For example, the incredible visual display of the male peafowl's tail is down to the need for the creature to have some form of ornamentation that would help it to attract a mate and although the effectiveness of this is currently disputed, mating ornamentation is a common recurring theme amongst animals. The antler of male deers are another example of this, although they also lend themselves to sexual selection by combat with another male.
Another example of this kind of thinking can be found within the variations within the bills of various birds. The shapes of which have evolved to suit a birds individual feeding needs. With hooked bills more suited to the predatory birds who require something that can rip and tear at flesh, and long thin bills more suited to birds that require a kind of needle, for example for poking into an insect hive where there isn't much room for a larger beak. I have used birds as the example here, but this kind of idea that aesthetics should be informed function is present everywhere.
So, lets look at a different creature and think about how the way it looks is an important part of how the creature itself operates, and how it has adapted to life in its given situation. The creature below is part of the Phylliidae family, one of the leaf insects. In this case, its aesthetics serve the important purpose of camouflage. The whole insect resembles a leaf, in some species they even mimic the bite marks and browning, curled edges that are present on so many leafs. The leaf insect sports one of the best camouflages that there is and it's the main reason that the creature looks so unique.
However the Phylliidae aren't the only family to sport camouflage. The colouring of many animals often serves this purpose and is dependant on their surroundings. Some of them, can even alter their colouration based on a number of factors, such as temperature, communication, and of course, as camouflage.
So let's have a look at how this philosophy has been applied to a real-world media project. Namely Pacific Rim, the 2013 movie about robots fighting giant Kaiju style monsters. It was one of my favourite movies of the year, sporting some brilliant visual effects and an incredibly striking and vibrant use of colour. For now though let's just focus on one thing, and it is to be found in the Pacific Rim art book, Man, Machines and Monsters.
One specific quote in particular always springs to mind when I think of this movie. From Guillermo Del Toro himself.
"It's a summer movie so you want to see some eye candy. I, however, believe in 'eye protein,' which is high-end design with precise narrative content."
This quote came about when one of the artists was discussing the designs for the Jaegers, and the layers of detail and thought that went into it. An example of this would be the World War II battleship inspired paint job. It immediately sells the militaristic purpose behind the Jaegers inception, as-well as giving us clues as to the rest of the design as more parts of it may take cues from Naval vessels.
Another example is the many small cameras that make up Gipsy Danger's visor, resulting in the "honeycombed" look, as-well as providing some visual interest for when the visor gets ripped open by a Kaiju. Being able to design something that a spectator can look at and go, "oh right, that is why that it looks this way, it needs to be able to perform function X" is one of the most important aspects for a good design.
It has to read well.
The audience needs to be able to understand the purpose of it.
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