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Brainstorming: Word Mapping

Lesson 7 from: Logo Design 101

Tim Frame

Brainstorming: Word Mapping

Lesson 7 from: Logo Design 101

Tim Frame

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Lesson Info

7. Brainstorming: Word Mapping

Lesson Info

Brainstorming: Word Mapping

Now we're gonna do a little bit uh brainstorming concept generation and a couple of exercises are very helpful in that process um the first one I call it word mapping because what we're trying to accomplish is trying to come up with some key words since we don't have the benefit of doing research and getting some of those from the client or there marking materials what have you but way actually need these for the second exercise where we're going to try and um combined keywords to come up generates um icon concepts um so basically and then the second one is I mentioned we're gonna plug those words into an icon matrix and sort of force ourselves to create icons based on combining concepts um word mapping uh basically just creates consist of creating a diagram of related words words that come to mind like with each word that you put down then you try and come up with you know you think of words that are associative with that word on just you know, just the kind of brained up and get us m...

any related terms out there's we can go into the next exercise um so it will not do this on the whiteboard um so actually we'll need somebody to like keep track of all the words because we might actually um we might actually have to stop by for through wipe it down and then start with the new word and then we're actually use this for next exercises what? Well, not not but um anyway I'll need those words for the next exercise if somebody can compile a list okay, great. Um so it looks kind of like this um not that neat obviously but we'll start with the word come up with another word ah, and just sort of build it out with related words until we sort of exhaust what we can come up with this for number of words. So what? Um and then again, if, uh if you're doing this like on your own, you're going to come up with words that, like you khun like, reboot the process you realize, oh, this has a lot of potential there's a lot of different associations that I could do with us so it's sort of two fold it's come up with money related words as possible that could be, you know, leveraged into like themes or directions for icons on then also, you know, you can further explore uh home with a new set of things based on some of the words that come out of this. All right? So since we didn't have the benefit of of having list of people is what we're gonna do is okay, so it's dealing with dogs so we're on jane generate a bunch of related words uh based on dogs and then uh we'll do the same exercise for stuff that's related stuff that comes to mind for either like a college or university or an academy so you know learning learning institution that type of thing so start with dogs or canines all right um we looked at real briefly we looked at some of the logos for uh dog training academies uh training schools for dogs but remember some common common themes or icons or cliches that you saw a lot of so let's start with let's start with things that like come to minus cliches that air commonly associating with dogs bones yeah paul print dalglish dog leash um that has to do with training as well. Park is a dog I liked on park what about, uh, bad behavior because that's where they're going to school in the first place right? He's probably won't you never know what's going on you know what's going to be usable the constant or what's gonna make you thinking of something else actually, that triggers a better idea so there's you know, I've been in some brainstorming session where you deliberately try and think of the worst idea worst idea possible um oh yeah barking, biting what else? Agility that's yeah that's more training are you saying lack of agility or there's no anything goes here we've got someone coming hold that we've got some coming from the online audience comedy gumball machine says fire hydrant uh that'd be a good way also have we said bought bones paw print we we mentioned how word mark says fleas and ticks it is playing texas I have lived through a flea infestation he had one bathroom issues yep about that sketching on the carpet his draw a dog sketching and put the ghostbusters dog tricks and walking the dog all right, good. Uh that was the same bathroom issues. Um dogs izer I like to run away for brief periods of time um about dog always has a ball right her like what I like to play ball fetch how about eating everything in sight? One my kids are a little my boston terrier just eat crowns so you can imagine what I found in the first colorful things on the guard coming in from the chat room we've got frisbee frisbee and dog collar food dishes about extraordinary amounts of money spent on dog toy. Yeah, well, you know what? Um for some people dogs are their children and I like clothing all the xs all the accessories um nothing because you know, we're going to wantto pursue a visual what about like dog breeds that either would lend themselves to like what you can like give you saw so what of the dog you immediately know what it is by there size or shape or ones that have like really unique facial characteristics yep but they're the ones that like are all shaped and poofy uh what's I guess that's my start one for breeds go small dogs over here and washed her what's the dog show well we have to put my favorite period which is boston terrier well actually that was my favorite um like pugs and bulldogs have like really unique like french bulldogs have really in a face to face you'll characteristics what about doghouses yeah that's a great one I've been in the dog house a few times you have more reeds coming in pitbull german shepherd no about kali yeah that brings you think last year right look I put last blast that works too yeah that's what people think of famous dogs famous dies he hears it just the uh a statement of man's best friend oh yeah that's great opposite of doghouse about um let's do some characteristics and again that's a little bit of variety between breeds there definitely like defying characteristics for different breeds but in you know in general like you know dogs are loyal right friendly nothing else I guess going along with that you could say they're family yeah who doesn't like puppies they're also protectors some braids we're better than others but some of them really good with you know kind of kids anything else come to mind think of dogs it's associate yeah, dog drool drool so I will put that with bad hair close to that, I'm getting chased by dogs yes, uh, you know, what we should do is what dogs like and what dogs hate chasing cars. So we'll have some of that, like dogs like bones, um, food frisbee, um or let's say chasing cats or dogs don't like cats some cases um, some braids are retrievers, which is both a breed and a could you talk a little bit about sort of this strategy with doing this is just just meant to just write it all down? You kind of group them together though, right? Yeah, actually, like if we were working, if we were doing for this or client and working through this, we would mean we would start with keywords and then build from there and trying to get trying to get more specific and different, like a different range of ideas from those