My research aims to elucidate the design principles that underlie the evolution of natural photonic structures by studying their assembly and optical response. Inspired by nature, we develop tools to fabricate artificial photonic structures usign natural materials. The outcome of our research activity will pave the way to the production of low cost, biodegradable novel materials, which could replace traditional, potentially hazardous colorants used industrially for different applications, such as cosmetics, textiles and security labelling.