Promoting the Scientific Exploration of Computational Creativity

What is computational creativity? How do people and machines intersect? How can the different fields of knowledge, the different disciplines, be mixed and matched in a common goal? How can we create a brand that represents the uniqueness and specificity of each without losing the ability to represent the whole?

The PROSECCO brand emerged as an answer to these questions. It is a mutable and reconfigurable brand, capable of accumulating in itself intrinsic traits of people and machines, capable of reflecting its existence in an object that does not limit it, but gives it space and support to evolve.

This way the brand comes alive. Its final form reflects and evolves according to human characteristics and machine characteristics: in the design of the word PROSECCO, the user's date of birth determines the thickness of the stroke, the horizontal position of the letters is defined by the geographical location of the machine and the vertical position by the date the brand was created.

PROSECCO is a 3-year coordination action on the topic of Computational Creativity, funded by the 7th Framework Program (FET Proactive initiatives and Fostering of the European Commission). It involves 7 European institutions, namely: University College Dublin (IRE), Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (UK), University of Coimbra (PT), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES), Queen Mary and Westfield College (UK), Institut Josef Stefan (SLO) and the University of Helsinki (FI).

FBA., a Portuguese graphic design company based in Coimbra, founded in 1998, carries out a wide range of communication work, including printed, digital and multimedia media, visual identities, exhibitions and signage, for clients of different sizes in the public and private sectors.

Among the distinctions he has received are the National Design Award, the Sena da Silva Trophy, the Red Dot Awards, the European Design Silver Awards, the 50 Books/50 Covers Awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Certificate of Typographic Excellence from the Type Directors Club of New York and the Communication Arts Award of Excellence in Illustration.

FBA's work has been included in various publications and has been shown in exhibitions such as “Portugal 1990–2005 – Architecture and Design in Portugal” at the Milan Triennale, "We Love Books! A World Tour“, at the Centre du Graphisme et de la Communication Visuelle d'Echirolles, and ”Gateways – 400 Cover Designs by 56 Designers from 14 Countries", at Silo Cultural Norteshopping.

The existing skills and experience of the permanent team are regularly expanded by using professionals with whom the office has developed a close relationship for specific jobs and by linking up with companies operating in complementary areas.

To the work commissioned by its client list, FBA. has added the role of curator and producer of design books for the Almedina publishing group.

Recognizing design as an essential element of social intervention and believing that it should not only be accessible to those who can afford it, FBA. has developed a number of pro bono projects in partnership with non-profit organizations, in areas such as raising awareness of mental health problems, social inclusion and support for victims of crime.