DESGN614 DE: Biology Master Metaphor

Can a product defy gravity like a gecko's foot? Can a graphic achieve intense color without pigments like a butterfly's wing? Can a car store energy like a photosynthetic plant? Can a fabric change color spontaneously like a chameleon's skin? Can a chair be engineered like a bird's skeleton? Can we get more out of the burdock seed than Velcro? This investigative studio considers the wealth of inspiration that biology has to offer designers of all stripes. While physics can be seen as the dominant science of the 20th century, biology is rapidly achieving dominance in the 21st century. Students will explore offshoots of biological science to inform and inspire new directions in materials, form, function and meaning making.