Copa FAD

The FAD cup was first introduced in 1917 bringing partners of this association of creative professionals, students and businesses together, to raise a toast to the year gone by.

In 1977 they added an original print in a limited run of 300, one for each of the partners.

2023 was our moment to step up to the challenge of designing both the cup and the poster, a particular privilege as it was the first time the same artist had been selected to do create both.

Unavoidably, the theme to be explored this year was the potential of AI in the world of art and design. It was an ideal chance for us to continue our critical exploration of these new technologies, this time through an artistic and even poetic lens.

For the poster we used pen plotters and AI tools to rewrite an excerpt from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from 300 different perspectives. This way each print was unique, offering up the story according to the rain drops, the kitchen table, and just about anything else that could be personified.

When designing the cup we chose the form of a Rubik's cube as a suitable metaphor for an AI algorithm. A vast potential of ways to reorganise the same pieces, but always with the necessity of human input to achieve a result or solve a problem.

The Frankenstein metaphor offers a reflection on how initial fears of the monster we have created with AI may be blinding us from its capacity to amplify new perspectives and create a platform for increased empathy.