Class Bionics

The Bionics course unit explores nature as a field of knowledge and a reference for the development of Design solutions, distinguishing itself particularly through the application of bionic principles to Communication Design. Beyond the observation and transposition of forms, it seeks to understand natural structures, functions, behaviours, processes and systems as models for the construction of visual and communicative languages. Concepts such as fractals, patterns, symmetry and asymmetry, growth, branching, rhythm, repetition, organisation and differentiation enable analogies to be established between natural phenomena and communication processes. The course unit promotes the interpretation and abstraction of principles observed in nature and their transformation into Design strategies, understanding Bionics not as imitation but as an instrument for research, experimentation and creation applied to form, information and communication.

Not applicable

The syllabus progresses from the observation of natural systems to the principles underlying their organisation and their relationships with Communication Design. 1. Nature, forms and systems Bionics and relationships between nature and Design. Natural forms, structures, functions and systems. Patterns, rhythms, symmetries and asymmetries, textures, networks and branching structures. 2. Principles of natural organisation Fractals, modularity, repetition, scale, growth, transformation, differentiation and self-organisation. Relationships between elements, parts and systems. Analogy and abstraction of natural principles. 3. Bionics and Communication Design Relationships between natural principles, visual structures and communication systems. Patterns, hierarchies, networks and generative systems. Organisation and visual representation of information. Bionics applied to communication languages.

The course methodology is based on an active process of research, experimentation and project development, using nature as a field of observation and discovery. Learning takes place through progressive exercises in observation, recording, analysis and abstraction, in which students identify natural principles and explore possibilities for their transfer. The construction of analogies establishes relationships between natural systems and communication problems, avoiding the simple reproduction of observed forms. Based on these processes, students develop Communication Design projects, experimenting with patterns, structures, networks, generative systems and other possibilities of visual organisation. Collective discussion and comparison of projects allow interpretations and solutions to be confronted. Methodological innovation lies in the use of Bionics as an operational process of research, experimentation and creation applied to Communication Design.

BALL, P. (2016). Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way It Does. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-33242-0. BENYUS, J. M. (1997). Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-13691-8. LIMA, M. (2011). Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 978-1-56898-936-5. LIMA, M. (2014). The Book of Trees: Visualizing Branches of Knowledge. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 978-1-61689-218-0. LIMA, M. (2017). The Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 978-1-61689-528-0. MANDELBROT, B. B. (1982). The Fractal Geometry of Nature. W. H. Freeman.