Getting Started
In this guide we’ll introduce Boards, show you the best way to use them and look into other features like the browser extension & Library Search to help you get the most out of Niice. By the end you’ll have everything you need to get your next creative project underway.
If you haven’t created a Niice account, you can create one here.
What are Boards?
Boards are the easiest way to have creative discussions with your team or clients. All of your boards are private by default but you can add team members to each individual board or send the board for review to someone that isn’t on your team.
Our layout engine can handle complex layouts and thousands of visuals, so you can discuss images, videos, prototypes & audio files side-by-side. It’s simple to drag & drop files from your desktop onto the board and move them around to create dynamic presentations.
Who uses it?
Creative directors, film directors, advertising photographers, fashion stylists and interior designers all get value from Niice and use it in their workflow. If you regularly create decks to present concepts or if there’s a lot of back of forth to get feedback, then Niice can help streamline your workflow by giving you the kind of feedback you want, when you want it.
What sets us apart?
Niice enables you to have more visibility and control over your project, it allows you to get things done faster & it looks good without the extra effort. Let’s face it, you have better things to do than to line stuff up in Photoshop, spend hours creating decks in Keynote or sieve through emails.
Boards.
Once you are signed in go to ‘Boards’ top left and then ‘Create new Board’ to the right.
The templates selector will then pop up. You can choose a template if you already have a task in mind or select ‘Blank Board’ if you’d rather start with a clean slate.
There are three ways to add content to boards
- Drag & drop files from your desktop
- Install the browser extension
- Library Search
Drag & Drop
Simply drag & drop files from your desktop directly onto the board.
Browser extension
Grab items from around the web with our browser extension for Chrome or Safari. Drag images into the pop-up drawer at the bottom of the screen to add them to a board. make sure you double check you have the correct board selected.
Library Search
If you need visual references or inspiration for your project, you can use library search to add content to your board.
[You can read more about Library Search & the browser extension in the second half of this guide.]
Text & Custom Style Palette
Add text by clicking on the ‘+’ button bottom right of the screen and dragging in the text icon
Boards give you full control over fonts, colours, spacing and let you create reusable themes. You don’t need to worry about having the right fonts installed; we use Monotype’s webfont service to ensure you can create on-brand boards from any modern browser.
To open the style palette, click the paintbrush icon at the top right of the board or double tap on the text you wish to edit.
Embed Media
You can add video content from the likes of YouTube & Vimeo. Simply drag in the ‘Embed media’ icon and copy and paste the link.
Sub-boards
These are like sub-folders and they help keep everything organised. Create a new sub-board by clicking the ‘Add sub-board’ option in the pop-up menu at the bottom right of the screen.
You can copy existing content from your board and add it to a sub-folder. Hold in ‘Shift’ so that the pop-up drawer appears at the bottom of the screen, select which items you want to copy (these will highlight in green) and then select ‘Add to sub-board’ bottom right.
Drop-down menu
We’ve neatly tucked away other features at the top left of the board, simply click the ‘…’ icon to view.
Add Team Members
Your boards are private by default, so only you can see them. You have total control over each of your boards, so only add team members if you want them to view or edit them.
There’s no need to worry about old versions, changes update in real-time no matter who makes them. Everyone is always on the same page no matter the location, or even time-zone.
Add team members in your account settings or by entering their email address into the ‘Add Team Member’ pop-up window. Simply click ‘Add people to this board’, which is beside your avatar.
Comments & Annotations
Boards let you comment on individual items so you can have the kind of free-flowing discussions that lead to unexpected ideas.
Get more specific with our annotations feature. It’s the closest thing to standing round a table pointing at things.
You can view comments, starred items or all activity on the board by clicking the speech bubble icon at the top right of the board.
Share for review
If you need feedback, approval or selects from a client or member of your team, you can send them a plain-text email. This allows them to click through directly onto the board and give you the feedback you need. They don’t even need a Niice account.
Reviewers can either view & add comments, star, or download images. Choose what kind of feedback you want by clicking the checkboxes.
P.s — The ‘starring’ feature is like a thumbs up. So if you need sign off and you send the board to 5 members of your team and the boss for feedback, you can see who stars what and make a decision.
Or you can simply email a read-only link to someone — this is great for presentations.
Click the ‘Share’ icon top right of the board, click ‘Private Link’ on the left side of the pop-up window and copy the board link.
Export as PDF
Boards can be exported as paginated PDFs, JPEGs, or even just a zip file, so you can easily include them in a traditional deck if need be (without the hassle of using InDesign or the likes).
Click the ‘Export’ icon top right of the board, choose the format & size and hit ‘download’.
~
Browser Extension.
Download the browser extension for Chrome or Safari by clicking here.
You will then see this icon in your browser toolbar.
If you see something you like from a website, simply click the browser extension to pull out the drawer at the bottom of the screen. Grab the image and drag it into the drawer, ensuring that the correct board is selected first.
As you can see from this example, we are dragging content into the board called ‘Outfit’.
~
Library Search.
Sometimes you need inspiration at the kickoff of a project, but you find yourself coming across the same stuff on Google or Pinterest. Library search is a good way to find quality references from the likes of Design Inspiration & behance. It’s like Google without the guff.
To start, go to ‘Library’ top left of the homepage
Search for a keyword, select which board you want to add content to and click the ‘+’ icon on the content you wish to add.
If you find something you particulary like you can ‘find more like this’ by clicking the ‘~’ icon on the image or by clicking the image to preview it and scrolling down.
It’s worth noting that you can search in My Library, Inspiration, Stock or All.
In My Library you can search for content that is already on your boards. Essentially it’s like a pool of everything you have stored on Niice. Inspiration is what we’ve just talked about — content from other sources, and stock imagery is pulled in from Getty & Unsplash.
Tip — If you are starting with a clean slate and you’re unsure what to search for, hit ‘Surprise Me’ to the right to get the creatives juices flowing!
~
We’ve created a few templates to demonstrate some of the ways Boards can be used, but we’re just getting started. There’s so much untapped potential in this new format, and we can’t wait to see what you do with it.
Try it out
We’ve created a few templates to demonstrate some of the ways Boards can be used, but we’re just getting started. There’s so much untapped potential in this new format, and we can’t wait to see what you do with it.
Social Content
Store your digital assets in a photo bank board, view authorised content in calendar format and discuss Instagram streams while moving things around.
Photography
Explore art direction at the beginning of a project, discuss model options for a photoshoot and have visibility over thousands of visuals in a contact sheet.
Interior Design
Present & discuss the aesthetic direction of your project and let your client see their design options side-by-side with our product sheet board.
Want to know more? We have a some tutorials on YouTube and a bunch of Help Centre articles here on Medium. Alternatively, you can email us :)
