At our Charlotte ad agency, creative thinking lies at the center of everything we do. As such, we find mind mapping to be a great way to brainstorm, make a plan, or turn ideas into the steps needed to make it real. Thankfully, there are great tools out there to help you build mind maps, organize them, and save them for later. 

Sometimes thinking creatively about an idea, a project or a problem comes easily. Other times it can be tricky, and we get stuck looking at the issues without seeing anything new. At times like these, we like to leave our desks, plop down in the conference room (or walk over to Fourth Ward Bread Company, our new favorite remote office) and turn on our tablets. 

There are now a ton of different mind-mapping apps that can help in the creative thinking process, but at birdsong gregory, we like Idea Sketch, which is available for Windows Phone or iOS. With its super simple mind map generator and easy-to-use tap-and-drag interface, you type the different elements of your ideas into text boxes, control the shape and color of the boxes, and then link boxes into a meaningful hierarchy just by tapping on them.

The best part of the app is that when you tap on the small list-like icon, the app automatically expresses your mind map as a hierarchical list. Seeing your problem broken down this way may help you view it in a new light. And to drive collaboration, all mind maps can be easily shared via the Cloud. What’s not to love?