Filipe Ferreira's just left design utopia where he did some beautiful work

To say that we’re jealous of the inhabitants of Benetton’s Fabrica research department is an understatement. Those guys are living the creative dream in a sci-fi design utopia that Asimov himself couldn’t have dreamt up. Housed in a restored and updated 17th century villa near Venice, participants come from all fields of the creative industry and are invited to collaborate on projects ranging from furniture design to digital research. There’s labs, workshops, a cinema and libraries – exactly how you dreamed art college would be until you arrived at the dilapidated concrete monstrosity for the first time.

Recent graduate Filipe Ferreira (aka Graphic Monkeys) is just one more reason why we’re jealous of Fabrica. The Porutguese designer has spent the last year creating in this sacred space and has produced some stunning design work while he’s been there. Felipe’s simple creations are designed with furniture in mind, produced to accompany and promote the 3D output of the facility’s product designers, and allow the objects to shine on their own, without being overshadowed by his work. He’s also produced some lovely typefaces that are instantly approachable, fitting in perfectly with Fabrica’s open ethos.