The Ferrand, Bicker & Associates is a design studio in Coimbra, which has been awarded the Silver Award from the European Design Awards. A prize awarded to the artwork on the covers of books published by the Minotaur.
Built in 1998, the FBA is a design company that "works in visual solutions, which are dictated by programs, contexts, needs.". A concept reinforced by John Bicker one of its founders that supplements this definition by saying that "It is someone who uses all forms of communication to express an idea, whether through artwork, photography and or more caligraphy fonts. All this together. "
The quest for excellence has led this work in communication design to a higher level, with the same graphic design for publisher Minotauro Coimbra, having recently been honored among over 800 applications submitted, the AIGA prize from the oldest and largest International association of professionals design based in New York. A recognition that the designer considers very important, because "we are being assessed by someone in the area, with high standards of quality and that is understood in the matter." A positive assessment that he does not extend to the few national competitions says John Bicker, "quality parameters are different. There is a tradition of communication design as in the U.S. and England. Therefore, the evaluation is not the same, has no standards. The few national competitions that exist, has no credibility". This is because "juries are some of the medium, but most do not. The difference is that in a European competition, the jury is composed of all heads of virtually all the design magazines in Europe. Portugal, doesn't have a specific magazine for design. "
The graph concept of the publications, title Contra Natura, Crematorium, Bingo! E Sem necessidade , had the inspiration from the hands of Ana Boavida, the illustrator who created the visual dynamics of the covers "after reading all the books" which were selected by the Minotaur. However, in their day to day, the inspiration for John Bicker also emerges through the work of designers he admires, such as "Alan Fletcher, who is now dead and Sebastião Rodrigues, both graphic designers."
With regard to recognition of the services of FBA in the country, the partner play down, stating that " in our company we have no grounds for complaints. We only work with some Portuguese entrepreneurs and public institutions. Clearly there must be many who do not work like that and we do, they don't have that sensitivity. " The fact of being located in Coimbra, far from centers of decision, never was a impediment, because, "Today, it has no great importance, sometimes there is little resistance, they say that we are far from Lisbon or Porto. But things usually not need be resolved on the spot. Both worked with a Coimbra publisher, and Madeira's the same way. There is no need to be in loco, neither one nor the other , everything goes through the internet. The fact that this city does not invalid our work, we send everything to the printer thru e-mail. "
