Design seems like such a simple, elementary thing when you think about it, but hordes of people keep getting the basics wrong, often with hilarious and side-splitting results. Buildings are hard to design, as are other objects, but we usually take the lettering and layout of sentences and phrases for granted, as though everyone will be able to understand us no matter how.we.words.our.place.
Well, the truth is, designing text so it’s readable isn’t as easy as you’d expect. There’s a system to it. There are processes that must be followed. Typography rules that ought never be broken. Except that those rules are broken all the time by some oblivious people. Bored Panda collected some of the best examples of incredibly bad text design that is wonderfully enjoyable to make fun of. From lame ads to funny posters, nodofy is safe from bad design. So upvote the best/worst fails, see if your friends can figure out what’s actually written, and let us know in the comments if you've seen design fails that compare to these ones.
We know how much you enjoy these funny fails concerning design, so you can read Bored Panda’s previous posts about them here, here, here, here, and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
How Do I Apply?
Well I read it incorrectly first, saw your comment then had to do a double take LMAO!
Load More Replies...You can even read this in two ways: or you get free drugs, or you don't need to work...
Funny how your brain subs in what you expect to see, isn't it? It took me a couple of minutes, too.
Load More Replies...The way my twisted mind read that: "This is a Work (Free Drug) Place." Where do I sign up?
While I can't imagine anybody actually making a mistake like this on a sign, if it's photoshopped, they did a good job. Even in photoshop it can be difficult not to leave little signs here and there that an image has been tampered with. I can't find any of the usual markers here. That doesn't mean it's not photoshopped. It just means that if it IS photoshopped, someone took a lot of effort to erase the signs, something I wouldn't normally see on something trivial like a joke. So, hey: if you photoshopped this, good job! I'm impressed.
I'm 60% positive it's not photoshopped. Their fb page also seems to have a lot of typos lol
Load More Replies...Looks like someone just photoshopped the words work and drug. Not a real sign.
I worked in the printing industry. No way would I have let that sign get made without double checking with my client first.
Noted
Swedish Electrolux successfully marketed vacuums in the United Kingdom In the 1960s with the slogan "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux".
It's supposed to be let electricity help your wife with the work--not kill her!
Load More Replies...Apparently Scary Jesus Is A Thing
since he's usually shown as a crucified corpse, yes, yes he does scare
Oh, yes.....great message...That's going to get them.....RUNNING the other way!! ;-)
I told a lady in my church the same thing when she got on her high horse about Harry Potter. I told her if Hitler did it, probably need to just go the other way.
Load More Replies...Little know fact: Jesus loves Halloween and goes all out with decorating.
I mean, when he talks about hell and the apocalypse... maybe the sign has a point.
One of the online communities where similar text design fails are shared daily is the subreddit ‘Don’t Dead Open Inside,’ which prides itself on collecting the most egregious examples of signs and media that don’t make any sense if you read them normally. The community, which was established in May 2014, is large, having grown to over 513,000 members.
Bored Panda reached out to the 'Don't Dead Open Inside' subreddit moderators. According to one of them, the community was inspired to form because of the 'Don't Dead Open Inside' frame from the very first episode of the hit TV show The Walking Dead.
According to one moderator, people make mistakes while designing text because "they're either not thinking or they want to be original. Our main mission statement is to show them that they are wrong."
They also had advice for those individuals willing to step up their game design-wise: "People in the west read left to right, then top to bottom. Do not "liven up" your text by making it "quirky". Hard to read means lost attention which translates to lost revenue."
Five Extremely Slow Children Playing
You never know with those extremely slow ones
Load More Replies...This Terribly Worded Sign I Saw Today. Sorry, I’ll Pick Up My Dog’s Poop... Wouldn’t Want To Ruin Your Child Eating Experience
In addition to cannabalism of children, they are committing the murder of fonts
How rude of you to let your dogs wander around that area. It's a sacred place you know! Let them enjoy their meals people!
