The annual John Staub Awards were held by the Texas Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art at the Dallas Country Club on October 20th, 2012 in a glamorous gala ceremony that drew travelers from across the state and beyond. Classic architectural structure and design preceded the Web, and continues to influence it. Magic Logix Dallas based global digital marketing agency is taking this opportunity to raise awareness about that influence to help the digital world continue to reap the benefits of the influence.
An interview with the President of the Texas Chapter of the ICAA Mr. John Sebastian, architect and owner of Sebastian Construction Group, as well as sponsor of the awards, illuminates the importance of supporting classic architecture Sebastian tells how of all the architectural schools in the country, only one is known for providing a program with a strong focus on classic architecture, Notre Dame.
“A lot of people think that classic architecture is not in use. But it is alive in contemporary. Many people declare the Kimball Art Museum their favorite contemporary building, yet the repeating patterns bring order and structure that reflect classic architecture, not random or chaotic,” says Sebastian.
Classic architecture is the heritage of building on historical lessons. “Creativity doesn’t exist within a vacuum. Design is always influenced by either tradition and the past, or the present,” says John Mayfield, Membership and Development Chair of the Texas Chapter of the ICAA, who came in from Austin for the event.
Cole Smith was awarded the Board of Director’s award, which was referred to as an ambiguous award that in his case was for Most Fascinating Person. Smith and his firm have served the Hunt Family for about 50 years. “Classic architecture centers on design for people to be comfortable using the structure as well as being attractive,” says Smith.
“Design in the digital world uses concepts from classic architecture on a regular basis,” says Hassan Bawab, Founder and CEO of Magic Logix. “User friendliness is central to web design and development, and the order, the rhythm, the patterns and consistency, along with the goal of visual appeal is all fundamental to Websites.
Web designers learn design principles from classic architecture in order to design effective virtual structures. Without a focus on the user, and intuitive features, a Web site is not favored, becomes less used, is ranked low, and either the team corrects it or the site fades into obscurity like a run-down building.
Web design takes much of its terminology and workflow milestones from architecture, which, like the Web, is highly functional in its designs. To see an illustration of the influence of classic architecture on Web design in a short highly visual PowerPoint presentation, click here.
