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Ugly. Lame. Disastrous. This list of descriptions for epic design fails might not be exhaustive, but it’s enough to get you up to speed with the thought bubbles you can expect to pop into your mind as you’re scrolling through the images in this post, brought to you by us from this online group that's dedicated to bad design. Good taste might seem like it’s common sense, but we’ve got all the proof in the world that this isn’t the case. Unfortunately, what looks awful to you and us and obviously doesn’t function well isn’t always apparent to the designers behind the disasters.
Remember, upvoting a photo here means that you love how fantastically horrid it looks. Be sure to let us know which of the worst design mistakes caught your eye the most, dear Pandas. In need of more proof that your own sense of taste is actually really, amazingly good? You’re in luck. You can find our other posts about truly awful design decisions right here, here, as well as here. Got any photos of bad designs around your house? Drop us a pic in the comment section.
Bored Panda spoke about the principles of good design, the line between quality and bad design, as well as human beings' intuition to automatically feel what's designed well with Tim Antoniuk, an Associate Professor of Design Studies at the University of Alberta.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
To Motivate
RELATED:
#2
Spoiler
#3
These Barriers Designed To Prevent Cyclists From Passing Through
We’ve spoken about Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for good design before. And even though we wholeheartedly agree with them and believe they’re timeless, some of them could be adapted to better reflect how much the world has changed over the last few decades. In short, there are some new nuances that designers should take into account.
According to Antoniuk from the University of Alberta, Rams "does a great job" determining what makes design great. However, this doesn't mean that Rams was able to foresee exactly how the world would change.
"That said, given the speed of change that we encounter today in our lives in the digital environment that we live in, I believe that some great design is not necessarily timeless. One example is seen in Interface Design, Ux Design, and in-service design. As new layers get added into our lives, things naturally have an evolutionary cycle. This is different from furniture which naturally can be more ubiquitous and designed to fit the human body. There is a great deal of fuzziness in this discussion but I do believe that the essence of this idea is true," the Associate Professor explained.
#4
'Daisy's' Might Want To Reconsider That Layout
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
Oooh, I need a new ass. I am pretty artsy fartsy and love a bit of diy. Address please.
#5
Honey, You Really Shouldn't Have
#6
He Was Fined For Speeding, When The Car Was On A Tow Truck
In Antoniuk's opinion, there is such a thing as good and bad product, furniture, and interior design. But degrees of preference create a gray area where a clear line between quality and a lack thereof should exist. "The gray area comes in when people start to talk about taste and about degrees of aesthetic. I may love the design of Bauhaus furniture, for example, while somebody may feel that it is too cold and void of personality. Not unlike great art, I believe that much of what came from this era is ‘great design,’ in part because it represents an era and a philosophy. When we start to mix in discussions of taste and preference, that is where the gray areas of good and bad design get blurred."
Antoniuk also believes that people can intuitively "feel" and sense good design. "Quite often, this relates to ergonomics and the usability or functionality of the products and services and systems. Having said that, I think far too many people expect poor design that doesn’t really work well," he told Bored Panda.
What's more, he believes that good and bad design are skills that can be learned, especially when we start diving deep into the realm of aesthetics. "For me, great design is what Dieter [Rams] talks about—it is also intuitive, it is deeply sympathetic and empathetic to the user at all levels, and at some level, it is emotional. It is a catalyst for giving us feelings."
#7
What Not To Name Your Animal Charity In Bury, UK
#8
I Can't Even
BoredDragon 4 years ago
That fact that they misspelled “players” is proof enough for me that they uh don’t exactly educate amazingly
#9
My Son Just Asked Me Why This Lady Is Reading Poop Magazine. I'm So Proud
Suzanne Labarre of Co.Design has a similar take in that she also believes that Rams’ principles could be updated. While Labarre has the IT and tech industry in mind, the principles for good design are pretty much universal, no matter if you’re designing an app, setting up a building’s interior, or creating a brand new product.
