Visual Brainstorming Techniques with Cards, Drawings, and Images

Definition and Essence

Within the family of visual brainstorming methods, two main groups can be distinguished: techniques based on the use of cards and display boards, and graphic brainstorming methods employing drawings and images.
Both prioritize visibility and external representation but differ in the medium: one relies on written cards arranged on display boards, while the other emphasizes sketches, images, diagrams, or visual mapping.
Their essence lies in the transformation of abstract thoughts into tangible, visible, and spatial forms, making ideas easier to manipulate, compare, and combine. The primary aim is to bypass the limitations of language by employing the brain’s capacity for spatial reasoning, imagery, and holistic perception. This approach, often called “Right-Braining,” activates and utilizes intuitive and non-linear thinking.

Verbal Brainstorming Techniques
Written Brainstorming Techniques

Card Board-Based Methods 

These techniques utilize cards, templates, and the display Card Board as idea containers and catalysts. The process involves systematically writing or sketching ideas on individual cards, which are then physically arranged, clustered, and manipulated on a flat surface. The physical act of moving and grouping concepts allows for the effortless sorting, grouping, and re-combination of the ideas generated, enhancing the systemic analysis of them and sparking new connections.

Key Features of Techniques 

1. Physical or digital cards: Participants write individual ideas on cards or sticky notes.
2. Spatial arrangement: Cards are placed on shared boards, walls, or digital canvases to display, cluster, or sequence ideas.
3. Flexible reorganization: Cards can be moved, grouped, or restructured, supporting synthesis and categorization on a flat surface.
4. Collaborative visibility: Everyone sees the evolving structure, fostering shared understanding of the creative process.
5. Emergent Structures: Allowing patterns and groups to form organically through collaboration.

Brainstorming with Drawings and Images

These brainstorming techniques allow to replacement linear language with a dynamic visual language of sketches, diagrams, and symbols. This allows users overcome vague language and, by working together in a shared space, intuitively organize and analyze complex ideas and solutions.
The requirement to sketch out and visualize ideas forces participants to think spatially and translate abstract concepts into concrete forms, reducing the ambiguity that terms often carry. It also unlocks intuitive, whole-concept thinking.

Key Characteristics of  Techniques 

1. Graphic expression: Ideas are represented through sketches, diagrams, or images.
2. Creativity activation: Visual forms activate associative and right-brain thinking, often leading to unconventional insights.
3. Collective mapping: Drawings may be combined into larger diagrams, maps, or storyboards.
4. Multisensory engagement: The act of drawing engages kinesthetic, emotional and visual memory, stimulating the creative process.
5. Reducing Ambiguity: Drawings and images make abstract ideas concrete, clare and unambiguous.

General Characteristics of Visual Techniques

Advantages and Practical Value 

• Reduces Language Barriers: Effective in diverse, multilingual, or cross-functional teams where professional jargon or language fluency may be an issue.
• Comprehensiveness and Inclusivity: Support both verbal and non-verbal thinkers, effectively engaging users with diverse cognitive styles.
• Fosters Holistic Thinking: Encourage participants to see the “whole picture”, mentally grasp the system and the flow rather than just isolated features.
• Enhances Memory and Understanding: Visuals are processed faster and remembered longer than text and preserve the flow of ideas for later analysis.
• Analytical integration: Easy to combine with analytic techniques, affinity diagrams, or prioritization tools.
• Creative Collaboration: Shared boards foster co-creation and creative dialogue.

Priority Areas of Application

• Strategic planning: Mapping visions, goals, and options.
• Product and service design: Concept mapping, customer journey mapping, storyboarding.
• Education and training: Teaching systems thinking, teamwork, and problem structuring.
• Organizational development: Engaging teams in collaborative vision-building.
• Interdisciplinary projects: Bridging communication between experts using visual aids.

Important Considerations

• Visual literacy varies: some participants may feel insecure about drawing.
• Boards can become overloaded; synthesis must be managed carefully.
• Physical space or digital tools must be well-prepared to avoid chaos.
• Requires skilled facilitation to balance divergent idea generation with convergent structuring.

