Amanda Kolson Hurley’s ode to the design hacks of the age of COVID-19 has me wondering to what degree eventual standardization in approaches will buttress the pandemic going from story to setting. By which I mean, are we more likely to actively, consciously notice these design mitigations when they are disparate and novel?

Which of the hacks (if any) end up becoming permanent depends on many things, not least the course of the virus. Some businesses, particularly chains, have moved past the Sharpies-and-duct-tape stage, perhaps in tacit acknowledgment that the pandemic appears to be far from over. “Official” signs and floor and table decals have the advantage of instilling trust: For all their creativity, ad-hoc changes don’t always inspire confidence that someone has thought a policy through and is sticking to it.