6 illuminating concept maps you should know about

My friends at Dubberly Design Office (DDO) have just posted a small sample of concept maps they’ve designed within the last 7 years. Each map takes a difficult—almost mystical—subject and attempts to rigorously map out its many complexities and relationships. There are six maps, each answering one of the following questions:

1. What is Java technology and its community?
2. How does the Domain Name System (DNS) work?
3. What is a brand?
4. How do organizations track customers to retain them longer—and acquire more?
5. What is Internet search?
6. What happens during a heart attack?

The maps apply concept mapping principles introduced in Learning How to Learn by Novak, Gowin, and Kahle. DDO uses those principles in combination with a graphic design sensibility to create an utterly mesmerizing series of maps. Here’s how DDO describes the role of concept mapping in design activities.

We develop a range of diagrams and maps to create, test, and refine architectures or organizational structures for the applications and sites we design. Maps created as design tools serve many of the purposes of maps created during audits — creating shared models for the team, uncovering problem areas, and serving as a reference for product managers and engineers.

Click the images below to download PDFs of each map. To download all 6 maps in one archive, click here:

• Dubberly Design Office concept maps

They’re meant to be seen large, so print them on a plotter or tile them on your home printer. Most are readable at tabloid size, but you might have to squint:

1. What is Java and its community?

2. How does the Domain Name System (DNS) work?

3. What is a brand?

4. How do organizations track customers to retain them longer—and acquire more?

5. How does Internet search work?

6. What happens during a heart attack?