Well, Uh... I Guess That's A Good Motto
Canva has some handy tips for those of you willing to up your design game when it comes to words. For example, Canva suggests that you limit the number of fonts that you use and use simple ones, rather than complex ones that might not mesh together well.
Attention
So glad for some disabled elderly pregnant children representation AT LAST!
As some one who identifies as a ‘Disabled Elderly Pregnant Child’ I find all of your comments very offensive. We need to poo too you know!
Have you not they're rare but magnificent creatures!
Load More Replies...Thanks For The Advice
Baby Needs Beers & Wines
There is this urban legend floating around in machine learning circles, that when shoppers buy diapers they are 8 times more likely to buy beer too. But even so, I thought the beer would have been for the parents.
Spacing, something most of us rarely think about, is also important and can bring about radically different effects simply by eliminating the negative space between letters, words, and sentences.
Experience
I have experienced that. It was a real s**t show. (sad trombone)
Well they are experiencing something but I don’t know what and I would be afraid to ask.
This Habitat For Humanity Van
So this made me laugh because I'm a writer and my main character is an assassin . . .
So My Campus Had A Suicide Awareness And Prevention Day
Meanwhile, colors are equally important: use them to your advantage to create harmony between different parts of the text. Use contrasting and complementary colors. Lines can be used to guide the reader’s attention and create symmetry; however, badly used lines can turn a sign or a design into a catastrophe. Think you’ve got all that? Good. Let us know how you’d fix the text designs in this list.
No Safety. Smoking First
In the event of an emergency, smokers gotta have that last cigarette before jumping ship.
Brings to mind the "NO SMORKING" signs at Engrish.com -- a site dedicated to faulty Asian translations. Signs of all types and situations. At the bottom, the webmaster posted the question: "What about SMORKER'S RIGHTS?"
NO SAFETY, You heard me! We always put smoking first here! So don't put that cigar down!
Who Else Is Donating To End Children?
You got it wrong just like a lot of other people.
Load More Replies...Who was the main sponsor of the ad? Durex?. The people from post #5 are not going to be happy.
Why would someone want to end children ? If we know already that they will become idiots adults, then sign me in.
Where do I sign up? There are quite a few adults I'd like to throw onto this bonfire!
Don't Save A Life. Be Afraid To Give Blood
The way I read it, "Don't be afraid to give, save a life blood." Which still sounds weird.
Do I Push?
If You Hard, Then You Hard
look, sharon. if you're hard, you can't change it. If you're hard, then you hard.
Sorry Guys, You Can’t Let Your Pets Cook Bicycles Here
Unicycles and tricycles are allowed. My cat saw found the loophole in a blink of an eye.
Hood On vs. Hood Off
It's kinda like "turning your coat" but much easier.
Load More Replies...Why do we even need a club for this? If the animal is crying or whining or growling or starving, stop doing what your doing. Poor aminals.
I have this as a t-shirt and I didn't know my hair covers up the "Anti." Needless to say someone FINALLY pointed it out to me by asking if I was making an "edgy" joke.
anti animal cruelty club is a pretty bad choice of wording, too... sounds like a bunch of people who are anti animal and into cruelty... oh wait, ...must be peta!
Even as "Animal Anti-Cruelty Club", it's an awkward phrase.
Load More Replies...Please Do Not Take It Home. Leave Litter Here
The course is totally separate from the humorous photo it uses as a frontpage --- not sure why BP haven't put that photo on its own.
Load More Replies...Sorry, but I'm not taking other people's litter to my home. I've got enough, thank you.
Leave litter here, it's not your problem anymore! we'll take it for you! Hopefully this teaches you a good habit!
Just Purchased This Low Quality Fried Chicken At The Grocery Store
If You Were In A Car, Would You Know What Accident To Do?
This is so stressful no I wouldn't know what accident to do, this is too much responsibility
ok but don't do the accident that requires you to take care of it for the next 18 years
Kinda defies the point of accident if you have to think about it first
I'm confused! Someone help me decide what accident to do while I'm in a car!
