Is it a matter of luck that our Flairosol for personal care liquid dispensing device won a prize in the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD 2023? Dutch designer Robert Bronwasser, who created the look and feel of this consumer- and planet-friendly spray solution, doesn't think so.

The iF Awards are the oldest and most important design awards in the world. Their standards are very high. So if from among 11,000 submissions your design catches the jury's eye, that's a strong external affirmation that you've done a good job,' says Robert, whose design of the Flairosol for personal care liquid dispensing solution gained a packaging prize in the iF Award's Beauty/Health category.

'But the key behind a successful product like Flairosol for personal care is not just a stunning design: it's the coming together of aesthetics and ergonomics with outstanding engineering and functionality. The level of perfection that Flairosol represents in all three of those areas is what makes it a winner.'

Flairosol is about a shift in society

Robert goes on to say that as a designer, he is excited about the way in which Flairosol for personal care contributes to a shift in society. 'Flairosol is not just about packaging,' he says. 'This solution is free of aerosols and pressurized gases, and it's refillable, so there's much less plastic waste: this is about enabling consumers to care for the environment while caring for their bodies. That means that as a designer I get to be part of a great product as well as of something much bigger: a step toward a cleaner, more sustainable planet. In that sense, Flairosol for personal care is pointing the way for a market in which our standards for waste reduction, premium performance and user experience are rising. I hope more and more people around the world replace the disposable, high-waste liquid dispensing solutions we're often accustomed to with Flairosol. It's a game changer in a lot of good ways.'

Consumers expect high performance and sustainability

'Design can definitely add a lot of value to consumer products, both in terms of marketing and consumer experience. But it only works if the product, and the vision behind it, can carry it. In the case of Flairosol for personal care, giving special attention to its look and feel was an important, strategic step toward a stronger market position.'

'Just think of all the liquids and foams today's personal care brands are offering, and how consumers are lapping them up. From deodorant and hair care to skin care, facial sprays or sun protection. AFA Dispensing recognizes that these consumers want to be satisfied on a number of different fronts at once. Flairosol for personal care offers high performance, with some very advanced technology inside. It combines that with a unique sustainability profile, being free of aerosols and refillable. In effect, it turns liquids into a luxury, planet-friendly experience for users. Which is precisely what next-gen consumers are looking for.'

Look and feel meets user experience

'Against that backdrop, AFA has also recognized that a super enjoyable, sustainable solution will not go down well with consumers if it is wrapped up in a tech-y, commoditized looking spray bottle: in personal care, and especially at the higher end of the market, consumers expect a superb look and feel that will further enhance the overall experience. That’s where design, when properly merged with engineering, functionality and marketing, can help to make a difference in many ways.

'A sleek design can create a more luxurious look while actually reducing waste and material cost. It can create less of a packaging and more of product appearance: with Flairosol for personal care, it has led to the development by AFA of a sample box that showcases a truly eye-pleasing and nicely customizable range of liquid dispensing solutions for all kinds of applications. The Flairosol for personal care sample box, and the products inside, are a good example of how design can trigger interest and actually help convince people that what they’re looking at could change the game in a number of ways.

'In the end, what next-gen consumers expect from their products is that blend of perfectly engineered technology, superb functionality, a convincing environmental footprint, and a look and feel they'll be glad to be associated with. Flairosol for personal care has all of that. In my view, it’s a real game changer.'

What were the design challenges?

'The main challenge I faced in designing Flairosol for personal care,' Robert says, 'is that the device is relatively small and straightforward: there's a dispensing head, packed with pretty advanced technology and fitted with a trigger and a nozzle, and there's the bottle with the liquid – which in the case of Flairosol is replaceable, so there is less plastic waste. That meant I had little more than a few square centimeters, or even millimeters, of product surface with which to create a distinctive look. Add to that the facts that a product like this has to be mass-producible and affordable, and that AFA offers Flairosol in different sizes and to many different liquid brands, all of whom want to give it their own branding, and you can see what a puzzle it was.'

To bring out the visual magic in Flairosol for personal care, Robert used several different techniques. 'I made sketches, of course, but because the product is small and the dispensing head is full of technology that can’t be moved around, I also used modeling clay, packing it around a dummy dispensing head that AFA had made for me, to explore shapes and dimensions.' As a product designer, Robert believes aesthetics must be combined with ergonomics and functionality.

'Sketching and mood boards are great for exploring looks, but when it comes to ergonomics, they're not enough: the clay modeling helped me to understand how different shapes and sizes actually felt in my hand – an aspect consumers may not consciously think about when they're buying a spray device, but that will most definitely influence them subconsciously. As for functionality, the trigger, the nozzle, and the bottle itself have to work and be recognizable.'

Eureka moments

In the design process, Robert remembers having several 'Eureka moments'. He describes the most memorable one: 'This was when I realized that the place to do the magic was precisely where the dispensing head, which is also the bottle top, connects with the neck of the bottle. I noticed that playing around with the curve and the angle on both sides created very different looks: from slim and elongated, to stout and sturdy. This, ultimately, is what has given the Flairosol for personal care – in all its varied sizes – that unique, classically slender look that probably contributed to its winning an iF Award.' Another 'eureka moment' was when I realized that combining the trigger and the nozzle led to a very recognizable 'Flairosol' detail that helps to communicate the function of the product.'

Robert Bronwassers professional motto is, 'Enjoy everyday design'. 'Designing is my passion. It's what I've been doing since a very early age, and after all these years I still enjoy it every day.' At his studio in Amsterdam, Robert spent many an hour applying his Look Think Create methodology to our Flairosol for personal care solution – often working on his own. 'I involve other people in some parts of my work. But I enjoy the process of designing too much myself to share it. This may sound weird to some people but when I have one of those breakthrough moments when I see a certain direction is going to work, I forget about everything else and just immerse myself in the process. It's very addictive.'