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Word Association and Mind-Mapping Assignment

Part 1: Word Association

For this assignment, you will do a free word association session for 5 minutes. Set a timer for 5 minutes and start with one word. Write everything down that comes to mind. If you cannot find a word to start off with, go to dictionary.com and find the Word of the Day.

Do not worry about spelling at this point. It’s also not necessarily about speed, but it’s also not about thinking out what the next word will be. Find a good rhythm and write down as many words and phrases that come to mind. Do not use a computer for this exercise.


Part 2: Mind-Mapping

Now that you have completed your Word Association, you will now create a Mind Map. A mind map is quite a straight forward tool, where you take a central concept, and then draw out subconcepts. So, for example, you could write “mind map article” in the middle of the page, then draw lines out from there and create sub-nodes with various headings. They can be more structured, as the example on the left shows. Or, they can be more image based as the example on the right shows.

In each of these examples, however, all the information makes sense and is actually very well-organized. Each “stem” contains a main thought and sub-points.

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Look through your word association and start grouping similar thoughts. From there, start to create your mind map. Each main thought would be your heading, and each sub- thought would be your sub-heading or “node.”

You can use a computer or create freehand. If you create the mind map by hand, make sure that it is legible.

Submission

Submit your word association, your mind map, and a 100 to 250 word reflection in the assignments section of Canvas. In your reflection, discuss how this can help or hinder creativity. Did it help you? Remember to reference course materials in your response.

Suggested free apps to help with this assignment*

Tiny Scanner

Skitch

Simplemind+

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*These apps are suggestions to help you complete your assignments, but not necessary. Technical support is not provided by your instructor or the university.

Chapter 6 Ideation

Learning Objectives • Create a toolbox for concept development • Explain how to generate and evaluate concepts quickly

The Big Idea • All major campaigns start with an idea • Your concept tells the story of the brad, product, or service • The story must resonate with the audience

Ideation • Also called concepting • Process of developing ideas • In our field, the ideation process centers

• the audience • a product or service • a unique challenge

Concepting • Concepting then must tie these elements together in order to address the customers

physical needs and emotional wants

Group Concepting • How do you generate clever ideas in a team?

• Card sorting – distributing index cards prior to a concepting session and asking participants to fill them out. Associated words and themes are then identified.

• Post-it Pass – Write one idea on a notecard in 5 minutes. After the time is up, your card is passed to the next person next to you. They are given 5 minutes to adjust the idea or make it better.

• Mind Mapping (spider graphs) – helps define a challenge more holistically • Collaboration

Tools for Effective Ideation • Use metaphors

o The problem is like a _________ • Exaggeration • Features

o Your creative brief should help with this o Take that One Thing that your brand has that no competitor has

• The Opposite o Must be an extreme opposite o Whatever the benefit of your product is, imagine a world without it

Tools for Effective Ideation • State the obvious

o Some things money can’t buy, but for everything else, there’s Mastercard • Headline driven

o Uniformed and well executed headline can drive a campaign

Mini Project (Extra Credit Activity) (2%) • Using one of the group concepting strategies discussed in Chapter 6, generate an idea for

a branding/re-branding advertising campaign for one of the following: • Forever 21 • Rihanna • Kanye West • Twitter • Bed Bath & Beyond

• Draft a creative brief for the client • Generate three creative concepts for the brand • Presentations in Week 12