Smash Immigrants Welcome Racism
You know it's him because it's in all caps and it doesn't make sense.
Load More Replies...Honey, I Think We're Supposed To Turn Right
Sounds like my husband giving me directions when I'm driving (and knowing where I need to go, anyway).
I Only Saw The Left Window At First And Got Very Confused
I want a selsful living! That way i'll die for succes.
Load More Replies...There’s a Suicide Event at 4:30 if they want to take it to the next level
Die for succes. Well I mean I wouldn't have any issues with debt...
There used ro be a nightclub in Glasgow called BUMPERS, which had its name emblazoned on two awnings outside the premises - unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your POV) the awning maker put the first three letters on the first awning, and the remaining four on the second. I think the club's staff would accidentally "forget" to pull down the second awning, just so passing vehicles and pedestrians could see the word BUM in six foot high letters as they passed by,
How did someone take the time to make this fit those windows and not realize?
This New Wall Art In My Office
Nothing is impossible and everything is possible both at once I guess
Load More Replies...Our To Help Trollies You Move
It really doesn't. Eventually I got it, but why would they format it this way.... what if this was a design school?
Load More Replies...that´s right. Imagine if you were their trolies and students weren´t allowed to take to help you move
Someone actually typed these words in a row then taped them together. Think about that.
Attention you are not our trollies-students allowed to take to help you move/attention students you are allowed not to take our to help trollies you move/ attention students you are not allowed to take our trollies to help you move
EEW! That actually gave me chills. It says "Attention students, you are not allowed to take our trollies to help you move." You read it horizontally, and then vertically. Disgusting, an affront to everything I hold dear.
Is "Trolly" diminutive for "Troll"? We have the same problem, they keep escaping our building abetted by students.
Attention Student, You Are Not Allowed To Take Our Trollies To Help You Move
7 Surprising Black Ways To Use Beans
I get the stupid title, but seriously black bean smoothies sounds gross!!!!!!!
And how could someone defile a brownie like that... this is the reason I have trust issues...
Load More Replies...Seven ways to surprise your guests: Put beans in their pancakes, brownies, smoothies, pizza.
So I Fart Old Dust
What is the original ? "So I Fart Old Dust" is the only thing I can find
Load More Replies...Either way is funny. And I like that the farted dust is farm fresh too
They Are, In Fact, A Particular Sub-Species Of Rock
Wow, danger rocks? I've been hoping to photograph some of those but they're so rare where I live! Anyone know where this is?
The Danger Rock it's an endangered species. We've submerged it so you don't touch it. Don't worry, they can breathe. Actually they don't have lungs I don't know why I said that
The Design School I Graduated From Sent This Postcard Out
Stand Hong With Kong
Keep in mind Chinese (one of the languages of Hong Kong) reads in columns, right to left. Since English is left to right, this sign can be easily seen as an English adaptation of traditional Chinese writing structure.
Either way it doesn't make sense coz it's written from left to right here and Hong Kong people should know better since we're bilingual here!
Load More Replies...We will never leave you, Kong, we stand with you Hong-by-Hong.
When Your Gym Tryies Hard To Motivate You But Fails To Make Any Sense
3 months from now you will hit yourself. Thank us at 3rd floor
Load More Replies...3 months from now you will hit yourself at 3rd floor. Thank us. Don't know what it means, though.
Load More Replies...Truly Inspiring
I feel drunk while I am reading and it is 9am and all I had was a coffee.
Load More Replies...Vicious Inc... What?!
Especially when one is 20 and the other 15.
Load More Replies...Is that some kind of festival? Like the inbred version of Coachella? At least they have the right truck for it.
This Monstrosity
That is exactly the way I understood it too.
Load More Replies...Even when you figure this one out, it says “We’re not happy ‘til you’re not happy.”
We're not happy 'til you're not happy? Thanks, I'll shop somewhere else.
