In an architectural rendering, for example, random values might be used to place blades of grass on the ground. The key here is an intelligent decision about what is ordered and configured versus what is appropriately random. In this kind of situation, a random function directly generates some aspect of the work, but that that aspect is usually not the focus.

Surprise is often a necessity in an art or design process. Designers and artists have been constructing situations in which we can surprise ourselves since we have been sketching and drawing. The conceptual distance between intention and result coupled with the mechanical distance between impulse and mark promote discovery. New relationships, orders, and conditions emerge in part because good designers are trained to see productively, but also because an accidental blip in an otherwise straight line might look like something important that the author had not previously considered. When the role of digital media relative to material drawing was still contentious, random values where often inserted into the coordinates of points along drafted lines in an effort to make the content appear–perhaps even subconsciously–warmer, looser, and more human. Ironically, using random in this context involves deploying an inherently inhuman method to achieve more personable result.

Sometimes, the contribution of an artist or designer consist of the rules, logics and coded relationships rather than the output of that process. Repeatedly running the algorithm with random input values can productively undermine results relative to process.