Madrid – Creative agency Niiiiice is launching an irreverent tea label offering herbal beverages to soothe end-of-world scenarios.

Taking inspiration from the tumultuous state of the world in the past year, the tea brand – dubbed The End – offers a variety of flavours inspired by different apocalypse scenarios. For example, Pandemic Chill intends to settle drinkers with its ‘harmonious infusion of lemon and ginger’, while Mint Wildfire offers ‘a calming effect on the digestive system and respiration’. Through its infusions, The End seeks to lighten consumers' moods with teas 'to temper the nerves and better face these extreme situations.'

To promote the brand, Niiice has created a satirical campaign film featuring a soothing voiceover and stock imagery of people enjoying tea – montaged with clips of tsunamis and a nuclear explosions. 'This project was born from the idea of satirising the end of our days by launching a product to brighten up our last moments on this planet,' reads the brand's site.

This playful embrace of doomsday scenarios is something we’ve explored through the lens of luxury consumers and their survivalist mindsets.

UK – Studio Our Design Agency has rebranded dementia wellness company Relish with an approachable aesthetic, in order to make its resources less clinical for patients and caregivers.

With this redesign, Relish intends to pivot its dementia activity packs away from care homes to a direct-to-consumer model. The redesign includes a new name for the company, which was previously Active Minds, as well as an updated bright colour palette that positions Relish as friendly and welcoming. Its new strap-line, ‘bringing joy to life with dementia,’ seeks to evoke positive feelings for those effected by the cognitive condition.

Catering to its wider audience, Relish's resources now use simpler language to communicate healthcare information to non-medical carers, family members and loved ones. ‘We set out to design a brand that anyone would enjoy, rather than a clinical tool for those living with dementia,’ explains Grant Willis, creative director at Our Design Agency.

In our Design Direction Soft Aid we examine how healthcare brands are adopting a sensory aesthetic in order to become more accessible to the public.

According to the Expedia Group’s 2021 Travel Trends Report, US travellers seeking to book post-pandemic travel could venture on longer holidays, with over a third (39%) reporting that their next trip will be at least a week long.

Building on this, almost two thirds (63%) of US consumers say travel creates greater cultural understanding, while 62% of those surveyed believe that taking holidays makes them feel more connected with the world. Post-pandemic, travel will also bolster wellbeing, with 56% of US respondents likening travel to a healing activity.

‘Our latest research demonstrates that people miss travelling and long to reconnect,’ says Anni Murphy, corporate communications manager at Expedia Group. ‘Pent-up demand indicates that even the travel sectors hit hardest by Covid-19 may start to recover sooner than expected. This is a positive signal not only for travel, but also for broader economic recovery and communities across the globe,’ she adds.

As holidaymakers look to gain cultural understanding, it is creating a shift in the travel sector where travel brands are now prioritising the empowerment of indigenous residents.