Creative process by Chasqui

Mind Mapping, traditionally, is the fundamental visual thought process of a methodology, hierarchy or systematic progression of theory. In many instances, Mind Maps are used to organize or express a business model or strategic campaign, but one of the most valuable applications for this creative tool is the visual representation of conceptual plans.

Methodology is important in any process. Whether you’re building a bird house or crafting a brand identity for a multi-national corporation, the success of a project comes down to effectively planning and structuring a course of action. Mind Maps enable users to logically follow a progression of activity, thereby creating solid direction and a clear path to completing a task. Essentially, mind maps are sexier creative cousins of flow charts.

For creative application, mind maps are a fantastic way to organize tangential thoughts into a uniformed web of clarity. It’s like having all the pieces to a puzzle in approximate proportion to one another before setting out to assemble the picture. Not a bad way to solve a problem right?

Guidelines for succesfully implementing mind maps – Study-Habits

There are a variety of mind mapping products available. Some of the more reputable brands include Mindjet, iMindmap, and Smartdraw. Here at The Factory Interactive, we use Free Mind exclusively.

Free Mind is phenomenal for a variety of reasons (besides being free!), but of all the justifications for why we love this java based software, it’s easy to use interface is what sets it apart from the pack. Free Mind enables users to draw out creative methdologies and implementation models with unparralleld ease. The ability to manipulate nodes with a “click and drag” system makes Free Mind easy enough for anyone to use, but advanced enough to illustrate even the most complex concepts.