Mind mapper profile: Wojciech Korsak

Defining a visual style of mind mapping that is uniquely your own is

not an easy task. But I know of one person who has done so, and

who routinely pushes the boundaries of what’s possible to depict in

a visual map. That person is Polish mind mapper and MindManager

reseller Wojciech Korsak.

When you see a mind map that Wojciech has created, you know it’s

his: the bold colors, the use of large, compelling images and the

clarity of content is unmatched by anyone I know. I have a great

deal of admiration for his work, and I think there is much we can

learn from his techniques. So in this report, we’re going to take a closer look at four of his mind

maps, which I recently downloaded from the mind map gallery BiggerPlate.com.

Effective presentations with mind maps

Profile: Wojciek Korsak Page 2

Integration of images and text in map branches: I

like Wojciech’s treatment of the first-level topics in

this mind map. Each one contains a large screen

shot of MindManager’s menus. Below that, at the

same level, sibling topics explain what we’re seeing

above. They almost function like captions or bullet

points, which I think is very effective. Normally, you

would expect to see a screen shot with its

explanation formatted as child topics, one level

“below” it. But Wojciech takes a different approach,

by treating these topics as captions – placing them

directly beneath each image. Please note one other

thing: Not only does he provide a clear concise

explanation of each presentation tip, he also offers

examples – always good to help others understand a

mind map! This arrangement is non-traditional but

succeeds because it’s very easy to understand.

Unique use of resources: One of the project management

capabilities of MindManager is the ability to denote resources –

most often, the people who are assigned to a project. These appear

as tan rectangles attached to the bottom of map topics. Once again,

Wojciech takes a different approach, using them to add context to

each first-level topic. For example, in the one pictured at right, tip 3 explains what’s possible to

display to your audience when you’re doing your presentation (a “walk through” of your mind

map). How could this have been done differently? Wojciech could have simply called the topic

“Tip 3: Walk Through” and done away with the resource. But this adds some color and visual

interest to the map.

Integration of Wojciech’s name and blog address into the

central topic. The main element that defines Wojciech’s visual

style is the use of a large, colorful central image that tells a

story and usually provides the reader with important clues

about the topics of each of his mind maps. This one is no

exception: It contains some hand-drawn art of a team of people

Profile: Wojciek Korsak Page 3

viewing a mind map on the wall in front of them. It also contains his picture, name and blog

address. This is a good way of ensuring that his intellectual property is protected, as well as

promoting himself. Note how his identification doesn’t dominate the central topic – it’s positioned

in one corner of his central topic art.

Overall, this mind map does an excellent job of conveying information in a clear, concise and

useful manner!

Download link

Time management mind map

Remember the last mind map we looked at, where Wojciech used sibling topics as “captions” for

the screen shots above them? Here is a slightly difference approach.

Profile: Wojciek Korsak Page 4

Subtopics as headlines:

In this mind map, the top-

most subtopic functions

like a headline, providing

context for the screen shot

sibling just below it. The

orange topic shape with

black text works well – it

clearly stands out, but doesn’t draw too much attention

to itself. Very effective!

Whimsical central topic: Like the last mind map we

analyzed, this one has a large image as central topic,

and even incorporates a bit of whimsy: A picture of the

map author, staring at his watch. Clearly, Wojciech

has a good eye for graphical design, and uses it to

great effect here.

An excellent tutorial: This mind map works well as a

brief tutorial. It's easy for anyone to follow the steps 1

through 7, to replicate what Wojciech has created

here. The screen shots clearly illustrate each step in

the process of managing your time in MindManager.

Download link

Profile: Wojciek Korsak Page 5

Megadeth discography mind map

Wojciech isn’t all about business – he like to create some fun mind maps as well. In this case,

he has created an illustrated discography of the metal rock band Megadeth.

Visually striking color scheme: Wojciech isn't afraid to use bold, striking color combinations in

his mind maps, in service of their topics. In the case of this mind map, he has selected black

and red - giving this visual map an appropriate gothic look. He even carries this through to the

song titles at the lowest level of the map – which doesn’t work as well, in my opinion, because

they are somewhat hard to read.

Otherwise, this map does an

excellent job of reflecting its subject

band’s ethos.

Informative topics: This mind map

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conveys useful information within each first-level topic - not only the name of the album, but its

number (example: Rust in Peace was the band's 4th album) and the year in which it was

released. Just enough information, but not too much.

Central topic notes: In this mind map, the

band's identity takes center stage, if you

will. The main topic includes the band's

website address, and he relegates his

identity to a resource listing. Once again,

it’s an unusual use of MindManager’s

resource feature, but it does a good job of

giving Wojciech’s name an appropriate

weight compared to the name of the map.

Also note how Wojciech combines different sizes of text in the central topic. This is easily done

in many mind mapping programs, and can be very effective. Simply drag and select the text you

want to modify, and then change its font size. Remember: Larger text means it's of primary

importance; smaller text denotes secondary information.

Download link

Mindjet Connect Free vs. Connect Business

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Connector lines: In this mind map, Wojciech makes imaginative use of connector lines: Making

them invisible gives the impression of a tabular comparison, with one product on the left and the

other one on the right. Unfortunately, it's a little hard to compare them, because the two

versions of Mindjet's online mapping and collaboration tool are

so different. Still, I give Wojciech points for trying something

different.

Gorgeous central topic: Wojciech really puts some time into

crafting central topic images that are bold and visually

interesting. In fact, it’s this more than anything that defines his

signature style of mind mapping.

What’s yours?

Download link

Questions?

Please contact Chuck Frey at chuck@innovationtools.com.

Please visit the Mind Mapping Software Blog for all of the latest news, trends and resources

related to visual mapping.

You can also follow Chuck Frey on Twitter for even more insights and ideas.

Published 2/19/12