The artist had analysed and identified several motifs from each author, and our challenge was to define a set of visual rules to reveal their hierarchical relationships, while retaining a distinct overall form that recalls the image of a typical “mind map”.

Our process was exploratory and iterative. While we knew that the “mind map” would be radial and emanate from a central core, the textual relationships had to perform 2 functions - the layers should be deciphered easily, and had to create an overall form that looked “pleasing”. Explorations included options with alphabetical arcs, optimal space usage, and size differences. Ultimately, we settled on a starburst shape which was a great balance between legibility, order, and randomness.