2019 taught us a few things about life–we say this reflecting five and a half months into 2020 and 9 weeks into quarantine. But, a big thing that 2019 showed us was the big power of irrationality and the positive effects that can occur when you take a leap of faith and chase an out-of-the-box idea to help your company grow. Irrationality led to the reimagining of vehicle design, global issues, and customer experience.

Here are some featured examples: 

Tesla’s Cybertruck: Tesla marketed it as having “better utility than a truck, with more performance than a sports car.” This vehicle ditched the predictable model (think Ford’s F150) and reimagined its design completely and what resulted was a vehicle that looks more like a dystopian cyberpunk tank than a classic truck. Creative packaging design, no? As of January, Tesla was reported to have 250,000 preorders and an estimated $4.5 billion increase in revenue by 2025.  

Boyan Slat’s Interceptor: Boyan Slat, 25 year old CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, has taken a different angle to tackling cleaning up the ocean, a huge global issue. Typically, man-powered machines have cleaned up garbage once it’s landed beachside. However, Slat’s Interceptor is a solar-powered system that goes straight to the source of the trash: rivers. His boldness in reimaging solutions to a preexisting problem will likely, according to Ocean Cleanup, result in targeting 80% of all ocean garbage, making this an efficient approach to preventing future ocean pollution. The efficacy of this endeavor lies in forging big global brand partnerships that can aid in further supporting various features along the production line (AI technology, logistics and shipping, legal).  

Walmart’s InHome: Walmart’s reimaging of customer experience resulted in their new grocery delivery program: InHome. Partnering with smart-entry companies like Level Home and Nortek Security & Control to gain access to your home/garage, InHome delivers your items directly into your refrigerator. Walmart also added a live streaming camera on the delivery people to ease any snooping concerns. What this represents is an irrational “user experience” approach that boldly positions Walmart and their brand as one who cares so much about their customers they’d never let your groceries sit unattended and unchilled.  

In a world where everyday life can be flipped on its head in the blink of an eye (*cough cough* quarantine), embracing irrationality just might be the most effective course of action for creative design. What Tesla, Boyan Slat, and Walmart have shown is that redesigning solutions to age old problems that fit your brands image and message does not have to be part of a predestined mold. You can boldly chase after new ideas and concepts. So, when you are thinking, “Hey, I have a really cool concept and I want to redesign my website,” go for it! And call us when you do.