The Catalonian capital celebrates its rich history of design with a strong program of conferences and exhibitions, proving that FAD is certainly no fad. Barcelona is soon set to host its fourth annual FADfest, or The Festival of All Design. The organising body, FAD, or Fostering Art and Design, bills itself as the Spanish equivalent of D&AD, with a mission to promote excellence in design and the arts in the country. This year, the festival hosts two conferences with an enviable array of attendees: during Rock Paper Pixel on 2 July there will be lectures from the likes of Debbie Millman, Guta Moura and Maria Popova as well as a panel discussion with Omar Sosa, art director at Apartamento magazine; while Open Design/Shared Creativity 30 June — 1 July features speakers including Oscar Tomico, Simone Civero and Mischer’ Traxler.
The festival will also unveil its Best Designs of the Year Exhibition, which gathers over 500 shortlisted and winning projects. This year’s judging panel includes graphic designers Matt Willey and Fraser Muggeridge. A second major exhibition, Smart Flexibility, will highlight the latest developments and applications of adaptive materials. There will also be a range of courses and workshops on offer, from design labs on flexible structures to seminar on design and copyright. FAD also promises a program of six screenings of design centred documentaries, such as Tim Cawley’s From Nothing, Something: A Documentary on the Creative Process and Jalil Lespert’s biopic of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
FADfest Barcelona,
25 June - 10 July
fadfest.cat