Jul 01, 2025
The adulting grind culture of the past decade is wearing thin, and we’re seeing people actively seek out ways to reconnect with childlike states of wonder: through playful design, surreal aesthetics, immersive experiences, and the rediscovery of hobbies sometimes dismissed as frivolous. Reclaiming Wonder is all about reawakening creativity and curiosity, to drive emotional resilience
Where It’s Going: Reclaiming Wonder is having a harder time cutting through. It’s hard to find space for joy and play when the world feels this bleak. But that’s exactly why it matters. The challenge is making space for wonder without minimising or avoiding the reality of the situation.
In Istanbul, laundry brand OMO has turned outdoor advertising into a canvas for play. Through its Play is Outside campaign, OMO transformed static billboards into interactive installations, adding football goals, basketball hoops, and slides across urban districts. The initiative builds on the brand’s long-running “Dirt is Good” platform, reframing mess as a sign of joyful, embodied childhood. And it’s not just for kids: OMO openly invites adults to join in too, recognising play as a creative act that belongs in public life, not just private time.
So What: OMO’s campaign aims to restore joy and imagination in the places we least expect it, in a world where life has become more vertical, screen-based, and efficiency-driven. Reimagine where and how play can happen, not just in designated spaces, but in every corner of daily life. It’s about turning an ordinary touchpoint into a moment of levity, delight, or surprise.
This American airport introduced an onsite live poetry program, where poets transformed travellers’ stories into original poems and performed them.
In April, the National Trust tapped AI to allow users to visualise blossom trees in their local environment with their smartphones.
For Valentine’s day this year, LEGO launched a flower truck where visitors could take part in hands-on workshops to create personalised flower stems for their loved ones.