DESIGN FROM NATURE 
 

Location: Index >> Special Features

By: Lisa Fermanto and Skan Srisuwan

 
 

Introduction

 

Nature has been known as the best reference for many successful designs. Whether it is the aerodynamic airplane shape that is extracted from the bird or the wind turbine that is inspired by the whale’s tail. Nature has somehow captured the perfect silhouette and proportions that in turn inspire us as designers. This week, we are featuring the process of extracting elements from nature to a vehicle design.

 
 



 

REFERENCE

 

Being in the tropical region of Southeast Asia, we get to observe some cool and exotic flowers. In this article, we are showing an example of how a natural subject of a heliconia (in the left picture), can be used to start our design of a futuristic spaceship.

 

Later in this article, we also show other examples of plants that we think can be inspirations to other spaceship designs.

 

 

SKETCH STUDY

 

Designing from a reference is not only about copying the shape of the subject. It is also about analyzing its forms and flow of its elements. In this case, knowing how a heliconia is constructed helps us to think about the direction of our design. Break down the shapes of the flower and sketch them, this way our eyes are trained to discover more things that may otherwise be overlooked. Many of the coolest ideas are extracted from the simplest shapes and forms. This applies to the things that surround us, observe and study them, this is a part of being a good designer.

 
 

SKETCH DESIGN

 

After sketching the shapes and forms of the Heliconia, the next step is to extract the coolest shapes from your sketches. For example, I am fascinated by the speed curve of the flower leaf and the mini compartments it supports. Notice how I extract these and apply them to my spaceship design.
 
 

FINAL PRESENTATION

 

After finalizing the design, it is time to present it in a painting with a suitable color scheme and background. Putting my design in an environment gives it weight and story. However, make sure that whatever you do to present your design, it still stands out and not overpowered by the presentation.

 
 

OTHER EXAMPLES

 

Here are more quick examples of how we can extract nature to our designs. I took photos of plants on my own and also from the Internet. Just like the previous example, I broke down the elements and use them to inspire my designs.

 
 

CLOSING

 

So I hope this article shows how nature can be a very good source of reference and inspiration. Whatever we see, we observe and study it. There is a plenty to learn from the natural world around us.