Review 4 - Brand Designs & Designers

The designer that I have chosen to review is Santiago Calatrava. His work interested me because of the building were unique and fun to look at. He was born in Valencia, Spain in 1951, before going to the School of Arts and Crafts in 1968. He graduated as a qualified architect at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Valencia in Spain, and then became a qualified civil engineer at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich, Switzerland. He has been awarded multiple design awards and best project awards. He designed: Chicago Spire Tower, The Tower DCH in Dubai, World Trade Center Transportation Hub, Peace Bridge in Calgary, and Adan Martin Auditorio de Tenerife in Santa Crud de Tenerife to name a few things that he has done. 

The common theme of style that most of this artist's work has in common is throughout all the large building there are some curved sides and bent shapes. The buildings aren't just boxes that go straight up into the air, there are unique sides and shapes to each building.  Santiago Calatrava is known for the fact that his projects look like living organisms, and not like traditional buildings. Nothing resembles what a person might think of when they think of a building, every object takes the appearance of something that could be alive or moving. In my opinion the importance of this is the fact that things can be functional but not traditional at the same time. Things can be unique and still do well, a person or thing doesn't have to look or be exactly like something else to work or do well.

Something that strikes me about this work is that almost nothing that likes like squares or boxes, and when there is when put together with everything else it still stands out. If a person saw one of these designs in real life they might take another look because everything is really nice to look at. The designs feel fun and are interesting to look at because it isn't the same as what has been done before. Each piece is unique to the artist and isn't something that has really been seen before. People don't stop to look at things that they have seen before, but most of these projects people probably haven't seen something a lot like this before.

The topic that the artist's work has in common is the fact that everything resembles something alive. These themes are expressed by the shape that each piece of work has. The shape of each of these pieces of artwork has is uncommon and unique, they have curved edges and large sides that aren't just rectangular. The color is mostly white but some light colors balance things out and give it a nice tone that makes people want to look at it. The white of the work lights it up and illuminates it. The symbolism of the fact that these buildings aren't simple buildings adds to the fact that it might be something else, something alive. These projects take up a large amount of space which just adds to how impressive each one is, and how they aren't simple buildings that just stand straight up into the sky.

 The piece that I have chosen to analyze is the Peace Bridge in Calgary. The reason that I have chosen this piece is because the color is quite different from what the designer has used in the past, and the shape is quite interesting. The reason this was created was to be a connection across the south side of the river of the community of Eau Claire. The message I feel that this piece communicates is that it is okay to be different, and not be ordinary. That you can stand out and be unique, and still be as important as anyone else. The color of the bridge is a red that also helps create a contrast to the color of the landscape around it. The form and shape of the object is circular with large gaps in the side, which is sometimes different from most other bridges. The shape of the structure also creates a very large contrast to the naturally landscaped surroundings. The design catches your attention by it's size and bright color. The light inside the bridge lights it up illuminating the bridge and the area around it. The meaning is implied and the bridge stands out quite a bit to it's surrounding however it is still efficient in being a bridge. 

I think that the piece I chose was an example of the designer's method of communicating through design because it stood out to everything around it, and was not traditional in what someone might think of as a bridge. However it served it's purpose and it allowed people to cross the river which is one of the purposes of a bridge. This designer's style stood out to me because Caladrava creates things that stand out but are still functional. There are implied meanings that just because something makes people stare doesn't mean it serves it's function any less. This stands out to me because sometimes I feel like I don't fit in, and that people are just watching everything that I do waiting for me to mess up, but that doesn't matter because even though I may feel different in the end I am no different then they are.