Back-to-school and office supply shopping have a lot in common; there’s excitement and the energy of new possibilities in the air. If your role supports creativity, strategy, or planning, you have probably gone to the store to pick up sticky notes, notebooks, and favorite pens to bring into your first day at the office. (Of course, these days that office or cubicle might look a lot more like the corner of your home).

Everyone at Staples — from our champion promoters on the UX and design team to our collaborators on the brand strategy team — have been perfect partners to help make this vision a reality. Now, even more people will be introduced to what’s possible with visual collaboration.

"This store represents the forefront of how people are working and learning today," said Marshall Warkentin, Staples Connect's chief marketing and merchandising officer. "Since many people plan to work in a remote or hybrid environment moving forward, Staples Connect sought out the latest products to keep our customers productive, connected and engaged, no matter their location.”

Staples shoppers in the collaboration aisle — just between physical products like 3M Post-It notes and Moleskin notebooks — can engage with our activation, learning how MURAL can help anyone solve hard problems and innovate faster. The activation also introduces guided methods like design thinking and Agile, showcasing how knowledge workers around the world strategize and plan, research and design new products, engage clients in an immersive way, and much more. MURAL and Staples have also worked together to train the store associates in visual collaboration best practices to help guide interested shoppers in evaluating the platform as a solution. And, of course, store guests can scan a QR code to learn more — or create a free MURAL membership.

MURAL provides a free forever plan for anyone to quickly sign up. Because visual collaboration and facilitation are critical skills for professional success, MURAL also offers free memberships to students and educators around the world. And when traditional office supplies — and digital collaboration — are equally accessible to everyone, even more amazing ideas will emerge and more hard problems will be solved.

Visual collaboration with MURAL gives everyone a shared space to communicate what’s on their minds and build off each other’s ideas. MURAL is a vital piece in your team’s collaboration stack, designed to keep work moving forward whether your teams are remote, hybrid, or still figuring it out.