When was the last time a brand surprised you by stepping out of line?

As we outsource our lives to our tech daemons, we commit to living in an optimised world, controlled and manipulated by algorithms that edit and manage what we see and how we see it. From the websites we shop on, the streaming platforms that pre-select our entertainment to the apps that help us navigate every aspect of our lives, user experiences have been engineered to be smooth, with so little to interrupt the journey that we barely register that we’re making a transaction or are being lead on a curated journey.

Brand identities have aided and abetted the approach, distractions have been removed, corners have been rounded, type has been made accessible, colours harmonious, we increasingly live in a world of nice. Like aerodynamics and drag coefficients have made every car similar, so UX has made every website the same, training us to see the world in the same myopic way with our attention on autopilot. Logic and the algorithm govern.

But when was the last time that a brand really surprised you – stepped out of line, put a block in your path? To break the monotony, maybe what we need in our lives is a bit more friction.

There's different types of friction. The bad that gets in our way – think of the 50 factor authentication needed to re-sign into any Microsoft programme! Friction that’s created by lack of thought and bad design.

But there’s also good friction. Something that stops us in our tracks, surprises us and makes us think or pleasurably distracts us. The tight-fitting lid of a boxed Apple product extends the pleasure of the unboxing experience even if it’s difficult to open. It’s quality friction – if the box is this good, think how good the product is. There’s also the 119 seconds it takes to pour a perfect Guinness - good things come to those who wait, even in a busy pub. There’s other time friction anytime you have to join a waiting list – whether that’s for your Ferrari or Hermes Birkin bag, or the 29 years someone waits to become a full member of MCC, friction becomes part of the valuable social currency.

There’s narrative friction in the inaccessible type and long form copy on an Oatly pack with its wall-of-text micro-essays and jokes that break the quick-browse habit in a supermarket aisle. And the inaccessible three letters in the KIA logo that make it stand out against the heritage marks and bland type of the automotive world.

A Tony’s Chocolonley bar’s irregular chunks make it impossible to know how much you’ll get as you break it – product friction. And IKEA comes in with two, experience friction that forces you around the whole store (unless you know the short-cuts) and usage friction – you need to build it first.

As everyone looks to streamline, simplify and optimise their brands. Sometimes it’s that bit of gritty friction thrown into the experience that will give you the magic that will make you stand out from the bland.