Re-Thinking

So to start with the whole process of applying Biomimetics to Graphic Design I have picked two of the projects I did well in in my 2nd Year. The first being peep and the second being my Gold Pack Packaging Awards entry for Nando's Desserts.


peep:


Peep was a corporate identity for lack of a better word for an escort/stripper. She wanted her corporate stationery to be discreet, which meant that the elements had to look normal in the day and reveal the relevant confidential information at night or when exposed to something. I decided to go with a die-cut flap and glow in the dark ink as well as various cryptic symbols. The overall design I think was successful however I want to see if by mimicking nature I can make the design and overall product better.

Re-Thinking peep:

The main question I want to ask for all of my re-designs is What Do I Want The Design To Do? rather than How Do I Want It To Look?

What I Want:

glow in the dark

camouflaged

discreet/pretty

reflect light

hidden in plain sight

folded up

What Nature Offers:

Reflecting Light:

Nanofibers produce colour: Blue Penguin

Beta-keratin nanofibers on feather tips of blue penguin produce non-iridescent color by coherent scattering of light. Research is being done into products that could be colored by structures that scatter light. This could mean that paper would be produced that scattered light and created the same reflective properties as the Blue Penguins feathers.

Body surfaces reflect light to create colors: jewel beetles

The body surfaces of jewel beetles and other beetles create colors by reflecting lights at different wavelengths. Structural colours have already been created that mimic the beetles body surface which have been applied to clothing, vehicles, paints.

Nando's Desserts:

Was a packaging project that required us to create a range of dessert packaging for Nando's. I decided to create a range of naughty desserts that each opened a particular way and the actual packaging was displayed in a unique way.

Re-Thinking Nando's Desserts:

The main question I want to ask for all of my re-designs is What Do I Want The Design To Do? rather than How Do I Want It To Look?

What I Want:

fit together in a structurally sound way

save space

create a pattern

open interestingly

What Nature Offers:

Saving Space/Creating Patterns/Packaging Materials

Fibonacci sequence optimizes packing: sunflowers

The seed heads of sunflowers optimize the packing of seeds by arranging them in spirals of Fibonacci numbers. If I could create a Fibonacci sequence to the packaging of my dessert I may possibly eliminate wastage both in the manufacturing and transportation of the packaging.

Leaves of the sacred lotus are self-cleaning thanks to nanoscale bumps.

Lotus plants (Nelumbo nucifera) stay dirt-free, an obvious advantage for an aquatic plant living in typically muddy habitats, and they do so without using detergent or expending energy. The plant's cuticle, like that of other plants, is made up of soluble lipids embedded in a polyester matrix – wax – but the degree of its water repellency is extreme (superhydrophobic). By mimicking the lotus plant manufacturers are creating fabrics and packaging material that is waterproof and dirt-proof.