In Labarre’s opinion, good design has to be transparent, easy to understand, and done in a way that empowers its users, instead of overwhelming them. Furthermore, Labarre puts a lot of emphasis on each designer’s responsibility for what they create: they have to be aware of the possible consequences their creations might have, both on the consumers and on society.
For Labarre, design is inherently political. Product design (whether physical or digital) has the ability to change how power is distributed in society. This feeds back into the point about how we should all be aware of how our designs can change the world. Naturally, this extends far beyond just chuckling at epic design fails—but even that’s great to wind down after a long day at work! Or… at your work desk (don’t worry, we won’t judge).
#10
This School Mental Health Survey
#11
Because I Can See Through Stainless Steel
#12
Tell Your Wedding Guests To Die
#13
Dial 999 For... Oh
#14
A Nail Or A Screw
#16
I’m Pretty Sure That’s Not How You’re Supposed To Hold A Scythe
#17
This Woman Turning Into Fish Roll
#18
This Kid Friendly Hand Sanitizer Package. Looks Like One Of Those Apple Sauce Things
#20
What Gave It Away?
#21
If You've Ever Thought Kids Getting Hurt One At A Time Isn't Efficient Enough, Here's An Idea
#22
Good Job Using The Computer My Dude
#23
You Either Wet Your Shoes Or Do Some Exercise To Cross This Bridge
Nadine 4 years ago
This reminds me of a bridge with a glass deck in Bilbao, Basque Country (northern Spain)... It rains a lot in Bilbao... So the bridge was very pretty, yes, but also extremely slippery and dangerous! It's called Zubizuri Bridge. The city ended up covering the glass with non-slip material. https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/en/bilbao/things-to-do/zubizuri/
#24
Hmmm
Davor Jelacic 4 years ago
Id make a blonde joke, but instead I will wait for a poor bastard that does it for me and join in on the mass public condemnation of his lack of PC awareness
#25
Don't **** Your Dog In This Park
#26
Everybody Loves Beach Basketball
#27
A White Background Does Not Really Fit With This
#28
My Son Is Too Terrified To Learn Anything From These Speech Therapy Worksheets, And Frankly I Don't Blame Him
#29
Who Thought It Would Be A Good Idea To Replace The O In Dumbo With A Heart?
Hermien Greeff 4 years ago
I saw little baby hats where they replaced the O of hello with a heart. Just as bad.
#30
Not All Heroes Cover Their Noses
#31
So The Fire Alarm Caught On Fire Earlier
Ty Stratton-Quirk 4 years ago
And there was loud beeping coming from the stovetop, the oven, the toaster, the microwave, and the fireplace!
#32
So My Sister Had A Clemson Mask Made For Her
#33
The Paper In This Sliced Cheese Makes It Look Like It Has Mold Spots
#34
What Can Go Wrong If We Put The Power Button Next To The Most Used Key
#35
Homogeneity Sucks
#36
Behold, The Sensory Overload Car
#37
Every Time I Get Used To One, I Screw Up The Other
#38
This Electric Heater Can Melt It's Plastic Casing When At Full Power
#39
This Is Shampoo
Steve Barnett 4 years ago
Might as well put a 'Swallow whole' on Tide Pods whilst you're at it.
#40
Anyone Got A Grey Hi Vis I Can Borrow
#41
Yes, But Actually No
#42
These Snow Boots That Have Bottoms That Don't Release Snow. They Turn Into Ice High Heels After 2 Steps
#43
Google Says The New Icon Is A Wallet. How Is This Supposed To Be A Wallet
Davor Jelacic 4 years ago
Its clearly two homosexual taco shells hugging each other. PC Company statement policy: The author has no ill will against anyones sexual preferance, identification or transformation. And will not say no to good tacos
#44
I Spent 15 Minutes Looking For A Plug In My Hotel Room... The Only One Is Behind The Radiator
Stephanie Did It 4 years ago
So the cord gets nicely melted where it hangs down on the metal, brilliant.
