As remote workers return to the office, they’re seeking to reconnect with their organizations. Investing in culture by building your employer brand — an organization’s reputation as an employer, as seen by its employees — is critical for reconnecting with returning workers. People are craving reconnection — with each other and their company culture — so organizations should focus on design solutions that encourage human connection and communicate shared values and a collective mission.

As consumers reconnect with brands and each other in person, they’re looking for new ways to engage and have fun. Brands can tap into consumers’ latent desires to enjoy experiences that are enriching, rejuvenating, and sensorial. Understanding how sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste affect emotions and behaviors is a powerful aspect of a sensory design experience. Sensory design allows brands to create human experiences that are engaging and highly valued.

While the COVID-19 vaccine may help to address health concerns as consumers return to shops and other destinations, communication design that’s both informative and comforting is essential to rebuilding trust. Brands can reinforce this through communication campaigns that resonate and inspire. By connecting personal beliefs, aspirations, and stories to organizational goals and actions, organizations can build stronger, purpose-led brands that foster belonging and support a community based on shared values.