tom arban
graphic content tExt
Leslie Jen
Entro CommuniCations provEs itsElf as an indispEnsablE ComplEmEnt to thE arChitECtural dEsign proCEss by imbuing buildings with grEatEr potEntial, rEsulting in a morE riChly tExturEd ExpEriEnCE. Architects have become increasingly aware of the critical role that environmental graphic designers play in realizing some of the finer details of a successful building or urban design scheme. Their expertise in visual communications provides the necessary coherence to help mitigate the confusion inherent in the urban context, elevating the experience of the everyday citizen from unremarkable and baff ling to pleasurable and engaging. Entro Communications has established itself as a key player in architectural and urban design projects worldwide, designing and implementing placemaking graphics, wayfinding and donor recognition systems—among other things. Headquartered in Toronto, the firm also maintains offices in Calgary and Zürich, facilitating their involvement in projects on an international level. Having cultivated a particular niche in technical knowledge and fabrication, Entro boasts a long history involving collaborations with global interdisciplinary design powerhouses such as Pentragram and Bruce Mau. And their position was further strengthened when they merged with 45-year-old communications design firm Gottschalk+Ash in 2011, acquiring Principal Creative Director Udo Schliemann in the process. A native of Germany, Schliemann graduated from the Technical College for Design in Würzburg in 1982, and began his career at the vener-
abovE Brilliant cobalt blue vertical glass fins feature the names of major donors, and form an integral and recognizable element of the prominent Bay Street façade of the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning.
able Stuttgart-based design studio Stankowski + Duschek. He speaks with profound respect about the late Anton Stankowski, his former mentor and one of Germany’s foremost graphic designers, who instilled valuable lessons in the young man. “For me,” says Schliemann, “there is no separation between free and applied art. It only has to be good.” He envisions his role in an architectural project as going far beyond the mere provision of signs; for him, graphics, electronic displays and wayfinding “speak” to a building’s users, and are an integral part of the entire experience. Charmingly soft-spoken, Schliemann describes the culture and spirit of collaboration that cements Entro’s longstanding relationships with some of the most notable architecture firms in Canada and abroad. Each party’s recognition of the strengths of an interdisciplinary approach and a mutual respect for each other have resulted in a vast number of successful projects in virtually every building sector there is—including civic, cultural, educational, health care, retail and corporate/commercial. In keeping with the architect’s vision, Entro’s aim is to inject artistic expression into the building by way of colour, form, text and image in creating a memorable and branded environment that reflects the ethos of the client. This can be seen in the recently completed Daniels Spectrum project in Toronto’s rapidly transforming multicultural Regent Park neighbour-
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canadian architect 09/14
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