There’s little doubt that the unique, original and captivating styling of Rivian’s first two electric consumer vehicles, the R1T pickup and the R1S SUV, played a major role this month in the company’s wildly successful IPO. 

In the second day of trading, Rivian was the world’s fifth most valuable automaker based on market capitalization. That likely wouldn’t have been possible if consumers and Wall Street investment managers weren’t excited about Rivian’s products. The R1S and R1T, with their oval headlights and full-length light bar in the grille, look like no other production vehicles ever made.

Jeff Hammoud, 41, a graduate of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, arrived at Rivian in 2017, after 13 years at DaimlerChrysler.

Speaking to FormTrends, a publication for automotive designers, on the chance to lead design at Rivian, Hammoud said: “This opportunity to create something new, something out of nothing, to build a team and build a process was intriguing to me. When would I ever get this opportunity again? The way I rationalized it to myself is that I’d be more upset if I didn’t do it and it succeeded and I wasn’t a part of it versus if I tried and failed.”