We're not happy til you're not happy? What kind of store has that motto?
yea I saw that too, but what about "We're your not till not happy?"
Load More Replies...From Afar, This Sign Has A Completely Different Meaning
I guess its ok...at least theyre not eating them and complaining about dog poop...
yes I feel like the big font made me wait before it got to prevention "WE SUPPORT CHILD ABUSE".................."prevention" did anyone else feel this way
oh no what is with these signs i always see them why do these things have the most important part so small?
Wet Private Clay Parties
Mom always mad when I play clay when I was young, now I can have a wet private clay party with my friends.
Load More Replies...Burn Increase
$50 says she doesn't remember anything about that day, except that she went to the Moon.
Load More Replies...That's one good slogan "Burn increases plants, not global coal. Chill."
Never Ever Ever Beef. Frozen Always
That movie is getting pretty old now, you should Let it Go.
Load More Replies...I'm not sure there is a logical way to read this. Its more like a brainstorm or a word association map
I think it's: We use never-ever-ever-frozen beef. Always. (It might be *slightly* less confusing without the "ever ever" bit...)
Load More Replies...So many different ways to mis-read this, lol. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
Its like a new game from Mattel. Throw a handful of words at a board...whee
this doesnt even make any sense. There is not a single bit right about this. It cannot say anything that makes sense.
Shosple Colupis
Finally! You have no idea how hard it is to find a shop selling shosple colupis!!
So that's how we keep getting all that new trash vocabulary injected into English?
I suspect I will actually start using this word. It has a nice Yiddish ring to it.
Load More Replies...What Does What What Does?
Very rarely do comments make me laugh, but your comment did. Thank you Sir.
Load More Replies...Someone needs to rap this. What does? What-what does It mean to, it mean Does it care? To care? MEAN TO CARE
Nono Paingain
Gains requiring pain are a big no-no to me, so I'd be pleased to wear this.
Popped Up On My Feed
If being okay is not okay, is being not okay, okay? And if so, isn't that also not okay?
It says “ its not okay be to okay”’not “its not okay to be okay”
Found At A Local Bar
To be fair, "corn hole" is a really unfortunate name for a game - I'd be trying pretty hard to camouflage it too.
Friend Of A Friend Got A New Tattoo
Well the pictures are from the movie Beetlejuice. So maybe the quote is too. But I'm pretty sure the correct wording is "never trust the living"
Load More Replies...This Won The Design Competition
make sure to die in an unsafe manner, or you may be severly punished
They Must Have Added The Arrows After Realising How Steamy It Was Originally
If the intention was to slow your actions down it worked very well! 10/10 success.
This Sign At My International School
Karaoke Thursday Here Every Sunday
Get Good News One Buy
Where have these idiots learn this stupid layout? It seems there are so many signs with words "in columns", that look like sentences. Don't they read the signs after displaying them? If they read them, they would realise it's unintelligible.
I Think The Real Question Is: Why On A Toilet Seat?
Book Don’t By Judge It’s A Cover At My High School
I don't generally, but if that was a book cover I'd throw it straight into the trash
I’m Call Pregnant Me
She's pregnat, whatever that means. Why does she want people to call her? The sign is stupid, but I don't get it.
I Live In Tootrno
" We don't take naps Toronto!" Hahaha Is this a roast on Toronto? Or is this Toronto is against naps in general?? I'm so confused
Wales Prince Of Hotel
To be fair, it does look like a castle, so it could be the Prince of Hotels in that sense. And it could be in Wales, as well.
Dip Dip
What Do?
70,000 Can’t Be Teeth, Wrong
Not to mention the fact that it's the teeth of 2,187 and a half persons
But.. it says "wisdom teeth only". That comes to exactly 175k people (if they all have 4)
Load More Replies...70000 teeth, can't be wrong. Guess it's trying to imply he's removed that many teeth and therefore is very good at it?
