By: Chuck Frey
Visual thinking has been growing in popularity during the past several years, thanks to the rise of design thinking, mind mapping, sketching and other graphical techniques for representing ideas. A new book called Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming catalogues these techniques in a handy how-to format.
Visual thinking has been growing in popularity during the past several years, thanks to the rise of design thinking, mind mapping, sketching and other graphical techniques for representing ideas. A new book called Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming catalogues these techniques in a handy how-to format.
This unique book was authored, edited and designed by students and faculty at the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and published by Princeton Architectural Press.
The book is organized into three main sections:
How to define problems, which covers techniques such as brainstorming, mind mapping, visual research and developing a creative brief
How to get ideas, which highlights techniques including forced connections, co-design and visual diaries
How to create form, which concentrates on techniques like mock-ups, physical thinking and reconstruction.
Each technique is explained in a brief summary, liberally supported by illustrations of it and a list of implementation steps. For that reason, Graphic Design Thinking is a very practical, hands-on book. There is much to explore here, and I’ve just barely scratched the surface. I can’t wait to dig deeper into its contents!
About the author
Chuck Frey Senior Editor, founded InnovationTools.com and served as its publisher from its launch in 2002 until the partnership with Innovation Management in 2012. He is the publisher of The Mind Mapping Software Blog, the definitive souce for news, trends, tips and best practices for visual mapping tools. A journalist by trade, Chuck has over 14 years of experience in online marketing, and over 10 years experience in business-to-business public relations. His interests include creative problem solving, visual thinking, photography, business strategy and technology. His unique combination of experience and influences enables him to envision new possibilities and opportunities.