words, but we're just having to do something very general. Um but then in the next exercise, we're going to try and combine this with the next set of words that were going to do, which will do the same thing for, like, learning education, college universities and things that are sort of synonymous and stereotypical relation all things to that subject as well, so yes, it is so be a little more conceptual if you're going to a client and we had listed you know so you like character words like you know they might be extremely proficient and then you know what? You know what is proficient or you know they're extremely responsive so then and so you take response response responsive what are words that air words things their characteristics with that one of things I didn't I didn't list in the um in the interview questions but it's I've been in um interview session the client interviews research where it's been asked where they will ask the client okay, if you were a car like what type of car would you be and then you think about all the different you know are you luxury car your sports car you know, an economy car or if you were an animal or some other you know metaphor where there's a range of different things that employ different characteristics and you know and have associative like values and character traits that go along with us and had dog like a dog tag too I have to have license and shots and all that stuff anything else come line way had one that came up uh the mailman or chasing the mailman um yeah dogs actually are pretty good judges of care, you know, my character just like have a sixth sense about somebody that's you know, no shady or what why do they hate the mailman so much trespassing? We'll start with that if anything comes to mind when we're working on the second group we can add it to the mix with well we can start can still see these so any of you guys done before? Are you familiar with this kind of brainstorming? Yeah and as I worked for you before yeah right on I think this is always helpful especially for the people who are watching at home online good exercise to do with somebody else or install on a small group the other thing is like when you get to this point where it's like I absolutely cannot think of any other words one thing I found helpful is they'll jump on a stock photo site and then start importing you know, importing words doing word searches and they'll be images that either images that come up that you know that are things that I hadn't thought of or there will be in the key words for some of those images there'll be other words that just I just didn't think of that great you know that a great words there you go magically flipped whiteboard beautiful alright so this I think this will be actually be he's here so well do you like college academy so yes starting college radiation known radiation zone oh yeah my cap and gown no that book's ah fraternities and sororities what do you receive that graduation diploma about like school t shirts all the paraphernalia that goes along with it the university uh identity and mascot slow close together who teaches at a university professor that's right? What are some here's one that we can build off of what's a stereotypical thing that comes to mind with professor elbow patches glasses that glass is is like also like intelligence and learning and reading books e don't know pipe yeah bow tie on anywhere between tweed jacket um suspend us rally shoe um so we could also get a couple of days like glasses and professor just intelligence so there are other ways other things that come to mind only say intelligence you go I don't know if this goes on the school identity spirit but like shield doesn't like yes they always have some sort of crest or shield um like you know official university sealed that's a great one to go with that teo there's always initials could he put adam on it like monogram um what about like a school pennant more on the professor theme a podium or a lectern a lecture hall what? Um podium in lectures good like a black black boarder what? Um along with a monogram like block lettering block lettering um what about just like a really there's a lot of schools have like they're one signature bill you know, like their signature classic iconic iconic building architect architecture I came upon a chat it's school colors is another example that kind of goes along with seal on the cross the colors? Yeah. What about bells like hall bells and timeframes? Not along with us monogrammed stuff like a letter's letter sweater jacket it's more sports or him but and then another one I thought off when, uh I said school spirit was like, uh like the old cheerleader megaphone. Yeah, I was gonna say, how about a coach? How about school club? What was the last one? Clubs, clubs, clubs, clubs? Oh, like organizations got a pair with france along with the school spirit you could do? Like when the kids go toe football games, they paint the letters on their chests or on their faces. I don't call that a face painting. Well, spirit, maybe another one that just came in that's interesting is thie date founded the the actual year of the school? He has a lot of schools take pride in the date they were founded. They also like how this long standing mission statement like the founding founding statement um along with like architecture I think of like brick and has more classic brick along with it fergus ivy I don't know how this one could be interpreted a lot of ways, but jen in the chat room says tradition so, you know, some of these things kind of fall into that, but that whole, the idea, the mystique of a patrician, definitely out, too. You certainly don't have to limit yourself to this list. Um, it's, like anything else, like you think about something intently and why you're tryingto come up with ideas or whatever, and then you step away from it, and and the interim, your subconscious is working on the thing. And then all of a sudden, you know, you're driving your in this hour, whatever, in the, you know, thing comes to you. So all right, I think that's pretty good. Uh, move along. All right, so somebody's got these written, written down every taking notes, because you're gonna you're actually going to use them in the next and the next exercise.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Client Logo Presentation Format.pdf
Logo Standards Guide.pdf
Manipulating Letterforms.pdf
Manipulating Letterforms by Hand HD.mp4
Manipulating Letterforms by Hand LOW.mp4
Manipulating Letterforms in Adobe Illustrator HD.mp4
Manipulating Letterforms in Adobe Illustrator LOW.mp4

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Syllabus

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

It's an excellent beginning class, as is stated by the instructor during his introduction. This class has several facets, and only someone with zero knowledge would need them all. There were some really wonderful information shared on how to ferret the needed information on the clint and competition. If you are looking to better serve a client this is a great class. For those looking for an advanced class this would not be a good fit, as this is only a beginner class.

Rajat Shanbhag
 

It is an excellent class that has all the foundations laid out precisely and concisely. I really appreciate Tim putting in all the effort and simplifying the process for beginners and pro's alike.

Student Work

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