Load More Replies...You Had Meat "Hello"
Aloha, Please Remove Your Hawaii
It's also the word for "hello", in this context...
Load More Replies...New Paint On The Wall At My Gym
If it inspires your design career, you're doomed.
Load More Replies...But if it takes longer than 12, just stay home. We can't help you anylonger.
Hear That Noise? We Are Growing. We Can Fix It Again. Apply Inside
If they have to fix it again it doesn't say much for their work...
it sounds like the start of a weird remix of 'into the unknown'
Sorry, We Don't Over $20 Bills Accept
I Give Up
Do Not Take And Put Blue Chairs Them Onto Gym Floor! Away When Done
“So I don’t take a chair but I gotta put a chair away? That’s deep, man...”
Where do you think they got all those chairs from?.
Load More Replies...Even as intended to be read, it makes no sense. Best meaning is that I'm supposed to take blue chairs into the gym and leave them there.
This must have been written by a mastermind: "Do not take blue chairs onto gym floor and take them away when done." WTF?
S3adlaey
I see no traffic lights in this picture!
Load More Replies...This is the first one that I genuinely can't make ANY sense out of. What does this mean?!?
Fire Keep Door Shut
I Am Dond
My Hometown Parade. Dear God
*inhales* Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything Everything
THEY ARE REALLY PUTTING EMPHASIS ON THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING MUST GO.
If U Stay, Go, Stay Do It 4ever Today
Real Trucks Not Carry Loads, Handbags
Also he doesn't realize how small handbags are? You don't need a truck to carry a handbag literally ever. Unless it's a load of handbags, in which case I think it would be filed under the category of "load"?
Load More Replies...Don't Worry You'll About It Be Ok
Trust Onoe
Power Bur To The Ger
At first I saw a weird looking person with their dog holding a box smeared in blood. This is better than watching clouds.
i thought this was a man climing over a wall with a dog sat on the loo
Did Hurt My Your Back Knife?
This Sign I Saw While Visiting Vancouver
Wewclmloe
Just Stop
Either Way This Makes No Sense
Let's put something random on the stairs, doesn't need to make any sense
Urban cottage started from the bottom. Well now we are here. Two sentences squashed into one messy one.
I Drink Game And Of I Loans Interest Is Coming Know Things
Auitsumn
Hard Do Hat Not Area Enter
Babies What Drink Are Milk You
Even when you read it as it is intended - what the frigg are they trying to tell me? Or ask me, for that matter?
That you must be a baby for drinking milk. It's vegans trying to be intimidating.
Load More Replies...Teachers Who Love Teach Children Teaching To Love Learning
Lsatnyglueaigne Lsatnyglueaigne
I did. At work. My boss thought I was speaking in tongues, and now I have to see a shrink.
Load More Replies...What does this even say?? I sat in glue again? By someone who can't spell to save their life. My eyes are hurting from this one
Style In Language in white. The gold doesn't really make sense, but it says "Language Style In". WOW. OUCH.
Language Style in Style in Language. Still makes zero sense.
Thank you. I thought the lowercase "L" was an uppercase "i" and that was really not helping me out.
Load More Replies..."Style in language". Maybe a bit too much style. This gave me a headache.
There Isis There. More! More?
Holding it that way around makes him look like a terrorist sympathiser. If he held it the other way around, "Is there more? There is more!", it'd make him look like a Jehovah's Witness. Either way, run.
Ate At A Local Restaurant
'Welcome. May all who came as guests leave as friends'. I ordered some of these wall stickers from Wish and the words come on a sheet in no particular order. You kind of have to sort it out.
Why Did I Name My Show "The Joel With Mchale Joel Show Mchale"?
Who Thought This Was Acceptable
What a wasted opportunity, they had "TMI" in there which would certainly apply.
Carop Washen
I'm German, and I'd say it sounds more Dutch to me. It's somewhat close to German, but... just kinda.
