These are all examples of iconic designs inspired by the sublime beauty and complexity, or just pure simplicity, of nature.

The 2009 live in queensland — design in the world one day seminar, SuperNature, takes lateral thinking in design to the extreme: pioneering design inspired by nature. Artisan, in partnership with Queensland University of Technology’s Creative Industries, brings to Brisbane nine internationally acclaimed designers and thinkers to discuss the awesome power of nature and its influence on their innovative work.

How does a bee revolutionise avionics? How does a termite mound become an office building? How do butterfly wings influence material manufacturing? SuperNature will explore the process of design ideas from inspiration to realisation. It will take strict design principles and turn them on their head. It will reveal the infinite ways in which nature can provide the most effective solutions to a design conundrum and the purest form of inspiration for aesthetically pleasing design. A falling apple led to the theory of Gravity. What can nature inspire you to do?