Designers & art directors
Make the creative direction easy to see.
Put images, color, and typography on one board so clients can agree on a direction before production.
Keep the references and the reasoning together.
References tend to end up everywhere: a Pinterest board, an Are.na channel, a screenshots folder, a page at the back of a Figma file. Grein gives them one canvas, with the brief alongside.
A pile of images becomes a direction when you explain the choices. Write a line beside each reference on what to take from it, whether that’s the light, the crop, or the grain, and set notes in Google Fonts to try a type pairing next to the imagery it has to work with.
Present directions that stay distinct.
Give each route its own group or nested board, with a palette, a type pairing, a few hero images, and a one-line rationale. Clients can compare them side by side without the ideas blurring together.
The Visual direction template starts you with this structure: references with a “why it works” note, primary, secondary, and accent swatches, a type system, keywords, and keep and avoid lists.
Get feedback on the exact image.
Instead of a PDF and an email about “the third one on page two”, send a link to the live board. Clients can view it without an account, or you can invite them as viewers so they can comment on specific references.
Editors resolve each thread as decisions are made, so open comments always mean open questions. Once the direction is agreed, the board becomes the brief for production in your design tool.
Questions, answered.
Yes. Share a public view link for account-free viewing. Invite clients to the project when you want them to comment or collaborate.
Yes. Invite them as a viewer. Viewers can see the board and leave comments, but can’t move or change anything. Only editors can resolve threads.
Yes. Use nested boards for different directions or deliverables, with the main board holding the shared brief and references.
Workflows for this kind of work
Moodboards
Arrange images, video, color, and notes into an online moodboard. Share the direction and collect feedback in one place.
Read the guideVisual research
Put sources and insights side by side so you can follow the thinking, not just collect the files.
Read the guideCreative reviews
Put the work and the conversation in the same place, with the context everyone needs.
Read the guide
Create your first
board.
Start with a few references. Bring people in when it’s ready.