Recommendations for Optimization

1. Prepare Spase and materials: Utilize large visual workspaces: whiteboards, pin boards and large tables for the Card Board-Based methods, making the entire “pool” of ideas visible at all times. Provide enough cards, markers, wall space, or availability of digital templates.
2. Clarify visual conventions: Use simple symbols, colors, or formats for consistency. Introduce pre-drawn elements or simple icons (like those in the Battelle method) to stimulate idea categories and ensure a uniform level of visual communication.
3. Encourage inclusivity: The focus is on the concept, not the aesthetics. Emphasize clarity over artistry and that sketches must be quick, rough, and symbolic. Reassure participants that sketches are tools, not artworks.
4. Combine with verbal/written methods: Do not entirely exclude words; use short, clear labels and captions beneath the drawings/on the cards to clarify the main idea and intent. Start with verbal or brainwriting techniques, then transfer results to cards or drawings for structuring.
5. Use clustering and categorization: Apply affinity diagrams, mind mapping, or thematic grouping to synthesize outputs.
6. Iterate visually: Reorganize cards or redraw diagrams at later stages to refine ideas as understanding deepens.
7. Integrate evaluation: After ideation, apply prioritization matrices or voting directly on the board.
8. Archive outputs: Photograph or digitize physical boards to preserve results for documentation and follow-up.
9. Leverage digital tools: Platforms like Miro, Mural, and Trello scale board-based and visual brainstorming to hybrid or remote settings.

Visual Brainstorming methods excel at making ideas visible, tangible, and collectively accessible. Their strength lies not only in generating new ideas but in structuring and synthesizing them into coherent patterns. By balancing visual clarity with analytical rigor and integrating them with complementary methods, these techniques become powerful tools for innovation, education, and organizational development.

List of Visual Brainstorming Techniques

Methods with cards on a board

The K-J method (Jiro Kawakita, 1967). K-J Method (Affinity Diagram) organizes qualitative data into thematic clusters to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making as an affinity diagramming technique. Its essence lies in intuitive grouping of ideas or observations to reveal patterns, emphasizing non-logical, holistic thinking. Participants write ideas on cards, group similar ones silently into clusters, label categories, and prioritize through voting or discussion. It differs from traditional brainstorming by focusing on synthesis rather than generation, reducing bias through anonymous sorting. Effective for team analysis in research or planning.

Electronic or Online Brainstorming (Jay Nunamaker et al., 1985). This digital adaptation of brainstorming enables remote teams to generate ideas asynchronously or synchronously via software tools. Its essence is leveraging technology to overcome physical barriers, enhancing anonymity and parallel input for creativity. Participants submit ideas via platforms like shared docs or apps, build on others’ contributions, and vote or refine collectively, minimizing production blocking. It distinguishes from in-person methods by supporting larger groups and logging for review. Ideal for distributed teams in business, as it ensures seamless collaboration and process transparency, regardless of employee location.

The Gallery method (Horst Geschka, 1979). It is a visual brainstorming variant that involves participants posting ideas on walls or boards, then circulating to add or refine others’ contributions. Its essence is combining individual generation with group interaction through a “gallery walk”. Ideas are written or drawn on sheets, displayed, and participants roam to comment or enhance, encouraging cross-fertilization without verbal dominance. It differs from standard brainwriting by incorporating physical movement and visual feedback. Suited for workshops in design or education, where spatial arrangement sparks new connections.

Brainwriting Game (Michael. F. Woods, 1979). This playful brainwriting adaptation structures idea generation as a game to boost engagement and creativity. Its essence is gamified silent writing and passing, turning ideation into a fun, competitive yet collaborative activity. Participants write ideas on sheets, pass them in rounds for additions, with game rules like time limits or themes. It sets apart from traditional brainstorming by emphasizing written equality and game elements to reduce inhibition. Effective for teams in marketing or training.

Rotating roles (Rick Griggs, 1985). The rolestorming technique has participants assume different personas or roles to generate ideas from varied viewpoints. Its essence is empathy-driven ideation, breaking mental blocks by shifting perspectives. Group selects roles (e.g., customer, competitor), brainstorms from each angle in rotations, combining insights for comprehensive solutions. It differs from standard brainstorming by using role-play to foster novelty and reduce personal bias. Ideal for product development or conflict resolution.

