Design & Emotion Blog

Bernardo Fleming is the head of the Olfactive Design Studio (ODS) at International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) for the EAME region (Europe, Africa and Middle East). As a fairly young department for IFF, Bernardo was one of the pioneers responsible for the strategic vision of the department. Today he is responsible for evolving the function and bringing to life new fragrance solutions that capture emotion into functional products for the FMCG industry. He is based out of the Creative Centre in Hilversum in The Netherlands.

Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bernardo has been working over the last 12 years within the fragrance industry, developing a unique and fresh approach to fragrance design. He combines a strong strategic vision with innovative thinking, endless curiosity, a keen eye for market trends, and a high level of execution. For him, his work is integrated into everything he does. He loves to travel and considers himself an explorer always looking for new ideas, ways of thinking and inspiration.

Bernardo has worked across a wide spectrum of projects with varied priorities; from developing innovative fragrance delivery systems for the laundry category, to “time travelling” for the olfactive future in toilet care products, and most recently partnering with artists and designers to enrich sensorial experiences by adding the dimension of scent.

Yesterday I caught up with Bernardo at the beautiful office of IFF in Hilversum, The Netherlands. He showed me around, I had a sniff at the wonderful D&E2012 fragrance he developed especially for the conference with this team, and he showed the vast library of IFF developed products. An intense experience for the senses. I also took the opportunity to ask Bernardo how he interprets ‘design for emotion’, what it means in his field of work and how he goes ‘out of control’.

To me ‘design for emotion’ stands for…

“Out of Control”

IFF

IFF is a leading global creator of flavours and fragrances used in a wide variety of consumer products. Millions of consumers around the world enjoy these products on a daily basis without ever knowing that they are a key component to the unique scent and taste experiences people love. For more information about the company, visit the website at www.iff.com