Bros water bottles showcase artistic designs

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Seven independent artists offer a fresh twist to Bros water bottle designs.

WHEN Bros water bottles first started coming off the production line in 2004, the focus was on environmental sustainability. They were practical, lightweight, robust and reusable. They were also plain and transparent.

Today, the water bottles have evolved into containers with bright colours and colourful designs.

“It was only in 2005 that we came up with the idea of having designs printed on the bottles,” says Bros business development director Terence Lee.

Creative contribution: (Clockwise from top left) Jimmy Tan, Bros business development director Terence Lee, Tan Howe Qin, Cheers 2 Art bazaar co-organiser Miif Plus art director Song Pe, Nadira Bashir, Tan Yi Sin and Lois Loo.

The company has not looked back since.

This year, Bros takes its design tradition a step further with the Cheers 2 Art campaign. With the objective of promoting young, independent local artists, Bros collaborated with seven independent local artists to produce eight designs that will be used for the 2011 Bros Crystal Plus BPA Free Artist Series.

“We have had collaborations with college students but this is the first time we are working with independent artists.

“We know there is a lot of artistic talent out there, talent that is perhaps not yet recognised, and we feel that we have a role to play in promoting the local art scene,” says Lee, adding that they thought it would add a new dimension to the company’s existing designs.

The Bros Crystal Plus BPA Free Artist Series bottles are available in two sizes: the 550ml and 750ml.

The seven artists were given one month to submit two works each. Of the 14 designs, Bros chose eight to grace the Artist Series bottles. The bottles will be available for purchase until June next year.

Lee adds that the seven artists selected by Bros to participate in this design collaboration lived up to expectations. They demonstrated a diverse range of styles and offered a unique take on the theme: water.

“We chose this theme because it’s broad and we thought that it would be good to give the artists lots of room to interpret and explore,” he says.

Lois Loo (Wonderkitten), 30 A Day In The Ocean
“I have six cats at home and three of them like water. I wanted my design to be something cute, something that kids will like. I drew many animals – cat, turtle, whale. The mood my design evokes is one that’s very relaxed, very slow-moving.”

In conjunction with the Cheers 2 Art campaign, a bazaar was co-organised by Miif Plus, a lifestyle store that supports local designers and local brands. The artists were there to introduce their works.

Lee says that they were pleasantly surprised that the designs the seven artists came up with were very different from the Bros bottle designs currently in the market.

“They explored ideas we have not explored before. It’s something new, something different – and being able to offer this new perspective is exactly why we wanted to work with local artists.

“What we would really like is for consumers to look at the designs and think: ‘Wow, that’s really cool!’,” he says.