Bioinspired far-from-equilibrium materials. Traditional approaches to materials synthesis have mostly relied on uniform, equilibrated phases, leading to static condensed-matter structures. However, departures from such modes of materials design are pervasive in biology, where equilibrium structures, determined by global free-energy minima, are replaced by highly structured dynamical states that are out of equilibrium. The articles in this issue of MRS Bulletin elucidate the fundamental principles for the design of out-of-equilibrium dynamic self-assembling materials systems. The cover shows (clockwise from top right) an optical micrograph of the scales of a Menelaus blue morpho butterfly, thermal image of convection cells, a Menelaus blue morpho butterfly, and an optical micrograph of actin filaments “flowing” by molecular motors powered by adenosine triphosphate. See the technical theme that begins on page 91.