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There’s good design. There’s bad design. And we can usually intuitively tell the two apart just by looking at it. But wait! There’s also ‘design design,’ a really weird category that straddles the line between quality aesthetics and truly awful taste. Some designers just don’t know when to stop designing their designy designs and go way overboard. Are we starting to sound redundant and over-complicated? Good, now you’re getting it!
The best (worst?) of these ‘designy designs’ end up being shared on the r/DesignDesign subreddit, an intriguing online community that both celebrates and criticizes these errr VeRy InTeReStInG aNd ArTiStIc ideas for products and furniture. We’ve collected some of the most bizarre and original pics to share with you, Pandas.
Scroll down, upvote the designs that really had an impact on you, and if you love what you see, consider becoming a member of the subreddit.
Bored Panda reached out to Matt Johnson, Ph.D., the host of the Consumer Psychology Blog and the Human Nature Blog, for a few insights on the importance of finding the right balance between the designer's vision for their product, as well as what would appeal to consumers. He told us that, at its core, user experience is about empathy. Johnson is a professor of consumer psychology at Hult International Business School and Harvard University, and the author of 'Branding that Means Business.' Read on for our interview with him.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Wall Outlets With Extension Cords Built Into The Wall
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#2
Stacked Seating At A Restaurant
#3
Hidden Fire Extinguishers
We were interested to learn more about the balance between what a designer wants from their product and what consumers look for. We asked Professor Johnson about what can help designers maintain a more grounded, user-friendly perspective.
"Ultimately, good UX is an act of empathy. You have to filter your creative vision for the product through the lens of the consumer’s needs, unique preferences, and tendencies. This means creating a balance between your own aspirations for the product (e.g. what you think it could be), and how it will intuitively seem to the end user (how the user will actually be used)," he explained to Bored Panda.
"Practically speaking, by inviting the consumer into the design process and getting feedback along the product development journey, the end result is much more likely to strike this balance." However, if there's only poor communication, you might end up with a disconnect between the two. Something that Piterskii-Punk-Wall accurately showed in their comic right over here.
#4
Found On The Designp**n Frontpage
#5
Ok I Think I Found The Ultimate Decanter. This One Keeps Me Awake At Night
Na Schi 2 years ago (edited)
Love the design - never want to clean this mess! Or maybe the "tentacles" are simply made of colored glass and not part of the decanter? Then it's pretty cool, as it only requires elaborate de-dusting.
Dagnirath 2 years ago
Unfortunately the product description talks about "capillary action" in the tentacles, so they are hollow. Maybe just fill it with colored water and keep it as decor?
Load More Replies...
Marco Richter 2 years ago
shouldn't a wine decanter provide a lot of surface area so the wine could breathe?
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Bet it holds way less liquid than you think (like the tentacles are red glass and not filled with the wine). You’re paying for the “art” instead of the wine.
Fish Fingers 2 years ago
Jeez, I'd smash that stupid flimsy thing just thinking about pulling the stopper out.
LynzCatastrophe 2 years ago
Nevermind cleaning it, I'm trying to figure out how it exists without getting broken. I love it though.
Steven Chaloux 2 years ago
Take my money! I think jellyfish look wild, I would definitely buy one and I don't drink 🤣
Kyra DarkStar 2 years ago
I love it, but not as a decanter. Fill it with colored water and display as an art piece.
Robert Knabe 2 years ago
What an accomplishment. If the tendrils of the jellyfish contain the wine can you imagine the difficulty in production? Wow.
DeeDee Borick Burlington 2 years ago
It's pretty cool.. I'm thinking what a pain it would be to clean
Iva Kazalova 2 years ago
It’s absolutely gorgeous but my anxiety is on high alert this is easily breakable
Amy Stone-Chandler 2 years ago
You would never get the previous wine out of it. Think the wine film I side would make others rancid
Demosthenes 2 years ago
Not that useful for oxygenating the wine which is kinda the purpose of a decanter.
