about santamaria Design is polarising. Not only in style, but in ways of doing business. The big companies are getting bigger, and have taken on the corporate culture of their clients – the language, the mentality and even the suits. At the same time, another phenomenon has occurred in design. A smaller, quieter phenomenon, and its impact is only just starting to be felt. This is where santamaria fits in. Companies like santamaria have intentionally stayed independent so that they can focus on giving a personal and innovative approach to design. These companies are often founded by people who are not driven by business but by the challenge of constantly pushing the boundaries. They are companies willing to defy convention in order to solve clients' problems. Their language is that of imagination, innovation, creativity and passion. But while santamaria is part of this phenomenon, in terms of location, specialism and business relations, it is also in a world of its own. For a start it has three centres: the London base is run by husband-and-wife team Laura and Damian, with his brothers Fabio in Milan and Felipe in Madrid. Each studio, which was established in the 1990s, has specific strengths: identity and branding in the UK, product design in Italy, fashion and architecture in Spain. And as italian-argentines who trained in Buenos Aires, the Santamarias bring fresh ideas to european design and they are able to experience and interpret cultural and social mores right across the continent. Santamaria has the issue of identity at its heart. It is their belief in the strength of identity – however it is applied – that underlies the Santamaria ideal. Their driving force is to discover and express the essence of each project's uniqueness. Santamaria believe that identity runs deeper than a company manual. Its cultural and consumer impact is more personal than that. And this is true, as well, of each member's own approach. The strength of their identity is forged through the collective force of these designers as individuals. Prepare to be stimulated. Clare Dowdy