School. It's somewhere we all have to go, whether we like it or not. They could at least make it a pleasant place to be, couldn't they? Well not really, no. Most public schools are formulaic, functional places that hardly make students want to be involved in the learning process, let alone inspire creativity, and the joy of knowledge.
With budgets being further slashed under conservative governments in the U.S. and UK, the situation in these countries at least isn't looking up. Not only are students and teachers dealing with boring architecture design, dilapidated school buildings and classrooms, but many also have to live with shortages of basic materials too, prompting teachers to leave the profession en masse. So much for caring about the next generation!
Bored Panda has collected a list of examples of school designers either taking shortcuts, not caring, or needing to go back to school themselves. From thoughtless toilet placements to hilariously offensive murals, these students can at least have a wry chuckle at the ridiculousness of crappy design.
Scroll down below to check these design fails out for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
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German School
So we've seen the consequences of bad design, so what makes for good design? There are a few basic principles to stick to if you want to make sure your design is practical, relevant and makes sense!
According to Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer who was responsible for the design of Braun’s consumer products for many years, there are 10 principles of good design, also known as the '10 commandments.' Even though they were written long ago and technology has advanced beyond his wildest dreams, Dieter's principles still apply today!
New Statue At A Catholic School
This School Bus Ad
Furniture designers Vitsoe have worked closely with Dieter Rams for decades, and helpfully summarize his founding principles of good design with the following explanations:
Good design is innovative The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.
Good design makes a product useful: A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
Good design is aesthetic: The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
It's Even More Fascinating When This Shit Happens In A Design School
Hangers At School...
Good design makes a product understandable: It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.
Good design is unobtrusive: Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.
Good design is honest: It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.
"A Man Plowing A Field" On A Local School Building
Interesting Take For A School Quote
Good design is thorough down to the last detail: Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.
Good design is environmentally-friendly: Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
Good design is as little design as possible: Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.
So three you have it, pretty simple right? If you are tasked with designing something and want to avoid the hilarious mistakes found in this list, check these principles off first and you should succeed!
Being Helpful For The Blind
The Way My School Installed The New Projector
The Absolute Crap Design Of My School. This Is The Place Where Every Hallway Intersects
And dangerous in case of fire. Hopefully there are a lot of emergency exits in the building.
This School Just Renovated The Toilets At Their Gym
The teachers don't make architectural decisions, that's administrators.
Load More Replies...Did they realize the job is only done to about 80%. Some walls may still be missing.
Either that or you're supposed to bring your own toilet paper.
Load More Replies...It's obvious this pic was taken before the dividers were put up. Where are the toilet paper holders for the seats? They will be on the dividers.
The floor is mopped clean, does not look like an unfinished construction job.
Load More Replies...the catholic grade school I went to didn't have any partitions or doors either. When lavatory time came, and of course it was on a very strict schedule, the nuns would march all the boys to the lav and then stand there and watch. I never, ever peed while in that school, and I believe that's why I have CPIPS (can't pee in public syndrome lol) today (I'm only half joking!).
There's no TP or anywhere to hang TP. looks like this picture was taken before the modular stall walls were put in. The TP dispensers will be on the walls. This is almost certainly not the finished product.
Still, when the walls do go up, it will be quite a challenge moving around - and the TP holder will make it worse.
Load More Replies...Oh my God.. just imagine having to take a dump and then people walk in and stare at you. The entire time you're just sweating and wanting to finish as soon as possible and praying no one else will be there. I can't. What the actual f**k
Counterpoint: this bathroom is still under construction. It looks perfect...perhaps unused. Now that the tile work and plumbing is finished, it’s time to install the dividers.
There is hardly any space between the toilet seats.
Load More Replies...well this one isnt ready yet. Those walls will be there. this is just a construction phase
I find sitting on the toilet while staring directly at the butt of someone peeing relaxing.
at a guess? to prevent people from doing ilicit things in the bathroom. Has the (possibly fortunate, from a bean counter's perspective,) side effect of preveting people from doing anything in the bathroom
Load More Replies...I knew I'd be glad to have never watched that movie.
