A few weeks ago we mentioned that nature can help us find solutions for everyday problems. Natural resources are an endless source of inspiration when it comes to designing. That is why we will now compile more examples of biomimicry present in the history of design all these years.

We hope they also inspire you!

Humans have often been inspired by nature and as a result have conceived and manufactured efficient, functional, profitable and sustainable products, most of them present in our everyday. This is what is known as biomimicry.

Getting to work or class with a jump from bed has been a recurring dream for many.

Now, with the Covid-19 marking the daily routine of many countries, this has become a reality that has caught many people off guard. So, that is why we want to give you some advices. For having your creativity and motivation at the 100%!

Our time in confinement is the perfect opportunity to do all those things that are long due… like updating our portfolio. So, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get started with creating an awesome presentation of your work.

COVID-19 is greatly affecting our lives. Virtually all countries have implemented confinement measures, which force us to stay at home and only allow us to go outside for exceptional reasons. In view of this situation, we all look for ways to spend all those hours indoors. 

A profound education is essential to face your professional future and with the Roca One Day Design Challenge we wish to support that formation by contributing to the practical understanding of students and young professionals. It is for that purpose that Ahmad Alkattan, winner of the Master Design Challenge, received a summer course at the prestigious Domaine de Boisbuchet as part of his prize.

Just when the new editions are about to begin, we have decided to talk to Josep Congost, Roca Design & Innovation Director and jury of the Roca One Day Design Challenge in seven occasions, so that he can explain to us how to design, prepare and present the proposals during the competition. Therefore, future contestants, pay attention to the following interview.

Bionics can be defined as the application of biological solutions to architecture, design, engineering and modern technology systems. It is a good tool that has contributed to the formation of design, either by providing natural models as examples of several concepts, or through the application of many design solutions in different fields: material engineering, medicine, technological implements and architecture, among others.

Creative work is often a solitary process. The image of a designer sitting in front of his/her computer for hours, drawing, trying out new ideas, both moving forward and backward, is very familiar to those working in this field. There are several techniques that help us in this sense, like Sleep Writing, the moodboards and other processes we have already addressed in this journal.

But loneliness is not always a part of the creative process. There are projects in which we need to work collectively and sometimes, choosing the best concepts with so many people involved might prove to be a difficult challenge, both from the point of view of quality and the sensitivities of the participants.

Holidays are around the corner in most of the countries and for any average person this means rest, sunny beaches or beautiful mountains (depending on your taste), trips, etc. But we all know that designers are on a different level; designers do not rest, even if they are on holidays, they are constantly thinking of that little problem they were not able to solve before closing the studio for the holidays, or even worse, they start analysing everything that surrounds them: if they are in a museum, they spend more time studying the design of a display cabinet than looking at the work of art it contains; or if they go to a restaurant on the other side of the world, instead of studying the menu to choose something different they have not tasted before, they concentrate on the design of the basin in the restroom or the décor of the place or even the lamps hanging from the ceiling. In short, there are things that never change.