Analogical Thinking

The definition of analogy is to basically make a comparison to show such similarity between two objects. Many of the modern things around us that are created by designers used analogical thinking to get inspirations for their form. Either form over function or function over form. Which one works best on the certain product depends on the designers.   

In terms of similarity between two subjects, it does not have to be in terms of physical aesthetic qualities only. It can also be in a form of function without the need to look similar to the related subject. One example i have here is the creation of the new Mclaren P1. Seemingly,the Mclaren P1 looks futuristic and aggressive.

 It was actually designed by Frank Stephenson Head of design for Mclaren Automotive,who got the idea of the P1 from a Sailfish. Why Sailfish ?????

From the image above,you probably could not relate a sailfish to this car. However there are some form of relationships to each other. 

The story was that while on holiday in the Caribbean, he noticed a sailfish on a wall in the resort where he was staying. A man working there told Stephenson that he was proud to have caught the fish because it was so fast. Stephenson was intrigued – he began doing some research on the species to find out why it was so quick. After his vacation, he then managed to get hold of a sailfish which he bought from a fisherman who had just caught it. He then took the fish to the lab and did a research on why was it so fast. The analysis revealed that the scales on the sailfish’s skin generate little vortices that result in the fish being enveloped in a bubble of air instead of denser water. This reduced drag allows the fish to move even faster.

McLaren’s designers applied the same texture as the scales of the sailfish to the inside of the ducts that lead into the engine of their P1 hypercar. This increased the volume of air going into the engine by 17%, improving the car’s efficiency. The P1 also borrowed from the sailfish little ‘diplets’ on the torso of the fin where it meets the tail fin that the fish uses to straighten out the flow of pockets of air and water that move past it. This, Stephenson says, made the car more aerodynamic.

 . The Mclaren P1 is a hybrid supercar which can travels up to a speed of more than 350km/h ! Which is extremely fast given the condition that it runs on electric battery cells. 

The second part of this post is about materials and structure. 

Weaving.

 Weaving was known in all the great civilisations, but no clear line of causality has been established. Early looms required two people to create the shed, and one person to pass through the filling. Early looms wove a fixed length of cloth, but later ones allowed warp to be wound out as the fell progressed. The weavers were often children or slaves. Weaving became simpler when the warp was sized. 

 

Weaving moved on to different materials such as silks and looms that created different kinds of apparels. Baskets and nets were then later created by the process of weaving.

In our modern days now, weaving has become an essential part of a technique to increase structure. 

One example is carbon fibre. Carbon fibers are usually combined with other materials to form a composite. When combined with a plastic resin and wound or molded it forms carbon fiber reinforced polymer (often referred to as carbon fiber) which has a very high strength-to-weight ratio, and is extremely rigid although somewhat brittle. However, carbon fibers are also composed with other materials, such as with graphite to form carbon-carbon composites, which have a very high heat tolerance. Many automotive companies used carbon fibers as they are suitable for making the aerodynamics of the car. For example the P1 as mentioned above. Its body is made out of carbon fiber. Sometimes people collects carbon fiber furnitures at home as it is unique apart from maple wood,plastic resin or glass.

Similar to Ebony, Carbon Fiber can give a classy yet simple look to the surroundings. However there is a price to pay. Carbon fibers are not cheap. 
Thus,analogical thinking can help us to get inspirations in various aspects and also give us more chances to be creative. In these modern world, almost every single thing that has been created were being design analogically to another subject. You just have to analyse and learn the structure and materials. From there, analogical thinking will help you in adapting what you need and what you don't for your particular subject. 

Peace out.