London – PriestmanGoode has unveiled a new concept for aircraft interiors in the inter-Covid period.

Featuring colour psychology to alleviate passenger anxiety, the Pure Skies project re-imagines the in-flight experience for pandemic-proof travel. Part of the design features colour-changing ink on the seat fabric, giving consumers a visual cue to indicate whether the cabin has been cleaned. Multi-coloured lighting is intended to reassure passengers, with cyan – the colour of UV light – and purple signalling the cleaning process, before changing to warmer shades of peach and yellow during the flight.

‘The cabin interiors are actually one of the safest parts of the travel journey, which is in part to do with air supply and filtration, but the perception for passengers is often the opposite because it’s a small, contained environment. So we need to use design to help alleviate that passenger anxiety, and make passengers feel reassured,’ explains Maria Kafel-Bentkowska, head of colour, material and finish at PriestmanGoode.

While in-flight wellness innovations have steadily gained traction, Covid-19's hygiene concerns have created new opportunities.

London – Design agency Echo has created a series of conceptual designs to re-imagine hand sanitation in public places.

One design, The Purgo, was shortlisted for the Bompas & Parr Fountain of Hygiene competition, which challenged designers to consider the aesthetic, functional and experiential possibilities of personal hygiene. Designed for public spaces, the cocoon-shaped concept is intended to intrigue and entice passers-by through the emission of soft, refreshing light and soothing sounds.

While in use, embedded sensors generate sanitising liquid for users which is then diffused as a fragrant mist. The design also uses existing habits and behaviours around hygiene in public spaces. By installing the design in shared spaces, such as offices and railway stations, the addition of hand sanitising to the usual hand-washing routines will become more commonplace.

As we explore in our new design direction, Positive Barriers, designers are reframing hygiene, safety and sanitation.

New data from Pinterest shows that more consumers are engaging in various forms of future planning as a result of Covid-19.

According to the platform, shifting priorities mean that people are now using Pinterest to look forward and plan a more positive future. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company's data reflects how users have sought inspiration on planning family futures, with searches for ‘future family goals’ rising by 30% and ‘future house goals’ up by 78%. Searches for 'starting a new business' have also risen by as much as 35%.

As consumers balance a now-or-never mindset with a growing need for security during the inter-Covid period, many are refocusing on home and family.