#45
The Health Benefits Of Ginger Tea Include Cancer, Alzheimer's Disease And More
#46
Found On Amazon
#47
Give Thonks
#48
Nothing Says Privacy Like Saloon Style Doors
Rissie 4 years ago
Yeah, like that is anything different from the huge gaps in toilet stalls all around the USA. The actual problem is that it's probably impossible to manoever a wheel chair in their while being able to close the doors behind you. You either open both doors before you enter, which is hard or you just accept that the gaps are really not very different from having no door at all.
#49
The Mom On The Right Looks Like She Got The Baby's Head But Not The Baby
#50
This Poster At My School
Julia Atkinson 4 years ago
This is what happens when Scotty messes up the transporter co-ordinates
#51
No Broken Legs I Know Of
#52
So I Just Bought This Chair And None Of The Reviews Mentioned This
#53
The Legs Are The Exact Same Length Even Though One Is Bent
#54
Yeah, I'll Just Jump Over That Real Quick
#55
This Sponge That Looks Like It’s Covered In Mold
#56
Fleshy Shower
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
Looks a little like skin zoomed on a microscope. (Well what I imagine it would look like)
#57
Kix Cereal Box Has A Masked Out Spoon To Give The Illusion There’s Cereal On Top
#58
Steps That You Can't See
#59
Toilet Door With Another Door In It That Won't Stay Closed
#60
Imagine Having To Scrub Or Clean It
#61
Time The Pulse To The Watch You're Not Wearing
Steve Barnett 4 years ago
'Okay Larry, did you photoshop the watch in like I asked?'. Larry: 'Oh'.
#62
Picked Up My Little Brothers Toothbrush Today. Not The Best Way To Shorten A Word
Truth Monster 4 years ago
the pedo van was getting too many complaints about handing out candy, i see...
#63
It's A Justin Bieber Couch
#64
I’ve Said It Before And I’ll Say It Again: Quotation Marks Are Not For Emphasis
Linus Nilsson 4 years ago
This is illegal in the EU. You are not allowed to label something as gluten free if it doesn't normally contain gluten.
H Edwards 4 years ago
I heard that they label water as 'zero calories' in the USA lol
Load More Replies...
Maximum Ride 4 years ago
Like those silica gel packets: “Do not eat”. Who are we quoting here?
Vorknkx 4 years ago
But are they uranium free? I wouldn't buy them unless explicitly told they are.
#65
Two Windows Of My Workplace Are Constantly Fighting For The Honor Of Being The One Who Is Going To Be Opened
#66
A Sticker From The Grocery Store. It Says “Smile,” And Tries To Use A Distorted Shopping Cart To Make A Smile. However, The Wheels On The Cart Pull The Brainwaves Into Thinking The Face Is Upside Down. Coincidentally, This Is The Face I Made When I Saw It
#67
Entrance Could Be Tough
#68
My School’s Official Anti Bullying Presentation. Every Title Slide Is The Same Way
#69
New Bike Road
#70
How Big Is This Backpack Exactly
#71
Thought You Had To Read It In A Circle. Took Me A Minute To Figure It Out
#72
Design For Thermal Trousers. Looks Like He Pulled Them Down And Took A Dump
#73
School Does Some Renovations. New Outside Area Has The Tables In A Lower Section Surrounded By A Step Up Of Pavement. Guess What Happened When It Rained Two Days Ago
#74
Lario And Muiji
#75
This Hideous Statue Of Tinker Bell
#76
What If You Could Poop Into Donald
Ryan Deschanel 4 years ago
*No Ryan, no... Resist the temptation... You know it is wrong, so don't do it... Don't mention Trump, it's not kind...*
#77
This Barber Shop Where You Can Give A Small Child An Adult Hairstyle And Bears Trim
#78
This Is An Elsa Paper Lantern For Our Country's (Vietnam) Moon Festival
#79
Canada Flag
Linus Nilsson 4 years ago
Yes, they are about to annex the US, and the rest of the world will just nod slightly
#80
I Texted Two Zeros Multiple Times Before I Realized That Was An O
#81
I Hope My Kid Is Half This Happy
#82
Facebook Home Screen - No Wonder People Don't Use This
#83
I Noticed That My Roommates Toaster Is Melting Itself
#84
Czech Philharmonic’s Benefit Concert On April 25 2020
Davor Jelacic 4 years ago
Talk smack if you will, but at least they can breathe through the nose when not playing and keep those particles in check. What ticks me off is televisión audiences that scream and yell wearing a cloth mask in a much smaller studio then this concert hall.
