LSN : News : Foresight Friday: Fiona Harkin, director of foresight

Dehydrating Book highlights the global water crisis

The Dehydrating Book by Water For The People, Canada

Global – Water for People, Edelman and Toronto studio The Gas Company have designed a book that can only be read when wet. Printed with hydrochromic ink that is invisible to the naked eye and only reveals its text when exposed to water, the Dehydrating Book is the first of its kind.

Aiming to raise awareness of the global water crisis, the book is ‘symbolic of the current realities and obstacles of communities in Latin America’, commented Mark Duey, Water for People’s CEO.

Printed on waterproof synthetic paper and enclosed in an acrylic cover, only 130 copies have been produced and will be distributed through a raffle for Water for People’s newsletter subscribers.

In Five Design Responses to the Climate Crisis we spotlighted the brands and studios using design mechanisms to communicate about environmental issues in a bid to increase awareness and action from consumers.

Strategic opportunity

Think beyond content to engage people with environmental issues. Consider how your font, platform or materials can spark interaction and awareness about sustainability

Foresight Friday: Fiona Harkin, director of foresight

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, director of foresight Fiona Harkin tackles the tariff tornado.

: Wednesday 2 April 2025, now known as Liberation Day for Americans. Others are viewing it as a shakedown of the global economy. The Trump administration released its roll-out of global tariffs – an economic gamble not seen since the Smoot-Hawley tariff Act of 1930, which raised tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods and is now widely viewed as contributing to the Great Depression by increasing costs for US and global consumers, due to the ensuing trade war it triggered. Although Russia, Belarus, Cuba and North Korea have been omitted from Trump’s ‘friend and foe’ tariffs list, the Heard and McDonald Islands – home to penguins, fresh air and zero people – have earned themselves a 10% ‘reciprocal’ tariff. Cue memes. Lots of them.

: Aside from the memes, I know that many of our clients will be assessing the impact on their businesses. These tariffs deliver more uncertainty in what has always been an uncertain world. But the weathervane looks to be spinning at whiplash speed. So, how can we help? We know that businesses are increasingly having to deal with the here and now, but focusing on the beacon in the distance is a steadying strategy. The Future Laboratory and its services, from this intelligence platform, LS:N Global, to our bespoke Foresight consultancy, is a lighthouse among fast-changing tides. Our Foresight Masterclass Academy, created by our founder and leading futurist Martin Raymond, has now been made available on LS:N Global to all of our members.

: Not only that, but our latest macrotrend, New Codes of Value, is a timely reassessment of what value – and values – mean to consumers when there’s a global economic paradigm shift. It will shortly be joined by our next Communities report, launching 25 April. To truly grasp what these new values mean for your business we need to first identify the consumers who are driving change. Backed by proprietary Future:Poll data, this Communities report pulls back the curtain on five consumers who are united by a vein of shifting values. The new values that emerge, identified through each person’s purchase patterns and brand attitudes, cross geographical, demographical and financial gulfs. We’re calling this group The Value Vanguard.

: In an age of AI, the importance of hearing from real people cannot be overlooked and offers your business a competitive edge in a sea of ChatGPT strategies and generic insights available to all.

AI imagery by The Future Laboratory, UK

Quote(s) of the Day

‘[A cynic is] a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing’

‘And a sentimentalist, my dear Darlington, is a man who sees an absurd value in everything and doesn’t know the market price of any single thing’

Lord Darlington and Cecil Graham in Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan

Stat: HNWIs in China shift towards luxury travel rather than possessions

Photography by Dynamic Wang, Hainan, China

China – China’s wealthy elite are increasingly prioritising cultural and immersive luxury experiences over traditional material possessions, according to a recent survey by Hurun. This marks a significant shift in luxury consumption, with sophisticated travel now regarded as a new status symbol.

The country’s wealthiest people now spend more on holidays than on health and wellness. Chinese HNWIs enjoy an average of 24 vacation days annually, up from 18 two decades ago, while ultra-HNWIs average 27 days off, with 41% taking 30 or more days each year and travelling abroad twice a year.

For the fourth consecutive year, The Maldives is the favourite overseas destination, with France remaining in the top three for nearly 20 years. Dubai has climbed to fourth place, rising from 11th in 2020. Domestic travel destinations including Sanya, Hainan and Yunnan remain popular, while Hong Kong ranks third.

In contrast, traditional luxury markets are facing difficulties, with high-end watches, jewellery and handbags all experiencing declines. China’s luxury market contracted by 3% in 2024, dropping to £174.8bn ($230bn, €207.2bn).

In our coverage of ITB Berlin 2025, the world’s leading travel trade show, we identified the six key trends shaping the future of travel including neo-Chinese tourists.

Strategic opportunity

Luxury brands must pivot towards experience-driven offerings to engage China’s HNWIs. From bespoke cultural itineraries to immersive brand-hosted retreats, how can your brand create exclusive, experiential touchpoints?