Covid-inspired updates to personal behaviour

London 2020 / Hong Kong, 2021: Fountain of Hygiene was an open-call competition to develop inspired takes on sanitiser pumps and hand-washing rituals. The project seeks to explore the aesthetic, functional, social, gestural and experiential possibilities of enhanced hygiene. It is hoped that this will accelerate the establishment of new behavioural norms which benefit the ongoing health of global society. Ultimately, the aim is to explore how people can safely re-enter the public realm.

Design has a crucial role to play in helping to solve many of the challenges that we face in daily life, including some of those raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. Creatives, designers and makers were invited by Bompas & Parr to develop inspired takes on sanitiser pumps and hand washing rituals, with the competition raising funds to support the work of the British Red Cross. The initiative sits within the wider context of the creative industries using the means at their disposal to reduce the physical, social and economic impact of the virus.

Fountain of Hygiene jury (UK):

Jules Chappell OBE – Managing Director of the Mayor Of London's Promotional And Economic Development Agency, London & Partners

Marcus Fairs – Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Dezeen

Tim Marlow OBE – Chief Executive and Director, Design Museum

Harry Parr – Architect and Founder of Bompas & Parr

Deb Pellen – Global Director, Innovation at Bacardi

Serena Rees – British Businesswoman and Founder of les boys les girls

Prof Charles Spence – Experimental Psychologist and Head of the University of Oxford’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory

Bee Wilson – Food Journalist, Author and Historian

Part one of the campaign was displayed at the Design Museum between 31 July - 30 August 2020.

Fountain of Hygiene category winners

Industrial Design

Steve Jarvis ‘The Bubble Party’, sanitising bubble machine

Luxury Design

Sally Reynolds ‘Step One’, pedal activated sanitiser dispenser unit

Sustainable Design

Terry Hearnshaw ‘Seaweed Capsule’, unit dose dispensing system

“I thought it was such a clever idea to reconceive hand sanitiser as something that could be shared in single-use capsule form or bought from a simple dispenser like a gumball machine. The design was stylish and I could imagine that these could really help in those situations where it feels socially awkward or embarrassing to be carrying a whole bottle of sanitiser. I loved the idea of sanitiser becoming something shareable, almost like chewing gum.” – Bee Wilson

Gesture and Ritual

Line Johnsen ‘Hygiene Friendly Visits’, sanitising doorbell

Awareness and Communication

Zoe Lester, Beth Thomas, Emma Chih, Erin Giles & Kris Murphy ‘Buggy’, mobile user experience app

“Built on surprising and solid science, this solution could really help address a major source of infection. The visuals were also humorous/engaging. Seems an easily scalable solution too, hence potential for widespread impact.”– Charles Spence

People’s Choice Award category winner

Quby ‘Murifier Sanitiser Kit, Hygiene Innovation Beyond the Sanitiser’

Child-Directed Design

Kate Strudwick, Amos Oyedeji, Alexander Facey & Nicole Stjernswärd ‘Paint Your Hands Clean!’, colour changing hand sanitiser brush

“We know that one of the societal impacts as we emerge from the pandemic will be an acceleration of human needs and desires that were starting to scale before the pandemic hit.  Consumers will therefore demand even more environmental responsibility from the products and brands they choose to engage in.  This solution which combines both environmental conscience with the human need for safety through hygiene screams out to be developed.” – Deb Pellen

Cadet Designer (Entered by adult on behalf of under 18 participant)

Bo Willis ‘Handle Sanitiser’, tactile sanitiser dispenser systems

“I found this deceptively simple idea absolutely inspired.  In normal life, door handles are objects that potentially spread germs because they are touched by so many people - so I loved the idea of flipping this around and turning them into an object that can dispense hand sanitiser.  This was an idea that I can see making a real social impact if it could be adopted in offices or schools.” – Bee Wilson

Hygiene Innovation Beyond the Sanitiser

Conrad Haddaway, Twomuch Studio & Inga Ziemele ‘Centrepeace’, mealtime centrepiece for mobile phone sterilisation

“This idea captured not only the importance of regularly cleaning our phones but also, for me, one of the most positive things to have come out of the lockdown, which is meals together as a family. This has become a precious habit that I’ll try to hang onto in the weeks and months to come.”– Jules Chappell

 

Fountain of Hygiene in Hong Kong

Part two of the campaign exhibited at Haw Par Music as part of Business of Design Week CityProg Hong Kong.

A jury comprised:

Sam Lam -  Director, Business Development & Projects, Hong Kong Design Centre

Corin Wilson – Director Trade & Investment, UK’s Department for International Trade in Hong Kong

Joshua Ng – Bompas & Parr HK

Megan Lam – CEO and Co-Founder at Neurum Ltd

Joanne Chan – Hong Kong-based abstract painter;

Roger Wu – Executive Director at Haw Par Music Foundation.

 

They selected Hugh Stant as the winner for his 'Slow Draw' concept for the Hygiene at the Heart of WellBeing category, with shortlisted entrants  Christopher Chambers, Sylva Lamm, Chiquita Kusumahadi and Jenny Tse.

For the Performance Amidst Adversity category, the winners were Carol Ng and Gabriella Lai for their entry named 'When Sanitizers Sing'. Shortlisted entrants were Christopher Chambers, Hugh Stant, One Bite Design Studio, Patrizio Bini and ELDT.