#85
Olaf Had Too Much Snow
#86
If Only Louisiana Looked Like A Letter Of The Alphabet
#87
And Sometimes People Use The Left Part
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
Just guessing, but would most of the people who try to go up the left, were walking whilst on their phones?
#88
Babies In Jars
#89
Art On Netflix For “Seventh Son”
#90
Nothing Says “Tough” Like Rolled Up Pant Legs
#91
Do I Have To Say Anything?
Final score:
57points
#92
This Terrible Example Conversation
#93
Friends Don't Let Friends Get Cheap Ink
Sinkvenice 4 years ago
Oh my god, they even tried to copy the animal ears underneath which is a completely separate tattoo. If you're the kind of person who steals an artist's work (I know who the artist is and he's amazing) for someone else to do it cheaper, you absolutely deserve this. Also the tattooist who did the poor copy (I refuse to call them an artist) shouldn't tattoo if they do sh*t like this.
#94
Really Bad Ad Design For Cancer Treatment
#95
The Cdc Wants You To Get Shingles, Apparently
#96
A Bench That You Can Easily Drop Your Phone Into, It's Also Extremely Uncomfortable
#97
ND Filter That Amazingly Adds Structures When Used
Linus Nilsson 4 years ago
"reduce the amount of incoming light by placing a house in front of you. Not to be used while driving"
#98
The Way This Makeup Ad Collage Was Composed Makes It Look As If There Was A Cyclop Woman On The Bottom Left Corner
#99
Let’s Do Lunch
#100
Gum Protection
#101
Fart Superior Written With Flames? Red Splash?
#102
Nearly Blew Threw This Intersection!
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
Well what do you expect on Evergreen. Everything is green. Don’t think the person with the garage got the memo though.
#103
This Tablecloth That Looks Like A Hair Carpet
#104
5 Steps
#105
The Dividers In This Stall Are Way Too High Up. They Could See My Thighs
#106
Apparently North Is Opposite To East
Russell Ellwardt 4 years ago
Nie ohne Seife waschen! (Literally: Never wash without soap, but in English it does not work, obviously) The phrase that kids hereabouts use to help remember the proper sequel of the directions, while turning around clockwise: Nord, Ost, Süd, West Does the English language have any similar phrase?
#107
Found On Real Estate Listing: Interesting Bathroom Layout
#108
Bike Stand At The Local Metro Station Is To Narrow To Fit A Normal Wheel
#109
Parking Garage In Lincoln, Nebraska Didn’t Want Me To Find My Car.
Final score:
48points
#110
They Said The New Office Seating Would Be Great
Paul K. Johnson 4 years ago
That's just a stupid layout no matter what. Move the partitions so they're flush with the support and most problems there are resolved.
