News 04.11.2021

Need to Know

Therapeutic garments combining acupressure with movement, Mastercard’s touch-based inclusivity update and strong consumer interest in holiday travel.

These healing garments target acupressure points

The Healing Imprint by Laura Deschl
The Healing Imprint by Laura Deschl
The Healing Imprint by Laura Deschl

The Netherlands – Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Laura Deschl is exploring the potential for non-invasive acupressure to be integrated into activewear. Her project, The Healing Imprint, presents custom-knit, therapeutic garments that allow small massage balls to be inserted and moved onto specific acupressure points on the body, feet, hands and head.

The full project includes a body suit, gloves, socks and a pillow. Designed to be used in conjunction with exercise and movement such as yoga, this approach to healing is more intuitive. The garment is not only an interface for an individual to access embodied knowledge and self-awareness, but also represents how design can converge fields such as science, business, medicine, psychiatry and textile-making,’ says Deschl.

In an era of Synchronised Care, such projects show how innovations previously seen in Protective Performance Apparel can be reworked as solutions for aftercare and ongoing healing.

Strategic opportunity

Holistic wellbeing is a high priority for global consumers. Both wellness and fashion brands can therefore take cues from this project and consider ways of designing healthcare elements into textiles

The Author Clock brings literature to daily moments

The Author Clock by Mechanical Design Labs The Author Clock by Mechanical Design Labs
The Author Clock by Mechanical Design Labs The Author Clock by Mechanical Design Labs

Pasadena – The Author Clock uses quotes from novels to announce the time, transforming the digital clock into a discovery tool for contemporary and classic literature.

Creator Jose Cardona designed this home clock to present the time through literary paragraphs that mention specific moments throughout the day. Serving as both a literary archive and a conversation-starter, the clock aims to expose home-owners and their visitors to a broad range of genres, from contemporary novels to classic tales. ‘Our hope is that Author will help readers discover new books, authors and even genres,' explains Cardona.

As the product is meant to appeal to readers who enjoy the tactility of books, its simple design adheres to the unobtrusive principles of Discreet Tech. Combining a sustainably sourced white oak frame with two sizes of display – 4-inch or 7.5-inch – the Author Clock manages to evoke a more analogue aesthetic.

Strategic opportunity

When developing smart home technology, companies should consider not only their target audiences' interests, but how to make tech more discreet through design so that it can blend with their furnishings

Mastercard’s tactile update improves card accessibility

US – In a bid to expand its inclusivity efforts, the financial services company is introducing an accessible card standard to support blind and partially sighted people. Mastercard’s innovation, the Touch Card, includes a round notch for credit cards, a broad squarish notch for debit cards and a triangular notch for prepaid cards.

By adding these simple additions, Mastercard shows how existing designs can be updated to suit a broad range of consumers. This accessible card standard has also been developed to work with card machines and ATMs – ensuring it can be deployed at scale. The Touch Card will provide a greater sense of security, inclusivity and independence to the 2.2bn people around the world with visual impairments,says Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer at Mastercard.

As brands across sectors recognise the importance of designing inclusive everyday products, Mastercard is setting an example in the fintech sector by showing how its products and services can better cater for diverse audiences.

The Touch Card by Mastercard

Strategic opportunity

Brands across sectors should take inspiration from this update and use simple design cues to enable greater accessibility. Technology brands could easily integrate a tactile approach into hardware, for example, such as plugs or adapters

Stat: US consumers plan to travel more this holiday season

Trippin Trippin

As the holiday season approaches, a relaxation of restrictions and a rise in flexible working arrangements have led to greater consumer confidence in travel, with 47% of Americans are planning at least one festive holiday this year.

After a year of virtual gatherings and digital parties, new research by Amex shows that people are keen to return to physical events, with 44% of respondents planning to visit their family and friends in person this holiday season. What’s more, the research finds that 63% of consumers are willing to book a trip now even if they are forced to cancel it later.

New workplace policies play a significant role in this increased consumer desire for travel. Among employed respondents to Amex's study, 61% state that working from home gave them greater leeway to avoid busy travel days, while 57% said that it allowed them to extend their trip.

Eager to reclaim the normality denied by the pandemic and to take advantage of flexible workplace policies, consumers are re-embracing the face-to-face family connection, celebrating the principles of Togetherness Travel.

Strategic opportunity

Travel and hospitality companies should focus on friendship and family when creating campaigns this holiday season

Previous News Articles
Vattenfall and Samuel L Jackson’s seaweed snack is grown on wind farms

News

Vattenfall and Samuel L Jackson’s seaweed snack is grown on wind farms

Swedish energy company, Vattenfall has teamed up with actor Samuel L Jackson to launch Wind Farmed Seaweed Snacks, a limited-edition delicacy grown...
Visual : Sweden : Energy
Happy Head debuts DNA-based system for personalised hair growth

News

Happy Head debuts DNA-based system for personalised hair growth

Happy Head has launched StrandIQ, the world’s first dermatologist-developed hair growth system powered by genetic analysis, giving patients tailore...
Health : Wellness : Happy Head StrandIQ
Stat: Luxury consumers’ optimism is improving amid global slowdown

News

Stat: Luxury consumers’ optimism is improving amid global slowdown

Saks’ latest Luxury Pulse survey shows rising confidence among luxury shoppers, with more than half planning to maintain or increase their spending...
Stat : Statistics : Statistic
Louis Vuitton brings La Beauté to life with immersive Soho pop-up

News

Louis Vuitton brings La Beauté to life with immersive Soho pop-up

Louis Vuitton has marked the launch of its first cosmetics line with a limited-time pop-up in New York’s Soho, transforming 104 Prince Street into ...
Retail : Luxury : Beauty
Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

News

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Foresight Friday
Stat: US adults are losing confidence in capitalism 

News

Stat: US adults are losing confidence in capitalism 

Stat : Statistic : Money
Knight Frank’s research signals the rise of wellness in luxury real estate

News

Knight Frank’s research signals the rise of wellness in luxury real estate

In The Residence Report, released in September 2025, global real estate consultancy Knight Frank explores the future of luxury residential developm...
Luxury : Real Estate : Wellness
Nike changes Just Do It to Why Do It? in new campaign

News

Nike changes Just Do It to Why Do It? in new campaign

Nike has re-imagined its iconic Just Do It slogan for today’s athletes with the launch of its latest campaign, Why Do It? 
Visual : Nike : Campaign
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation merges sustainability and local pride

News

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation merges sustainability and local pride

The Department of Conservation in New Zealand has unveiled a three-year campaign with Deloitte Digital and Deloitte’s Sustainability and Climate te...
Conservation : National Branding : New Zealand
Stat: The majority of Gen Alpha consumers buy clothes to create content

News

Stat: The majority of Gen Alpha consumers buy clothes to create content

Clothing retailer PacSun’s study of more than 6,000 Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers in the US reveals how fashion purchases are increasingly made for...
Gen Alpha : Fashion : Retail
You have 0 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN