Category Archives: Biomimicry

nature operates within a closed loop system

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Natural Model: the Cow

Nature operates under the condition of limited and finite resources. It therefore reuses, recycles, rebuilds everything it needs to sustain life.

One organism’s waste is another’s food or building material. ~ The Way Life Works [1]

cow(Photo credit) The cow grazes on a field of grass. The grass gives it nutrition, energy and sugar to grow. Everything the cow eats eventually lands back in the grass, where bacteria turns that material back into soil. With the help of earthworms, air and water can penetrate the soil and allow new grass to grow [1].

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nature combines modular and nested components

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Natural Model: Molecules

tendon_diagramMolecules are components made up of atoms that compose various types of objects like the human tendon. Molecules tied into a rope like form are called fibrilis. Multiple fibrilis bound together make up fascicles. Multiple fascicles together form a tendon. The accumulation and nesting of the simple molecules create a strong, yet very flexible tendon in the human body [1].

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nature integrates the unexpected

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Natural Model: Elephants

(Photo credit) Thousands of years ago, elephants had smooth skin. Then, through a genetic mutation, the skin evolved into a wrinkled version. The elephant was able to dissipate more heat due to the increased surface area which allowed it to increase in size without running risk of overheating. Hence, the elephant is now the largest land mammal on earth [1].

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nature uses multifunctional design

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Natural Model: Duck preening

Due to the finite amount of resources, nature operates on a highly efficient modus by attaching multiple functions to anything it produces.

photo credit During a duck’s preening process, the feathers are not only cleaned, but also covered with preen oil, which water-proofs the coat and moisturizes the duck’s beak.  Additionally, when the preen oil gets exposed to sun light, the UV converts it to Vitamin D that improves the overall health of the duck [1].

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nature replicates strategies that work

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Natural Model: Mongooses

“Of all lifeforms that ever existed, 99% have died out…”

…what is alive today has successfully adapted to a changing environment over time [1]. In evolution, every living form carries information. If the organism is successful, that information will carry on, letting unsuccessful information die out or get modified.

meerkat

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natural systems grow through self-organization

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Natural Model: Mangrove islands

Living organisms act in their own interest, establishing a greater system that is conducive to life.

Mangrove islands grow through self-organization [1]. Seeds float in the water until they embed themselves into a sandy shallow area. Roots grow, sand and sediments collect in the area, allowing seeds to grow into trees. Continue reading →

biomimicry and sustainability obsolete?

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During my research, a pressing question kept on creeping up. Why do we produce things the way we produce them?

Looking back, there was a time where humans did not know that our resources are finite. We thought of nature as this free grocery store to just take from without giving back. It all started during the industrial revolution (1750–1850). Continue reading →

nature recycles all materials?

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Recently, a discussion on linkedin brought up an interesting issue. The one of non-living material and its relationship to living material. (Thank you Nikolay and Julian)
Nature does indeed recycle all materials. The speed at which some materials are being recycled is so slow that it is hard for human beings to “see” the transformation, but that does not mean it does not exist.
co2 cycle

nature recycles all materials

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Natural model: Tree leaves

photo credit Growing leaves takes a lot of energy from the tree, but it provides the tree with the needed sun energy by means of photosynthesis. They also capture sequestered carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen [1]. During the winter months, when sunshine hours are reduced, the tree preserves its energy by dropping the leaves onto the ground. There they perform two functions. First, they protect the root system from cold temperatures. Secondly, they decomopost and become nutrients to the fungal cycle which in turn converts into soil to help the tree grow. In this closed-loop system, there is no waste. Energy and matter gets recycled into a system that can benefit from each stage.

Once they fall to the ground they provide a protection layer to the environment around the tree, through decomposition, they add nutrition to the mycorrhizal layer (fungi and root system) and become part of bacteria and soil in order to foster new growth.

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nature operates in cycles

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Everything in nature is cyclical. Days turn into nights, fall follows summer, birth, growth, and death. Humans, being part of nature also operate in cycles. We are hungry, so we eat and digest, then we are hungry again. The electrolytes in the body regulate the amount of fluids in our system in cyclical methods, continually checking and adjusting.

Natural model: Saguaro and bat symbiosis

photo credit Every spring the Sonoran desert’s most famous cactus, the saguaro, grows beautiful flowers to attract a type of bat for pollination. Continue reading →

biomimetic graphic design

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Graphic design is often wasteful, non-efficient, and costly. The global pulp and paper industry alone is one of the largest polluters on earth [1]. It is the 3rd largest industrial polluter releasing 9% of total manufacturing carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. 220 million pounds of toxic pollution and 3 million tons of chlorine are released into water ways and air on an annual basis. Adding to that, deforestation adds another 120 billion tons of CO2 annually [2].

Other pollution sources are: ink compounds, VOC, binding materials, transportation, electronic tools and electricity.

In contrast, nature operates within a closed loop system and all “waste” has a purpose in supporting new life.

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biomimetic graphic design –
10 Steps

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All of our actions cause a reaction, therefore as graphic designers, we have to be aware of the consquences our work puts on our world. Humans need to shift their paradigm and start valuing nature again. “What we seek to protect reflects what we value.” Kofi Annan. Therefore, a cherished and well-known nature would be more protected from destuction. In order to start this new approach and to change our attitude towards nature, we have to form new habits. These 10 steps are supposed to help with finding a new fascination with the natural world.

what is biomimicry?

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Biomimicry is an emerging design discipline that looks to living organisms to solve human problems. Ever since Janine Benyus wrote the book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (2002) Biomimicry has gained popularity. So far, the biomimetic approach has been mainly applied in architecture, engineering, chemistry, and industrial design.

The goal of my venture is to find more sustainable ways to do graphic design. Learning how living organisms communicate, promote, hide, advertise, spread, and learn information can teach us a thing or two. Biomimicry is just one of the lenses available to designers. Solving problems with a diverse set of lenses will help achieve sustainable solutions that improve social, economic and environmental conditions.

To get an idea of how Biomimicry has been applied to engineering and product design, click here