#111
A Tight Squeeze
#112
It’s Even Smaller In Person
#113
An Alternate Path For Disabled With Steps
#114
This Candle Melts Its Own Container
Sarcastic Panda 4 years ago
that would scare me... ever since my hand caught on fire (don't ask) I'm terrified of setting the house on fire
#115
Cumcuber
#116
A Bench At A Metro Station
#117
Someone Paid Money For This To Be Their Sign And Logo/Mascot. I’m Convinced This Is Drug Lord’s Money Laundering Business
#118
This Couch In Our Hotel Room. And No, It Does Not Separate
#119
Nemo? What Happened
#120
Where Do I Walk
#121
As A Designer Myself, This Makes Me Dizzy Just By Looking At It
#122
Ok Which One Of You Put Fn Key As The Most Bottomleft Key On The Keyboard Instead Of Ctrl
Guy MacGregor 4 years ago
If it's a Thinkpad, you can actually switch Fn and Ctrl in the BIOS. But on a side note : Function key on the bottom left is pretty common.
#123
This Graph Posted By Atkins On Twitter
#124
If You Didn't Know, 718 Billion Is Only A Little More Than 266 Billion
#125
Headphone Adapter Advertised On Phone That Already Has A Headphone Jack
Sarcastic Panda 4 years ago
absolute genius advertising. next time, get an advertising person who has more than one brain cell
#126
I Don't Think These Images Are To Scale
#127
Marge Simpson Has Two Mouths On The Official Simpsons Pyjamas
#128
How Do You Spell Christmas
#129
Literally Reads "1 Person Per Elevator"
#130
Make Love Not
Sarcastic Panda 4 years ago
{insert witty comment I can't think of now but will in a few hours}
#131
This Bathroom With Too Many Stairs
#132
Disney Font Puts The Fun In Funeral
#133
Got This Cool Temporary Tattoo
#134
These Stairs Carpeted With A Pattern That Makes It Hard To See The Edge
#135
Banning Single Use Plastics, Including Wooden Coffee Stir Sticks
rosid rukmana 4 years ago
But that's still equal to #reducewaste as it stated? That's the message, right?
#136
This Ergonomic Seating Diagram Has 90 Degree Angles That Look Like 120 Degrees
#137
This Jack-O-Lantern Light Requires 3 Batteries, And Each One Has Its Own Compartment
M O'Connell 4 years ago
Tooling for injection molding isn't cheap. They had existing tooling for a single-battery sized door... thousands of dollars saved.
#138
The Design On The Christmas Coke Makes It Look Like Wet Paint
#139
Youtube Music's Like And Dislike Button Are Inverted From Youtube's
#140
A Diagram About An Elgato Capture Card That I Found In An Article
#141
Daily Pill Organiser. No Chance Of Any Confusion
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What do you think ?
AlmightyOne 4 years ago
At my school there is a sign that reads "smile and say hello". It would be fine if it were not for one flaw: the O looks like a period
Neale Devenish 4 years ago
I really wish I could get a job where people show me what they're about to do and I can just look at them with derision and say, "You know why that's stupid, right?"
Danny Chesterman 4 years ago
Hi, these articles are long. How about placing a return to top at the bottom of the article to avoid wearing out my scrolling finger. Thanks for keeping it all on the same page though (I thoroughly appreciate that.) I hate having to click through multiple pages. A link at the bottom would be much appreciated. Cheers.
David Latham 4 years ago
https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.m319p1oxWqYwLFn8ucTf0QHaFj&pid=Api
AlmightyOne 4 years ago
At my school there is a sign that reads "smile and say hello". It would be fine if it were not for one flaw: the O looks like a period
Neale Devenish 4 years ago
I really wish I could get a job where people show me what they're about to do and I can just look at them with derision and say, "You know why that's stupid, right?"
Danny Chesterman 4 years ago
Hi, these articles are long. How about placing a return to top at the bottom of the article to avoid wearing out my scrolling finger. Thanks for keeping it all on the same page though (I thoroughly appreciate that.) I hate having to click through multiple pages. A link at the bottom would be much appreciated. Cheers.
David Latham 4 years ago
https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.m319p1oxWqYwLFn8ucTf0QHaFj&pid=Api
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