Epiphany Rising...

I believe that I've finally decided on my supportive thesis visuals!

I just had an epiphany tonight about what I want to do for my supportive thesis visual: Since my topic argues how important and necessary it is to incorporate the use of Biomimicry into the graphic design process, I would love to create a kind of resource guide that designers can use. I know that not every designer's process is the same, so it is just to serve as a reference guide. I'd like to have example categories, like: environmental design, informational wayfinding, emotional branding and ID, creating a productive and effective workflow, and a few more. This guide will also cover things like certified materials, what it means to be "certified", printers, inks and so on.

Recommended Readings...

I was on the Biomimicry website today, and found a recommended reading list:



Biologic: Environmental Protection by Design. David Wann. 1990.
Guide to designing our way out of the environmental conundrum we are in by taking a system’s view of technology – asking, “how does it fit in?”
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Janine Benyus. 1997.
Demonstrates how nature's solutions to survival needs have been the creative jumping-off points for individuals seeking solutions to human challenges, developing, or simply revitalizing processes or products.
Cat’s Paws and Catapults: Mechanical World of Nature and People. Steven Vogel. 1998.
Investigates whether nature or human design is superior and why the two technologies have diverged so much.
Deep Design: Pathways to a livable Future. David Wann. 1996.
A new way of thinking about design by asking: “What is our ultimate goal?” The idea is to produce designs that are sensitive to living systems.
Design and Nature II. Ed M. W. Collins et. Al. 2004.
Contains proceedings of 2nd international conference on design and nature. Brings together researcher around the world on a variety of studies involving nature’s significance for modern scientific thought and design.
Design for the Real World, Human Ecology and Social Change. Victor Papanek. 1984.
One of the world’s most widely read books on design. Author provides a blueprint for sensible, responsible design.
Design in Nature: Learning from Trees. Claus Mattheck. 2004.
Describes and verifies external shape laws in nature. Also explores self healing. Many optimization examples.
Design Lessons from Nature. Benjamin De Brie Taylor. 1974.
Describes strategies in the plant kingdom with some suggestions on their relationship to human designs..
Design with Nature. Ian L. McHarg. 1969.
A blend of philosophy and science, author shows how humans can copy nature’s examples to design and build better structures.

new office stuffff

Degrees in Biomimicry.

Since 99% of my research is covering the marriage between graphic design and the graphic design process with biomimicry, then I really need to know:


Are there any degrees in biomimicry? Who's teaching it?

Aquinas College, Center for Sustainability
Biomimicry is utilized as a foundation text in the "Industrial Ecology" course taught by Matthew Tueth and a required course in Sustainable Business. Deborah M. Steketee has also utilized biomimicry in a management level Industrial Ecology course. Contact: Deborah M. Steketee, Executive Director, Center for Sustainability This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Auburn University, College of Architecture, Design and Construction
Auburn offers a third year interior architecture studio that is working with InterfaceFLOR and David Oakey on designing a new InterfaceFLOR Customer Service Center. Contact: Sheri SchumakerThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Biomimetics Network for Industrial Sustainability (BIONIS)
To promote the application of Biomimetics (Design Inspired by Nature) in products and services and its use in education and training.Contact: Jo Lakeland, BIONIS co-ordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

California College of the Arts
The College offers a course entitled "Applied Biology for Designers and Artists". The goal of the course is to introduce students to the basic concepts of biology and relate these concepts directly to design and artistic work using the field of biomimicry. Contacts: Tom McKeag, David Hammond, Suzanne ReddingThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

California State University - Northridge , Biology
Janet Kubler teaches an on-line course called "Biology Taught Functionally". Contacts: Janet KublerThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Georgia Institute of Technology, Center for Biologically Inspired Design (CBID)
CBID staff drawn from two institutes (Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory), five colleges (College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Architecture, Ivan Allen College, and College of Computing) and 14 schools. CBID is developing undergraduate and graduate programs in biologically inspired design at Georgia Tech. Contacts: Jeannette Yen Professor, School of Biology, Marc Weissburg Associate Professor, School of Biology, Craig Tovey Professor, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mohan Srinivasarao Associate Professor, School of Polymer, Textile and Fiber Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Milwaukee Institute of Arts & Design
Contact: John Caruso

Minneapolis College of Arts and Design
Offers an on-line course called "Biomimicry for Designers" taught by Dayna Baumeister of The Biomimicry Guild. Contact: Curt McNamaraThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Onondaga Community College
Kevin Stack teaches an ecological building course based on biomimicry.Contact: Kevin Stack This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Southern California Institute of Architecture - Design Studio
Ilaria Mazzoleni (faculty) is teaching a course called Biomimicry: Innovation in Architecture Inspired by Nature (AS3304 [1]. Contact: Ilaria MazzoleniThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Stanford University, Bio-X
The Stanford University Bio-X program supports, organizes, and facilitates interdisciplinary research connected to biology and medicine. The program operates across the Schools of Humanities and Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Earth Sciences and the School of Law. Contact: Heideh Fattaey, Director of Bio-X Programs & Operations This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

