Lixil GROHE

From complex symbols to intelligent systems.

I partnered with LIXIL Global Design to support the launch of the GROHE Aqua Intelligence® icon system. The LIXIL team had audited the existing icon sets, identifying significant inconsistencies and visual complexity, and had defined the broader project need: to develop a cohesive icon suite that could translate advanced water technologies into a compelling visual language.

Working in close collaboration, we tackled a project that quickly became much bigger than icon design. Our goal was to present a curated selection of proprietary, industry-leading innovations with a consumer-first mindset.

The existing symbols tried to do too much. Detailed illustrations, tiny embedded labels, low contrast and dark circular tiles failed at small scales across multiple touchpoints. Because the system needed to work extensively across digital and physical materials, it required an entirely new approach and clearer visual standards for GROHE’s iconography. The project grew beyond the GROHE Aqua Intelligence® icon system to include all 275+ Feature icons, requiring a systematic and differentiated approach.

One of the first design decisions was to clearly define metaphors, line weights and internal dimensions, giving all elements the space to breathe. Depictions were reduced to their clearest forms, built to work from a distance as well as when held in hand. The palette was then rebuilt to meet AAA accessibility standards. Aqua Intelligence received a prominent treatment, while Technical Specifications became cleaner and more functional.

The biggest shift was structural. By removing text labels from the artwork and handling them externally, we reduced variant assets by 87.5%. A custom CMS then turned a single base library into four themed visual styles, allowing teams to upload CSV files, add labels and export multiple translations. This created a globally accessible portal to support timely asset delivery and maintain global consistency.

Less artwork. More intelligence. A system designed not only to look better, but to work harder for GROHE’s consumers and internal teams.

A selection of icons from the GROHE iconography system — A selection of the Aqua Intelligence icons above, and Technical Specification icons below, designed to communicate and celebrate the features of GROHE’s flagship product range.

Alignment of the text labels to a consistent baseline — The system introduced several standardised ways to display information, including the placement of type.

The flexible grid system allowing the icons to flex across both digital and print — Rounded-corner tiles and a spacious pixel grid give the symbols room to breathe, across digital and print.

Details from the products have been woven into the set, including the 7 degree angle of the faucet handle — Real-world details, including the 7-degree pitch of GROHE’s faucet handles, were captured in the designs.

A selection of GROHE icons displaying the consistent detailing — The result is a hard-working, harmonious language of shapes, designed to perform, inform and inspire.