citylikeyou — Salamanca / Xavi Garcia

Graphic designer from Salamanca, whose work reconciles classical motifs with the global concourse. After studying at Central Saint Martins, London, and with experience in New York City and Barcelona, Xavi now works from his hometown, a medieval city of golden stone located in the mid-West of Spain.

http://www.equisgarcia.com

Designer

Current city: Salamanca

equisgarcia.com

Salamanca / Place

Walls in some of the buildings surrounding the University are fully covered with this medieval form of graffiti called Vitor. Meaning victory, and dating as far back as the 14th century, they celebrate a student's graduation with a Doctorate. Traditionally painted using bull's blood (now with a less-controversial, less-charming synthetic pigment) it's interesting to see all the different variations on the same theme.

Salamanca / River

I enjoy riding my bike alongside the river, or sitting barefoot on the grass with a good read. Views include (within 100 meters) a Roman bridge, a Gothic-Baroque cathedral and a Modernist house with a mind-blowing stained-glass façade. A walk at night (with all these buildings illuminated) is mesmerizing, and in summertime it is also possible to rent a little boat and navigate the river.

Salamanca / Place

This medieval vault (attributed to Fernando Gallego) is one of my favorite places in the city to think. Set in a dark chamber, with only this piece on display and soft classical music playing on the background, colors seems to start changing every minute you spend there. By the time you leave the room, you will feel like you just returned from a different era.

Salamanca / Museum

In a city with such a big presence of historical landmarks, the fact that the contemporary museum is housed in the former city jail seems rather ironic—a lounge bar is also quite fittingly located on the jail's patio. Conserving most of the old elements from its former use, the space is always worth visiting, even if it's only to interact with this wonderful permanent installation by Mona Hatoum. The piece, located in room 4, repurposes the cell's doors to form a revolving door without exit.

Salamanca / Village

These two small mountain villages make for the perfect city escape in either summer or winter. I like to wander around the narrow, cobbled streets, cosy up in one of the many restaurants and cafés and look at the local craftsmen work in their shops. Not far away there's a mountain topped with a monastery—a great place to enjoy of a good dose of fresh air and serenity. Amazing views of the area don't hurt either.

New York / Designer

I am a designer and a maker. I live in Brooklyn with my husband and two daughters. I paint and write when I find small pockets of time.

Los Angeles / Designer

Weekends is a design studio with a passion for interior design, branding, concept, and creative consulting. With studios in Paris and Los Angeles we specialize in introducing emerging brands to international markets

London / Designer

Designer at Made Thought

New York / Creative Director

As the Chief Creative Officer of Squarespace, David leads the company’s award-winning creative team, whose work encapsulates all brand creative, web design and product design efforts for the company. His personal mission is to build great products and a great brand, while telling compelling stories at the intersection of product, design and marketing. Since joining Squarespace in 2013, David has masterminded four Super Bowl campaigns and won an Emmy award for most Outstanding Commercial of 2017. He has also led the successful launches of Squarespace Logo and Squarespace 7. Prior to Squarespace, David served as Worldwide Digital Executive Creative Director of TBWA Worldwide and led the creation and launch of the Digital Arts Network. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy and AKQA, and as an Art Director at Sid Lee. His work has been recognized by almost every industry award, including the Cannes Lions, ADC, Clios, One Show, D&AD, Webby Awards and SXSW Interactive. David has recently been named as one of the Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company in 2017. He currently serves as an Executive Member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and is on the advisory board at D&AD. He is a frequent judge and gives talks for the ADC, One Show, D&AD, AICP, Webby Awards, SXSW and Fast Company. He graduated from RISD with a BFA in graphic design. A native of Quebec, Canada, David now resides in Tribeca with his wife and daughter.

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