State University of NY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Kevin Stack teaches an ecological building course based on biomimicry. Contact: Kevin Stack This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of California at Berkeley, Bioengineering
Biomimetic Engineering: Engineering from Biology. This graduate course, taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department, is cross-listed with Berkeley's Integrative Biology Department and the Bioengineering Department. Contact: Hari Dharan Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of Berkeley Composites Laboratory

University of California at Berkeley, Center for Integrative Biomechanics in Education and Research
The Center for Integrative Biomechanics in Education and Research will lead the development of a new field of Integrative Systems Biomechanics and train the next generation of integrative biologists. To extract principles in biology that inspire novel design in engineering and train the next generation of scientists and engineers to collaborate in mutually beneficial relationships. Contact: Robert Full, DirectorThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

University of Maryland, Mechanical Engineering Department
Developing Mechanical Engineering undergraduate curriculum to cover the design and manufacturing technologies and analysis principles that are needed to develop bioinspired products and devices.Contact: Hugh Bruckor Satyandra Gupta

University of Minnesota, College of Design
Contacts: Marc Swackhamer, Assistant Professor of Architecture, John Carmody, Director, Center for Sustainable Building Research

University of Montana, Environmental Studies
Cindy Gilbert from the Biomimicry Institute is teaching "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature", fall 2007. Contact:Cindy GilbertThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScriUniversity of New Mexico, School of Architecture
Teaching biomimicry as part of a course called Sustainable Design. The students conduct a biomimic design project using the local ecosystem to inform their design solutions. Contact: Kris Callori

University of Illinois, Chicago, School of Architecture, College of Architecture and the Arts
Contact:Elva Rubio, Assistant ProfessorThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

And in that case, are there any classes in graphic design that introduce the idea of biomimicry?

Schedule At A Glance...

Thursday Feb 14 Annotated Bibliography/Literature Review

Tuesday Feb 19 Artist Statement / or Design breakdown

Thursday Feb 21 Introduction

Tuesday Feb 26 Methodology

Thursday Feb 28 Conclusion/ Timetable/ Preview

Tuesday March 4 Deadline for presentation of Prospectus in class

Assignment: Annotated Bibliography

For my thesis writing class, we have to choose six bibliographical entries and compile a sample Annotated Bibliography.

Here is what I've come up with:

Benyus, M. Janine. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. New York:
William Morrow, 1997. Biomimicry is a book focusing on innovations as an end product of human creativity. There are case-studies of problems that are approached using nature’s solutions to these situations. Written by science writer Janine Benyus, Janine proposes ten lessons/steps to lead a better and healthier existence for all.

Biomimicryinstitute.org. ©2007-2008 .
As a new science, Biomimicry studies and utilizes nature’s best ideas and then imitates them into design processes in order to solve human problems. The Biomimicry Institute is set out to promote biomimicry into our culture by transfer of ideas, designs and strategies from biology to sustainable human systems design.

Brower PhD., Michael, Warren Leon, PhD. The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices.
New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999. It’s hard to be environmentally conscious when you’re still a consumer, getting the things you need. This book, which was put together by the Union of Concerned Scientists, acts as a guide to our decisions or any decisions that really matter. The Consumer’s Guide sets apart the signifigant from the insignifigant, so you can stop worrying. For example, page 17 mentions that we, as consumers, need to be given choices at the time of purchase. If we aren’t given healthy choices, then we can’t make an environmental impact. On page 13, it is said that key decisions need to be made on the corporate level, rather than by the individuals.

Gatter, Mark. Getting it Right in Print: Digital Prepress for Graphic Designers. Harry N. Abrams, 2005. Getting it Right in Print pinpoints what designers must do in order to create an efficient workflow and successful printed product, starting with the file. Some of the important and relevant chapters cover environmental paper choices and inks. Page 24 brings up a specifically excellent point when it suggests that you know and choose a printer that uses an echo-friendly and certified process, knowing that printing can be a highly-toxic process.

Gobé, Marc. Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People. New York: Allworth Press, 2001. Emotional Branding explains how important it is to approach branding on an emotional level, based on the target consumer. Specific to part of my thesis visuals, which is enviro-friendly packaging, chapter 14, “Emotional Packaging: The Half-Second Commercial”, provides information on topics like consumer psyche, p. 200 and cultural association with packaging, p. 216.

Pinto, Mark. Biomimicry at E4S. 17 Oct. 2007. .
Biomimicry at E4S is a blog entry that was created by Mark Pinto, who was educated in process improvement, knowledge management, strategic decision-making and adult/accelerated learning. Mark’s blog talks about using Biomimicry in the human idea process. Mark even sets a guideline, based on group decision-making. There are specific key words that caught my attention, like Fibonacci Sequence, Wisdom of Crowds and Natural Systems. The latter two terms deal with decisions based on groups; these groups of people are mimicking the natural process of animal groups and how they make decisions. This natural process is key to my thesis, focusing on how I can integrate Biomimicry into the design decision-making process among a team of designers.



This Annotated Bibliography will be applied to my thesis, and has been created based on my current references and resources.