We interviewed Cristina Gosálvez, head of communication with the FAD, a leading organisation in the design sector in Barcelona and at a national level which has opted for a .barcelona domain as one of the main elements of its digital identity strategy.

What is the FAD and what does it do?

The FAD (Fostering Arts and Design) is a non-profit organisation which was founded in 1903 and is made up of design professionals and companies.

At the FAD we believe that design can improve people’s lives. That’s why we devote our resources to the promotion of creative culture, support for new generations and the stimulation of excellence in product design, architecture, fashion, graphic design, visual communication, crafts and the arts in general, through activities aimed at these professional groups and the public alike.

We also have a centre for advanced materials, the MATERFAD, which provides a service for professionals from the spheres of design, architecture and the arts, as well as companies looking to innovate towards sustainability with advanced materials and tech. The centre also provides training on materials for all these groups and for students from university schools.

The FAD is made up of five different associations. Why do they work together and what is the purpose of this union between the five of them?

Historically the FAD has had sectoral sections and groups, firstly within applied arts, music and theatre, and later, from the 1960s, when design was introduced in the country, the different disciplines of design. Today this union of associations and sectors of disciplines makes more sense than ever, as the disciplines inevitably interconnect and the boundaries between them disappear: craft and industrial design, the latter with architecture and interior design, communication and fashion are intrinsically linked to one another etc. The FAD offers a unique opportunity for its members to be able to get to know professionals from disciplines which are different and yet related, and we organise cross-disciplinary activities which include various or all of them. We are still open to new professionals from other creative disciplines joining up and interconnecting with those we have.

At present the FAD combines the Artists and Artisans’ Association (A-FAD), the Art Directors and Graphic Designers’ Association (ADG-FAD), the Industrial Design Association (ADI-FAD), the Interdisciplinary Association of Space Design (ARQUIN-FAD) and the FAD Fashion Community (MODA-FAD).

How important is digitalisation within your business? What channels to you use and how to you communicate with customers?

Digitalisation is a process which the FAD has pursued from the outset and the organisation has adapted to new technologies in parallel with the advances of the last twenty years. The website has been the heart of the organisation for some years now and is used to distribute information through the different digital channels, particularly social media. Getting the information to reach the target audience is the cornerstone for an entity which organises activities and offers information and services, and today everybody looks for and finds information on the internet, so in this respect this is a very clear option.

In the last year, with the pandemic, the on-site activities we organised were shifted online. Some of them will stay there forever because we’ve seen that they are effective in his format, but we continue to opt for face-to-face activity and contact as a way of relating to others. You can find the information on the internet today, but what you can learn from personal contact with a person of reference in your field or through a display with real objects cannot be compared. As an association we have to provide that added value.

Besides digital communication channels, we’re working to develop 100% digital and cross-disciplinary projects such as an online supply and demand platform for the creative sector, providers and clients.

What is the link between the FAD and Barcelona, in addition to being based at the Disseny Hub in Glòries?

The FAD was founded in Carrer Hospital in Barcelona in 1903 and since then it has been based in different spaces in the city. Consequently, the bond with the city is absolute, even though the organisation doesn’t limit its sphere of action to Barcelona. We have members all over Spain and even in other countries, and in this respect we want to keep growing.

Did you choose the .barcelona domain from the start of your business? Why did you choose .barcelona and what advantages does it offer you?

The fad.barcelona domain was not the first step, because our original website was created well before the .barcelona and .cat domains appeared, when practically the only domains in use were .com, .es and .org. The first FAD domain was therefore fadweb.org.

At present we have two domains, fad.barcelona and fad.cat. The .barcelona domain was a natural step, as we are an organisation which is well known for its link with the city. With FAD a well-used word in the English-speaking world and an acronym for various institutions around the globe, we’ve opted to link ourselves to Barcelona with our domain and our social media alike, to set us apart from other International organisations.

At the same time, Barcelona is known internationally for its links with design and architecture. The FAD, as a leading association for these disciplines in the country, and the oldest, has contributed throughout its history to make this possible. Now, in turn, what interests us is to be linked to our city, and what better way than with a .barcelona domain?