Analogies


An Archive by Michael French

Analogies is an archive comparing natural and man-made structures and their associated functions. In biology, structure almost always dictates function. For example, the arm of a tree branching off from its trunk improves the tree’s ability to photosynthesize by allowing leaves to hang further away from the main body of the tree trunk – thus increasing surface area. Interestingly, man-made structures that are analogous to those seen in nature often mirror those structures’ natural function. A crane boom has a similar structure to the branch of a tree, and thus serves an analogous function of hanging something away from the main body of the structure – in this case, it is hanging the crane’s hook instead of leaves.

Each entry was photographed with a digital camera from a similar angle, then processed using a threshold effect to emphasize the overall structure. In some cases, additional photos including scientific imagery and microscopy were sourced from the internet and treated with the same process. Each analogy is presented alongside a graphical mockup isolating the most basic form of the analogous structure. The graphical mockup is captioned with the analogous structure’s potential function. Through this archive, I hope to highlight the ways in which human design takes inspiration from nature in order to achieve a common functional goal.

1.1 | Man-made Structure | Crane Boom
1.2 | Natural Structure | Tree Branch
1.3 | Analogous Funtion | Extension
2.1 | Man-made Structure | Bricks
2.2 | Natural Structure | Elodea (Aquatic Plant) Cells
2.3 | Analogous Funtion | Rigid Wall
3.1 | Man-made Structure | Colander
3.2 | Natural Structure | Zoanthid Coral
3.3 | Analogous Funtion | Filtration
4.1 | Man-made Structure | Road
4.2 | Natural Structure | River
4.3 | Analogous Funtion | Winding Path
5.1 | Man-made Structure | Rope
5.2 | Natural Structure | Capuchin Monkey Tail
5.3 | Analogous Funtion | Grip
6.1 | Man-made Structure | Hub Cap
6.2 | Natural Structure | Umbrella Plant
6.3 | Analogous Funtion | Spokes
7.1 | Man-made Structure | Mesh Strainer
7.2 | Natural Structure | Dolichopodid (Fly) Eye
7.3 | Analogous Funtion | Tesselation
8.1 | Man-made Structure | Straw
8.2 | Natural Structure | Orchid Stem
8.3 | Analogous Funtion | Water Transportation
9.1 | Man-made Structure | Bird Spikes
9.2 | Natural Structure | Squirrelfish Spines
9.3 | Analogous Funtion | Repel
10.1 | Man-made Structure | Polyurethane Foam
10.2 | Natural Structure | Hawksbill Sea Turtle Flipper
10.3 | Analogous Funtion | Reticulation
11.1 | Man-made Structure | Stained Glass
11.2 | Natural Structure | Cicada Wing
11.3 | Analogous Funtion | Mosaic
12.1 | Man-made Structure | Lamp Post
12.2 | Natural Structure | Tree Trunk
12.3 | Analogous Funtion | Elevate
13.1 | Man-made Structure | Pliers
13.2 | Natural Structure | Leaf-Cutting Ant Mandibles
13.3 | Analogous Funtion | Clamp
14.1 | Man-made Structure | Diving Fin
14.2 | Natural Structure | Leopard Frog Foot
14.3 | Analogous Funtion | Underwater Thrust
15.1 | Man-made Structure | Tee Shirt
15.2 | Natural Structure | Lionfish
15.3 | Analogous Funtion | Striping
16.1 | Man-made Structure | Binocular Lens
16.2 | Natural Structure | Human Eye
16.3 | Analogous Funtion | Sight
17.1 | Man-made Structure | Airplane Wing
17.2 | Natural Structure | Osprey Wing
17.3 | Analogous Funtion | Lift
18.1 | Man-made Structure | Mesh Net
18.2 | Natural Structure | Gorgonia Coral
18.3 | Analogous Funtion | Straining
19.1 | Man-made Structure | Table Leg
19.2 | Natural Structure | Dog Foot
19.3 | Analogous Funtion | Support
20.1 | Man-made Structure | Sailboat Rudder
20.2 | Natural Structure | Porkfish Caudal Fin
20.3 | Analogous Funtion | Steering
21.1 | Man-made Structure | Helicopter Propeller
21.2 | Natural Structure | Norway Maple Seeds
21.3 | Analogous Funtion | Thrust
22.1 | Man-made Structure | Knit Textile
22.2 | Natural Structure | Honeycomb
22.3 | Analogous Funtion | Hexagonal Efficiency
23.1 | Man-made Structure | Scrub Brush
23.2 | Natural Structure | Pitch Pine Needles
23.3 | Analogous Funtion | Surface Area
24.1 | Man-made Structure | Hydraulic Press
24.2 | Natural Structure | Human Teeth
24.3 | Analogous Funtion | Smashing
25.1 | Man-made Structure | Suction Cup
25.2 | Natural Structure | Carribean Octopus Sucker
25.3 | Analogous Funtion | Suction
26.1 | Man-made Structure | Grilled Cheese Sandwich
26.2 | Natural Structure | Phospholipid Bilayer
26.3 | Analogous Funtion | Layers
27.1 | Man-made Structure | Fuzzy Blanket
27.2 | Natural Structure | Human Hair
27.3 | Analogous Funtion | Insulation
28.1 | Man-made Structure | Ceramic Bowl
28.2 | Natural Structure | Barrel Sponge
28.3 | Analogous Funtion | Contain
29.1 | Man-made Structure | Solar Panel
29.2 | Natural Structure | Fig Tree Leaf
29.3 | Analogous Funtion | Sun Absorbtion
30.1 | Man-made Structure | Printed Tee Shirt
30.2 | Natural Structure | Leopard Frog Skin
30.3 | Analogous Funtion | Camouflage
31.1 | Man-made Structure | Flashlight
31.2 | Natural Structure | The Sun
31.3 | Analogous Funtion | Light Production
32.1 | Man-made Structure | Spike Strip
32.2 | Natural Structure | Rose Bush Thorns
32.3 | Analogous Funtion | Piercing
33.1 | Man-made Structure | Hydraulic Excavator Arm
33.2 | Natural Structure | Human Bicep
33.3 | Analogous Funtion | Lifting Weight
34.1 | Man-made Structure | Chicago at Night
34.2 | Natural Structure | Stars
34.3 | Analogous Funtion | Night Lights

Sourced Images

All other photos and graphics are by me.

Analogies


An Archive by Michael French