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. Nature has gone through evolution and natural selection to develop solutions for problems that designers, engineers, and architects have spent years working on. 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 is presented on a designed website, documenting the process and presenting a critical analysis of their outcomes.

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:

1. How might the functions observed from cultivating mycelium on petri dishes inspire a new typeface?
2. How could the life cycle of mushroom growth lead to the development of a grid system?
3. What innovative grid layout concepts could be inspired from the unique structure of the mycelium network?

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.