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!
This post may include affiliate links.
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 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
Hop in! You might change into red clothes and a princess will need help!
Load More Replies...Can we just stop for a second and appreciate that a young teen can grow a mustache like that?
Not that unusual. Remember going to school with some boys sporting very funny hairy top lips!
Load More Replies...So, this is a thread about bad school designs, the picture is about a pipe in a locker and people think it’s appropriate to pick on the kid?!
I think it was meant as impressed, not insulting. At least that's how I view a young teen growing a mustache -- very few are able to. I like his hair even better, though -- it's gorgeous!
Load More Replies...I can almost guarantee this wasn't actually assigned to anyone, and the kids just stumbled on it and decided it would be a good story for likes
I think it was meant to hide the pipe and over time, the faculty forgot what that locker facade had behind it, and this kid was assigned the locker. I would be letting the nearest teacher know so that a new locker could be assigned
our lockers are just 1 cubic foot. you cannot fit your backpack in there. I know few people who acutally use the lockers. PE lockers are bigger, but you still get stuck carrying all your school supplies.
I bet no one is actually assigned this locker and the boys found it and decided it'd make a good story for likes
That´s a puberty moustache...Can´t even imagine what his voice sounds like!
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.