Outlandish Optimism at PRPL | International Design Day 2025

For more than 20 years, PRPL has been pushing the boundaries of design, from digital experiences to unforgettable activations. Design speaks without words. It brings brands to life, sparks emotion, and drives real connection. It’s why design sits at the very core of who we are, and why celebrating International Design Day feels so natural to us.

Each year, International Design Day invites us to reflect on the power of design to create change. This year’s theme, Outlandish Optimism, inspired us to do something a little different. We challenged the PRPL team to explore the theme using AI tools to generate their creations.

The results? A bold, curious, and delightfully outlandish collection of visuals. While AI helped us move faster, explore new ideas, and stretch our imagination, it also reminded us of something we already knew: technology can amplify creativity, but it cannot replace it.

To celebrate, we are showcasing five selected submissions from across the team, each offering a unique, optimistic take on what is possible when creativity and technology meet.

This International Design Day, we celebrate the spark of human creativity, the kind that pushes boundaries, embraces optimism, and dares to imagine something greater.

Visual Submissions: A Glimpse into Outlandish Optimism

Francesca Parker: AI-Enhanced Acrylic Painting

Francesca’s piece blends the rawness of dystopian destruction with the calmness of serene meditation, offering a powerful visual of Outlandish Optimism. At the heart of the chaos, where smoke clouds the sky, cities crumble, and mobs rage, sits a woman in quiet meditation, untouched by the world’s turmoil. Enclosed in a golden-outlined bubble shaped like the Earth, her inner world flourishes with lush landscapes, crystal blue oceans, and hope-filled horizons. This contrast reveals the absurdity of finding peace amidst destruction: a testament to the resilience of optimism in even the most hopeless situations.

Francesca’s journey began with an acrylic painting she created, inspired by the theme of Chaos. With the help of AI, she digitally reimagined this original painting, breathing new life into the concept and exploring how technology could enhance her artistic vision. By combining her hand-painted masterpiece with AI interpretation, Francesca’s submission showcases how AI can elevate, but not replace, the true essence of human creativity. Her work powerfully conveys that even in a world falling apart, there’s always space for hope and defiance, proving that optimism is the ultimate act of resistance.

Heather Thomas: AI-Generated Vision of Harmony

Heather’s piece captures a vision of people and nature coexisting in harmony, working together to restore balance to the environment. The scene depicts people tending to wildflower-filled lawns and lush food forests, surrounded by wildlife, birds, butterflies, and pollinators. This peaceful coexistence serves as a reminder that nature and humanity can thrive together when given the chance.

Heather’s artwork reflects how small changes in our yards or shared green spaces can make a significant impact. Inspired by her passion for gardening and the quote, "Gardeners are the ultimate optimist. To garden is to carry hope in your pocket and dirt under your nails, because no matter what’s going on in the world, we still believe in a brighter, greener tomorrow," Heather reminds us that urban areas and HOAs can embrace sustainable practices like planting native wildflowers or creating food forests, benefiting both the environment and the community.

Heather used Google Gemini to bring this vision to life, creating an image where people “share their yards with wildlife” and “grow their own food to provide for their communities.” Through this digital rendering, she invites us to rethink urban spaces and shows how even small actions can create lasting change. Her artwork serves as a hopeful call for positive, sustainable change, reminding us that we all have a part to play in restoring balance, starting in our own backyards.

Cassie Tangney: AI-Generated Forest Serenity

Cassie’s piece transports us into a serene, dreamlike forest bathed in golden light. At the heart of this tranquil landscape stands a towering, ancient tree, its branches gracefully curving as a testament to the passage of time and nature’s ability to adapt. The soft sunlight filtering through the trees casts a magical, almost sacred glow, highlighting the living energy of the forest and inviting us to grow alongside it.

This piece connects to the Outlandish Optimism theme through its quiet celebration of resilience and renewal. The weathered tree, though gnarled, continues to reach skyward, symbolizing endurance in the face of time’s challenges. Birds perched on its branches represent companionship and peace, while the sunbeams breaking through evoke hope and clarity. Cassie’s image invites the viewer to believe in nature’s healing power and the strength found in its quiet beauty, even in the wildest places.

Rich Wahl: The Eternal Optimist - AI-Generated Psychedelic Vision

Rich’s piece is a vibrant, psychedelic explosion of color and whimsy that captures the essence of Outlandish Optimism in a truly unique way. Centered around a stylized portrait of Rich himself, mid-leap in a technicolor jumpsuit, this artwork showcases his unwavering optimism as he soars through a dreamlike universe. Surrounded by swirling rainbows, bubbling planets, eccentric creatures, and fantastical mushrooms, the illustration reflects Rich’s boundless energy and the belief he brings to every creative endeavor. As Rich puts it, "Optimism isn’t just a mindset, it’s a propulsion system. It’s what turns chaos into ideas and deadlines into launchpads."

Created in collaboration with generative AI, this piece was designed to embody the defiance and hope at the heart of Outlandish Optimism. By combining a reference photo with a description of Rich’s relentless positivity and creative leadership, the artwork was shaped into a surreal visual narrative that feels both playful and profound. The final result is a reflection of Rich’s belief that even in the face of chaos, optimism can not only survive but thrive, proving that choosing to believe in light amid darkness is the most outlandish form of resistance.

Katie Carter: Blooming Beneath the Clouds

Katie’s piece is a striking representation of Outlandish Optimism, capturing the beauty of resilience even in the most unlikely of circumstances. A vibrant field of flowers blooms beneath a gray, overcast sky, symbolizing the persistence of hope and growth despite adversity. The sun’s rays break through the clouds, casting a warm, golden light on the flowers, as if to gently remind us that optimism can still flourish even in the darkest of times. This vision of a field full of intricate flowers speaks to the power of beauty and life thriving even when conditions aren’t ideal. The flowers represent the diversity of hope and the many ways optimism can manifest. The gray sky, while somber, serves as a backdrop that accentuates the blooms, making the contrast all the more powerful. Katie’s interpretation reminds us that Outlandish Optimism is about choosing to see growth, beauty, and light, even when the world around us seems heavy or uncertain.

How AI Enhances Creativity at PRPL

At PRPL, we view AI as a tool to enhance creativity, not a substitute for it. While AI can assist with brainstorming, rapid concept generation, and automating repetitive tasks, it lacks the emotional depth, context, and storytelling that define great design. Design is powered by human imagination, insight, and perspective. These are qualities AI cannot replicate.

Our Outlandish Optimism challenge gave the team a chance to step outside of traditional workflows and reinterpret creativity through a new lens. The results were remarkable. Each submission reflected a unique, deeply personal take on optimism, demonstrating not just bold creativity, but a profound understanding of how hope and beauty endure, even in uncertain times.

Their work reminded us of a simple truth: the best ideas come from the human mind. AI may speed up the journey, but it is vision, intuition, and passion that give design its soul.

At PRPL, we celebrate that balance. Outlandish Optimism is not just about exploring new tools. It is about believing in the impossible, seeing opportunity where others might not, and choosing to create in the face of uncertainty. No matter what technology we use, it is our humanity that will always lead the way.