy, enter the hex code #800020.Repeat the process for each circle until all of your colors are represented.
Pro Tip: Want a different look? Go to Elements > Shapes in Canva and swap the color circles for squares, hearts, or other shapes that better match your style.
Why: Colors are key to conveying your brand’s tone and mood (e.g., professional, fun, elegant). This step ensures consistency throughout your website and brand visuals.
Step 3: Add Your Images
Action: The template has pre-added image frames for you,
but you can also add photos directly if preferred.
The images on your vision board don’t have to be the exact ones
you’ll use on your website. Instead, they should capture the overall
feeling and aesthetic you want your site to reflect.
What to Do:
Adding a Picture to a Frame:
Click on the frame you want to use and then drag and drop
your image into it. If you have images already in Canva, search
or them, or upload your own by clicking Uploads on the left menu.
Adding a Graphic or Pattern:
To add a graphic or pattern, go to Elements, then search for
graphics or patterns (e.g., geometric, floral). You can resize
and position them to fit within your design.
Want to Change the Frame Shape?
If you prefer a different shape for your image, go to
Elements > Frames and select a different frame design.
You can use circles, squares, or more unique shapes.
Why: Images help bring your website vision to life and
capture the aesthetic you want (e.g., book covers, icons,
author photos). This is important for creating the right vibe
on your site.
Step 4: Choose Fonts for Your Brand
Action: Choose the fonts that match your brand’s tone.
What to Do: For each section (e.g., headers, body text), select
the text box and use the font options at the top to change
the font. Use contrasting fonts for headings and body
text to maintain readability while staying on brand.
Ensure your fonts are easy to read on different devices (especially mobile). You can try pairing a serif font for headers with a sans-serif font for the body.
Why: The fonts you choose will impact the user experience on your website and contribute to the overall professionalism or whimsy of your site, depending on your brand.
Step 5: Review and Adjust
Review your vision board to ensure all elements represent your website's theme, colors, and vibe. Make sure everything aligns with your business brand.
Reposition any elements (colors, images, graphics) to ensure they balance well on the page. You can do this by simply dragging them around.
Adjust the size and alignment of text or images if needed by selecting them and using the toolbar options above the canvas.
Step 6: Share or Download Your Vision Board
To share your vision board with a web designer or collaborator, select the Share button in the top right corner.
You can share a link to the Canva design or invite them via email.
To download your vision board, select the Download button (also in the top right corner).
Select PDF for high-quality export.
Select Download, and the file will be saved to your computer.
Email the PDF or send the link to your designer to give them clear instructions on how to bring your vision to life.
Need inspiration? Here are some sample Website Vision Boards below
