The assignment was to select any object from RISD's Nature Lab and create one wearable product, one handheld object, and one architectural object based on the form and function we observed in the natural object. I was intrigued by the many intricate patterns and details in a beetle, and began by sketching all the forms within and around its body. I studied the coherence between structure and form throughout the beetle, until I was sure I had a strong understanding of the animal.

 

To create the objects, I went back and forth between drawing the beetle and the conceptual object, making sure that the lines i used related to those found in the beetle.

We were then to elaborate on the design of one of our objects. I chose the basketball shoe, because of the inherent properties of dynamic support and stucture required of the product, which I felt resonated with the function of the beetle's body parts.