Load More Replies...I can’t believe how gullible most people comment are!! When you construct a new public washroom/convenience, pretty much the last thing you put in are the individual private enclosures. This photo was simply taken before they were erected. LOL.
About 30 years ago my team played an away game at another school. They had no partitions either. Makes me grateful for small things!
BEST... BATHROOM.... EVER!!!! I wish I had a bathroom like this at my house!!!!
they took all the doors off in some schools due to vaping in the bathroom.
yeah but the partitions and the rest of the walls too?
Load More Replies...it's no different for a boy if there just standing next to someone while showing there ding-dong
maybe the boys have different sport hours than the girls, but for certain the design is questionable
we had no doors in toilet in my school, not fun for teenage girl on period
The Pie Graph In My School's Newspaper
High School Gym In Pontiac, Mi. There Are No Words...
This Machine At My School Sound Painful
My Schools Attempt At Being Multicultural
My School Has This Mini Park Inside It But No One Can Get Inside
Our School Has Fantastic Fans
Seen At My School
My School Locker Can’t Even Fit My Backpack Because Of Those Shelves
Front Door Of A Middle School
Extreme Entrance To School Gym
One-Way Window Tint At School, So We Can't See Shooters, But They Can See Us
It's really sad that their first thought has to be about someone using this to massacre them more easily.
School My From Words Inspiring
There Is So Much Wrong With This Map At My School
Our School Must Be The Crappiest Design I've Ever Seen!
The Wall Decoration At My High School, Red Is Supposed To Represent The Freshmen
The Pamphlet For My School's Special Needs Program
My Schools Fine Arts Department Had Some Interesting Stickers
This Graph In A High School Year Book
This Is On Our Wall In The School...
These Signs Are All Around My School, Let's Sell Some Children!
At First Glance, The White Lettering On This Pride Poster At My High School Blends In With The Yellow Background. Changes The Meaning Drastically
The Mirror At The Men's Bathroom At My School
This Door In My School
My High School’s End Zone For Over 90 Years
This Person In My School Book
Off Centre, Misspelled, Hard To See Road Markings At A Local School
My Friend's New Locker Has A Huge Pipe Running Through It
Stalls In School's Bathroom
"High School"
This Graph In My School's Yearbook...
This Sign At My School
After My School Had A Fire Alarm (Planned) I Noticed This
There Are Several Of These At My School And I Am Unlucky Enough To Be Right In The Corner
The Unfortunate Overhead View Of My School's Library Desks
Poster At My School. Lightbulb Looks Like A Noose
This Wrestling Painting At A High School
To be honest, only with the outlines wrestling always looks like a sex scene.
My High School Science Departments Lights
Found At My School
for people wondering what it says: You will never have this day again, so make it count
The Design School I Graduated From Sent This Postcard Out
Good thing you already know how to design because they can't help you there.
Note: this post originally had 80 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Half these schools look like they were designed by middle schoolers. (11-13 year olds) right when potty humor is at its strongest
Another example of no one taking responsibility for seeing things are done right. Some of these are too stupid for words. The money spent on these mistakes could surely have been better used for education. A truly sad comment of our times and county.
I would like to point out that these are the only problems with my school. None are up to the admins.
And we wonder why kids in junior high and high school take drugs - it isn't to get high - it is to unscramble their brains!
I'm astounded at the stupid! Where was the logic, the inspections, the peer review? What a huge waste of the education budget.
My school has a pattern of tiles on the floor, but there are a ton of misplaced tiles. It’s infuriating.
Half these schools look like they were designed by middle schoolers. (11-13 year olds) right when potty humor is at its strongest
Another example of no one taking responsibility for seeing things are done right. Some of these are too stupid for words. The money spent on these mistakes could surely have been better used for education. A truly sad comment of our times and county.
I would like to point out that these are the only problems with my school. None are up to the admins.
And we wonder why kids in junior high and high school take drugs - it isn't to get high - it is to unscramble their brains!
I'm astounded at the stupid! Where was the logic, the inspections, the peer review? What a huge waste of the education budget.
My school has a pattern of tiles on the floor, but there are a ton of misplaced tiles. It’s infuriating.