Artists have always looked towards nature for inspiration. I remember when I visited Barcelona and gazed up on the high ceiling of Sagrada Familia to a tree canopy.
Interface Inc, a carpet manufacturer, has been able to find inspiration in nature to forward innovation. The company has incorporated biomimicry R&D practices by sourcing nature for inspiration.
That research was the springboard for some radical new thinking around design. Following the principle that everything is different in nature, Interface began to experiment with designing patterns and color schemes that were varied, instead of honing its development and manufacturing operations to produce consistent fabrics or colors. "Not a single blade of grass is the same color nor is a single leaf the same size," [John] Bradford [VP of Operations and R&D] explains... As a result of that effort, Interface began to have two dye lots in the same tile and to make every tile design different on purpose. The resulting product line, called Entropy, fast became a top selling carpet style, and the innovation doubled the size of Interface's business between 2002 and 2007.
You can read more about the crossroads of inspiration and innovation at Design News.
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