From the beginning, we knew we would need a cohesive design direction. Very honest conversation was needed to get us to minimum viable product that was authentically Amanda Products. What’s going to be great?

On Friday the designers returned to present their proposals to the executive team. It could have been a knock down drag out fight, but it wasn’t. Something felt really right. The proposals met the criteria; the designs stood out. They honored the Jeep brand while enhancing functionality and options. At the end of the day there was clear consensus about which design direction we would take.

Mark Beauregard felt the doors and bumpers were well designed and well integrated. “We have huge flexibility to add design features and customization that nobody else has really.”

Everyone spontaneously gravitated towards a modular bumper where owners could build the solution they needed. The key to this design was that the bumper didn’t look modular; it had a sense of solidity to it. Clean lines hid the connection points to eliminate a stitched-together look.

Nick walked up to the big TV in the conference room and said “this is so brutal; I want this right now.” Lisa said “I want it too.” Robert thought it was interesting how Nick, hard core off-roader – and Lisa, who’s all about having a really nice Jeep – both liked the same bumper design.

Angelo said “We’re changing the way people get to use the SpeedHook™ – changing what people normally think of as the front bumper. It looks completely different. SO FRESH!”

Marc explained “Interaction with the elements was primary. We had to open up the vehicle and allow them to see outside better. On the doors that most people build – half doors – there’s very little to them. This door opens up out of the plane of the body side, not up close to the driver. It allows the possibility of internal and external features. It looks cool and sophisticated without stepping too far out from what a Jeep is.”





When you follow a creative path, you’re destined to encounter surprises along the way.

In Inspiration we went on a journey of discovery, from our product win at SEMA 2013 to Ultra4’s King of the Hammers on the Mojave Desert, through sponsorship of an Ultra4 off-road race team to participation in premier Jeep events Easter Jeep Safari near Moab, Utah and Jeep Beach at Daytona International Speedway. 

We met the enthusiasts who inhabit the off-road community, from those who race to win to those who drive the trails for fun and freedom. We watched, we listened; we became enthusiasts.

In Design internal and external teams joined forces to bring the off-road community’s ideas to life. The designers – initially so different – created and readily agreed on designs that are unlike anything on the market today.

In Prototype we needed to find a 3D animator who could give shape and form to the finished designs. Who better than a member of the award-winning design team that breathed life into the title design for HBO’s Game of Thrones?

Join us as our journey continues from core groups in Deshler’s conference room near Detroit to (a brush with) House Targaryan and the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.