Load More Replies...this sounds like a harry potter spell that washes your car
How To Give Someone A Seizure
WHY? Why write it like this instead of making a single coherent sentence?
I need to stop reading these, they're starting to just p**s me off.
"My sunshine doesn't come from the skies it comes from the love in my patient eyes." At least that's what I got from it. Annoyingly it doesn't give you any real way to put them in that order, just vaguely follows the weird left side top to bottom then right side top to bottom thing that some of them do
Figured it out: "My sunshine doesn't come from the skies. It comes from the love in my patient eyes".
Men Because Women
It should say “men to the left because women are always right”
I Would Like A Free Donation. Also, Here's My Lemonade
Aw but he's just a kiddo not a trained designer like some of these fails
Yeah this is cute! Here in my country kids don't do this to earn some money how I wish they could try this to motivate them to earn money not just by asking.
Load More Replies...Please Sick Please Donate Kids Donate
ah I've been looking for a place to donate my kids for years...when can I drop them off?
You misread the sign: It clearly says: "Please donate sick kids please donate". I'm sorry but there seems to be no market for healthy kids.
Load More Replies...Stop Refreshing
This is just advice for a malfunctioning Internet browser... stop refreshing, try a milkshake *sizzle zap*
Saw This At Work Today
No Know Jesus Jesus
Whatever your message, get the f**k away from me with your Jesus nonsense.
Sometimes the best reaction to a post you don't agree with is to simply scroll past it......
Load More Replies...My Eyes Just Died
Pretty much my reaction. Mine was a bit more 's**t, wtaf!!!'
Load More Replies...You just need salt, a black candle, a pentagram on the floor.... and you are, a portal to hell
Isaw tell the iam we saw them the truth here who didit we live what isaw iwas to tell iknow who didit there iwit we are they we ness still here didit are here what we live it's we know saw to tell true
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This isn’t terrible. It’s semi-obvious the ‘box’ for each little quote, though a little space wouldn’t hurt.
Always Bright Look On Side The Of Life
This Sign I Saw In Someone’s Yard
It's Supposed To Be A Quote From The Hamilton Musical. I Can See Life And Liberty But That's All I've Made Sense Of
Apparently, the pursuit of happiness is a vey meandering pursuit.
Load More Replies...The quote is a bit older than the musical. Like July 1776. Just a thought.
Always Forgotten - Missed Never
Well, if you follow the logic on this one, actually is correct. UP -> DOWN -> RIGHT -> UP...If you straighten the band you will see the words written correctly.
@boredpanDaman almost has it right. If you straighten the ribbon, you'd have "always ɯıssǝp uǝʌǝɹ forgotten"
Load More Replies...Saw This In A Store Today
I hear a song in my head for some reason. 🎵It's a for a good good day day!🎵
Jesus Are Is Coming You Back Ready?
Tread Though Our What Softly Leaves Words Can Because
1. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. 2. Though leaves are many the root is one. 3. Our words must seem to be inevitable. 4. What can be explained is not poetry.
Easy enough to figure out, though could have been easier if stacked better or something.
Catc H So Mes Tard Ust
Do people learn to read from top to bottom and then from left to right these days? In my time we went left to right, then top top to bottom...
There is such a thing as separated columns, and many try to accomplish that effect. Without success :)
Load More Replies...The above photos were giving me a headache. the above headache were giving me photos. Either migraine way I have.
I understand how many of them came to be. I often have to write signs and do display boards. Sometimes you're focussing on the spacing, shapes, colours, fixing the words up etc so much you forget basic spelling.
Do people learn to read from top to bottom and then from left to right these days? In my time we went left to right, then top top to bottom...
There is such a thing as separated columns, and many try to accomplish that effect. Without success :)
Load More Replies...The above photos were giving me a headache. the above headache were giving me photos. Either migraine way I have.
I understand how many of them came to be. I often have to write signs and do display boards. Sometimes you're focussing on the spacing, shapes, colours, fixing the words up etc so much you forget basic spelling.