Cluster Brainstorming Method (Gabriele Rico, 1983). This technique uses free-associative clustering to map ideas around a central theme, stimulating nonlinear thinking. Its essence is visual mind-mapping to uncover subconscious connections and generate ideas organically. Start with a core word, branch out associations in clusters, then refine into coherent concepts, leveraging right-brain intuition. It distinguishes from linear brainstorming by emphasizing visual, holistic patterns over lists. Suited for writing or personal creativity, were intuitive links spark original insights.

Card Story Boards (L.E. Smithers (1984), William F. Roth (1985); Arthur B. VanGundy, 1988). This storyboarding method uses index cards to sequence visual narratives or ideas for planning. Its essence is modular visualization to organize complex stories or processes flexibly. Draw or write scenes on cards, arrange and rearrange on a board to test flow, allowing easy revisions. It differs from linear outlining by enabling dynamic reconfiguration and visual feedback. Effective in film, UX (User experience) design, or project planning, where rearrangeable visuals clarify progression.

Methods with Drawings and Images

Visual Brainstorming (Robert H. McKim, 1972; David Sibbet, 1977). The picture-based method that uses drawings, charts, and images to create and arrange ideas together. Its main goal is using the power of visuals to improve understanding and creative thinking in ways that words alone cannot. User draw their ideas on big surfaces like walls and large canvases, creating shared visual models in real time. They use simple symbols and maps to show how things connect and change. It works best for planning or teaching, where pictures make hard-to-grasp ideas feel solid and clear.

Team Idea mapping (Tony Buzan, 1974). This collaborative mind-mapping method creates radiant diagrams to capture team ideas. Its essence is nonlinear, associative structuring to foster group synergy and holistic thinking. Start with the core idea, branch subtopics with keywords and images, team adds collaboratively, revealing unobvious relationships. It differs from lists by using a radial format for better idea recall and integration. Suited for business planning or innovation, where visual maps unify diverse inputs.

Brainsketching (Horst Geschka, 1973; Arthur B. VanGundy, 1988). It is a structured, visual brainwriting technique focused on solving a specific problem and iterative improvement. This variant of brainwriting replaces words with sketches to generate ideas visually. Its essence is nonverbal expression to bypass linguistic barriers and tap intuitive creativity. Participants usually sit in a circle or around a table. They draw ideas individually and silently draw an idea, then pass the sheet to the next person for additions or modifications, building cumulative visuals. Effective in design or product ideation, where drawings reveal unarticulated concepts.

Braindrawing (Arthur B. VanGundy, 1988). It is a spontaneous, visual brainstorming method that uses drawing as the primary mode for idea generation in groups, focusing on visual metaphors. Its essence is using artistic expression to stimulate imagination and overcoming the fixed meaning of terms. Participants silently sketch ideas, pass drawings to each other, or add new elements on large sheets, thereby deepening concepts through evolving visual models.
Often used individually as a personal tool for brainstorming or working through a complex topic. Best for early-stage creativity where randomness and interpretation spark novel connections. Ideal for artistic or innovative fields, where visual stimuli and associations unlock hidden associations.

Battelle-Bildmappen-Brainwriting (John N. Warfield, Horst Geschka, Ronald Hamilton, Battelle Institute team, 1975). This brainwriting variant incorporates ready-made images or picture folders to trigger ideas. Its essence is visual stimulation combined with written iteration to enhance associative thinking. Participants view image collections, write ideas inspired by them, and pass sheets for additions, blending pictorial cues with text. It sets itself apart from standard brainwriting by using visuals as catalysts for diversity. Suited for marketing or invention, where images spark unconventional solutions.

Rightbraining (Betty Edwards, 1979). The intuitive technique that activates right-brain functions through drawing exercises to boost perceptual and creative skills. Its essence is shifting from left-brain analytical mode to holistic, intuitive processing. Participants use upside-down drawing, contour sketching, or negative space to train visual perception, fostering creative insight. It differs from left-brain methods by emphasizing nonverbal, spatial awareness. Effective for artists or problem-solvers, where perceptual changes yield fresh ideas and perspectives.