Research through Design
Web Design
Typography
This project was made as part of the Visual Communication Honours course at the University of Technology Sydney.
Thank you to studio leader Monica Monin, and faculty members including Jacqueline Lorber Kasunic, Georgina Hibberd, Tom Mellick for all your support and guidance.
And to all my peers in the 2023 Viscom and Photo Honours cohort.
︎︎︎ FUNGAL FUSION
Fungal Fusion explores how we might incorporate biomimicry into visual design practises through a curated portfolio of experiments exploring these possibilities.
Biomimicry is a practice that draws from natural systems or forms to inspire designs and processes. It has been applied in several design fields, including fashion, architecture, and product design; however, its potential in visual communication design still needs to be explored.
This project is focused on fungi and applying observations from the functions and processes of cultivating mycelium and mushroom growth to developing typefaces and grid design. This compilation of experiments documents this process and presents a critical analysis of their outcomes.
Fungal Fusion investigates the potential for biomimicry to open up new ways of thinking through visual communication design. This project also speculates how the potential for exploring alternative perspectives and methods that may be grounded in non-human beings.
It all starts with just a spore.
Young Ones ADC 2024 (Capstone) Finalist
Explore the project at:
︎︎︎Fungalfusion.com
THE PROCESS
Following the biomimetic design process, a set of three experiments were conducted. These experiments were material-based, and all observed the processes of fungal growth. This included the processes of cultivating mycelium from grain spawn and growing mushrooms. The observations and insights from these experiments were then analysed to develop a design proposition utilising the process of biomimicry. Each experiment was explained and designed in the layout of a scientific log, with each experiment investigating:
01.How might the functions observed from cultivating mycelium on petri dishes inspire a new typeface?
02.How could the life cycle of mushroom growth lead to the development of a grid system?
03.What innovative grid layout concepts could be inspired from the unique structure of the mycelium network?
EXPERIMENTS:
1. Mycelium Cultivation Typography
Exploring the possibilities of creating a new typeface through the process of biomimicry, drawing inspiration from the functions and processes observed in the first stage of mushroom growth (the development of mycelium).
2. Mushroom Kit Grid System
How might observing the stages of mushroom growth from spore germination to mature fruiting bodies be emulated and adapted into creating a grid system? This approach is inspired by nature and seeks to leverage the efficiency and effectiveness seen in natural growth to enhance the rules for organisation and layout of content in a grid system.
3. Mycelium Formation Radial Layout
Investigating the unique structure and formation of the mycelium network as inspiration to develop a new, unconventional layout structure, distinct from the standard grid layout commonly used in visual design.