Bylee Victoriqua Malox 2 years ago
A couple of less fortunate vampires are in serious need. Be a good bro and donate.
Janet Howe 2 years ago
That's the coolest thing EVER! After the third bottle of wine, you'd just be staring at it, wondering how a purple jellyfish got in your house.
Leoninus Fate 2 years ago
think of a bar with an underwater scene.... this is beautiful, or for the red in it, goth or vampiric people would gladly buy this, for me, I just love the look and color cause I'm all of the above, I'm guessing this is like $125 or something based on the "wine" I would buy it for looks
#6
Drink The Rainbow
Johnson, the host of the 'Neuroscience Of' blog, told Bored Panda that the best and most beloved products integrate both perspectives: that of the designer, as well as of the consumer.
"If the balance is tilted too far in the direction of the creator’s vision, as opposed to the user’s intuition and needs, it comes off too much as a standalone work of art, and not as a functional product," he said.
"This feels immediately obvious to the consumer: it's something that reflects an idea from a specific individual, but lacks the necessary translation to the broader world. In a word, it feels too much like ‘art,’" the professor told Bored Panda. He noted that this is perfectly fine and valuable in its own context. However, when it comes to the world of consumer products, there's a necessity for this additional layer of consumer empathy.
#7
A Nature Inspired Bathroom
#8
Imagine Going Through All The Trouble Of Publishing Just To See This
Hippopotamuses 2 years ago (edited)
Frankly. I’m not sure whether you’ve been ripped off or not. (Edited: Changed ‘what her’ to ‘whether’)
#9
Swinging In The Conference Room
As we see it, there are two main issues at play here when we’re talking about designy designs, aka over-designed products. Both explain, at least in part, why some creative professionals go completely overboard.
The first is a question of theory vs. practice and how even the best-laid plans don’t necessarily translate into reality. The second is about the relationship between the designer and their (real or imagined) audience—aka the end-users and consumers.
You might have an utterly amazing idea for a product or piece of furniture in your mind. Maybe you’ve even sketched it out! But even though the concept looks amazing on paper, it might not be the best fit for consumers. Something that any creator would be terrified to learn only after launching the idea into the market.
#10
A Car Fender Bicycle
#11
Possibly One Of The Worst Staircases I've Ever Seen
#12
Door Knob Design That Gives You A Fish Eye View Of The Room Ahead
Maybe what you’ve come up with is more akin to art and is radically impractical to use every single day. Or the item is incredibly complex and unintuitive to the average shopper on the highstreet: something that you might not realize because you’ve spent so long on the design, you know it like the back of your hand. It’s a case of design short-sightedness where the professional can’t see the forest for the trees.
Meanwhile, the professional in charge of designing the product might be completely disconnected from their intended consumers. This might happen due to a lack of information on buying trends or because of less-than-stellar communication between them and their customers. That means that the designer is essentially stuck inside a bubble with only their own ideas to consider, with very little (if any!) outside feedback.
#13
Holy F**king S**t
Bored Retsuko 2 years ago
I don't see the problem. If this was mine, it would always look precisely like that! That's because I poop shiny little crystals. /jk
#14
No Way This Can Go Wrong
#15
Apartments In Amsterdam
Marcos Valencia 2 years ago
It will be beautiful when plants will start growing in the terraces.
However, another possible explanation for this disconnect between designers and consumers can be attributed to a more human factor. Namely, arrogance. It’s perfectly fine, even praiseworthy, that you’re confident about your work and that you feel pride in what you’ve achieved. Unfortunately, this can sometimes overshadow the end goal of what’s being sold, namely, that people want to buy and use what you’re offering.
Perhaps the creator feels like they have far better taste than the would-be buyers. So they want to ‘enlighten the masses’ (or something equally as pompous). Here’s the thing, though. Even if it’s a well-intentioned idea to want to educate people about good taste, there are different ways to go about it.
