Project Overview

Dsmile is Australia’s first subscription–based at–home professional daily dental health kit. Intelligently designed and beautifully crafted, Dsmile’s unique 3-step formula has been created by renowned dentist Dr. Joseph Badr offering a new approach to everyday dental care allowing people to turn a daily routine into a ritual and enhance overall wellbeing.

A March 2021 report from FDI World Dental Federation highlights how oral conditions such as tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss and oral cancer are the most widespread noncommunicable diseases worldwide - impacting 3.5 billion people - and have severe and significant health, societal, and economic impacts.
Australians aged 15 and over have an average of 12.8 decayed or filled teeth. In 2016-17 about 70,000 hospitalisations for dental conditions may have been prevented with earlier treatment.
In 2014 -15, about 1 in 2 Australians had seen a dentist or dental professional in the last 12 months.
The value of design is fundamental to the Dsmile approach. Sustainability in materials, manufacture and packaging has been of paramount importance in the development of the Dsmile product range.
The strategy is to add value to the human experience through the presentation of the products and create desire to use them at home, ultimately turning a routine into a ritual.

Australians aged 15 and over have an average of 12.8 decayed or filled teeth. In 2016-17 about 70,000 hospitalisations for dental conditions may have been prevented with earlier treatment.
In 2014 -15, about 1 in 2 Australians had seen a dentist or dental professional in the last 12 months.

The value of design is fundamental to the :Dsmile approach. Sustainability in materials, manufacture and packaging has been of paramount importance in the development of the :Dsmile product range.

The strategy is to add value to the human experience through the presentation of the products and create desire to use them in the family home.

Organisation

:Dsmile

Team

Project Creator: Founder and CEO Dr Joseph Badr (Dsmile)
Managing Director: Tamarin Noble
Project brand management: Richard Henderson (R-Co)
Industrial Design Director: Paul Charlwood (Charlwood Design)
Graphic Design Director: Michelle Mackintosh (Dsmile Creative)
Designers: Michael Canturi, Peter Nedanovski (R-Co)
Production: Tom Schorel (Dsmile) + Azadeh Yousefi (PPI Design)
Brand Strategy: Richard Henderson (R-Co), Carolyn Mackintosh & Yvette Caprioglio (Dsmile Creative)

Project Brief

Dr Joseph Badr and Dsmile Creative's Design Director Michelle Mackintosh met at R-Co offices to discuss the brand and project management of a new dental product.
Joseph also wanted to realise a long-term vision of using his 20 years of professional dental practice to develop an inspiring at-home dental health care product range for families.
The project brief for R-Co was to bring the brand strategy to life; develop the dental product range including an industrial design program; work with Dsmile Creative’s packaging solution to maximise efficiencies; and with Dsmile Creative’s logo design and graphic language; and act as a Brand Consultant as the project progressed.

Project Innovation/Need

To meet Dsmile project expectations, R-Co contracted Paul Charlwood of Charlwood Design to design and engineer the product range. An analysis of the marketplace and positioning opportunities was undertaken. With the professional input of Dr Joseph Badr, and the guiding eye of
Design Director Michelle Mackintosh, Charlwood Design developed the industrial design of the product range though a design process.
The brand strategy of R-Co, product design by Charlwood Design, product innovation management by Tom Schorel of Dsmile and graphic design by Michelle Mackintosh, supported by Dsmile’s Carolyn Mackintosh, Yvette Caprioglio and Lara Neville, was a collaborative synergy. The outcome is a unique purpose-designed solution, that provides a hero focus in the bathroom with an intelligently designed 3- step dental kit including toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash concentrate and floss displayed on a bespoke dish, as a collection of beautiful artefacts.

Design Challenge

Bringing together the various parts of this brand project and delivering a compelling proposition for the customer would not have been possible without the commitment of Joseph Badr. His vision for Dsmile was focussed on behavioural change outcomes through product use and enjoyment with the beautifully designed Dsmile kit acting as a visual cue inspiring people to change their daily routine into a ritual.
At every stage, how the customer would respond to the product’s and presentation was considered. It was the entire design team's intention to create desire and appreciation of the product benefits through good design.
The trial and error of product design, selecting the right materials and stretching the manufacturing capabilities was arduous. The packaging solution to enable freight delivery to the customer’s home, required engineering the detail in every element, to achieve a “less is more” outcome.

Sustainability

This is an innovative product idea that delivers, through sustainable design, a practical solution that adds value for people’s lifestyle and enhanced design-driven presentation in their bathroom. It’s an affordable package priced below $50. Dsmile will only be available on-line, eliminating the need for costly retail considerations.
The customer's relationship with the brand is deepened through the use of recycled materials and the ability of the product to be recycled itself. Elements including toothbrush heads and floss reels are replaceable, while toothbrush handles, the mouthwash bottle, floss container and bespoke dish are designed for permanent use. By using brand strategies and the rigours of design process, the original client objectives of contributing to better health have been achieved, a new business created, and Dr Joseph Badr’s vision of making a difference realised.
As part of a bigger picture, the Dsmile philosophy is to contribute to better health care for global communities, empowered by great Australian design.