To put it mildly, it’s not the best idea to go about bragging to everyone how much more educated and intelligent you are while poking fun at them for being tasteless. However, when you come from a place of humility and a genuine desire to help, others are more open to what you have to say.
#16
Imagine What It Looks Like In Fall
#17
Another Silverware Set... Another Useless Spoon
#18
A Banana Slide That Trains Your Determination. If You Get Lost, Your Crotch Will Die
At the same time, no matter how successful and well-received a designer’s work might have been in the past, it doesn’t guarantee that their next idea will be good. Multi-functional furniture might not have the mass appeal that they hope it will, meaning it’ll remain a niche product for very niche buyers.
Similarly, even if your lovingly-crafted set of cutlery is pleasant to look at, it might be utterly atrocious to eat with, so you’re left with a decorative piece that very few people actually like.
#19
Injury Attorney’s Dream Staircase
#21
This Is The New University Building Of Freiburg That At The Same Time Blinds The Road Traffic
The r/DesignDesign subreddit was founded a few years ago, in mid-July of 2018. Since then, they’ve amassed a following of 120k redditors. The moderators running the whole show stress the fact that the pics shared by the members of the community have to be, at the same time, examples of good and awful design. There should be a balance between the two.
#22
Found On Fb... I Can Hear This Image
#23
Books And Bath
Jeremy James 2 years ago
One minor earthquake and you'd die in the bath, crushed under an avalanche of books. Wait, can I request that?
#24
Let Me Just Find My Keys
Meanwhile, the mods also ask their members to avoid reposting other people’s photos too much. “Reposts are OK as long as the post hasn't been submitted in 6 months or more than 3 times,” they set out the rules. That way, the content’s kept fresher and it helps avoid people farming attention just for the sake of attention.
#25
A Balcony Without Sun Or Fresh Air Is Just A People Shelf
#27
These Would Be Awful To Use
Broadly speaking, taste might be subjective (e.g. preferences for minimalism or maximalism), but there are many things that we can agree on that do and don’t make much sense. If a product is user-friendly, ergonomic, intuitive to use, and matches our expectations, then we can say that it’s an example of good design.
#29
For Me, The Juicy Salif Is The Pinnacle Of Design Design
Marcos Valencia 2 years ago
This is a Philippe Starck's design for the Italian brand Alessi, I have it, and I love it... And, if someone is wondering... Yes, I used it. And, yes, it's a total mess!
#30
This Hallway Must Have Looked Awesome On The Blueprints
On the flip side, something that’s more like a puzzle that requires an IQ of 160 to figure out won’t get many smiles from the crowd (unless they bought it specifically because they love over-designed, over-complicated stuff). Put the user first and you can’t go wrong. Put your designs above them and you might end up in the grey zone where quality and awful taste meet.
#31
Does This Count?
#32
Reinventing The Pint
#33
When You Want The Guarantee Of A Broken Neck From Your Staircase
#34
This Fire Pit That Doubles As A Side Table When You Tip All The Ash On The Floor
#35
Splash-Proof Urinals
#36
W Fart Free Water
#37
The Lucky Knot Bridge In China
#38
Why? Just Why?
#39
Thanks I Hate It
#40
A Bookshelf To Store Some Pebbles Or Something
#41
Because A Hat Would Be Far To Complicated
#42
This Sink. Spotted On A Facebook Ad
#43
A Maze Of Concentric Circles On The Back Of The Phone Fitting Its Earphones Perfectly
#44
This Luxurious Toilet
#45
Clocks
#46
Dear God I Just Needed To Pee
#47
Love Designy Cumbersome Roundware
#48
Saw This On Insta
Icecream Sarang 2 years ago
Oddly, if you know how to read a clock, they don’t even need numbers, so why bother?
#49
That Looks Comfortable
#50
Stock Market Bench
Natalie Bohrteller 2 years ago
Oh yeah, now it's not only homeless people who are banned from sleeping on it, it's also everybody else who can't use it. Next level bench! /s
#51
The Cashier At The Store Was Very Mad He Couldn’t Find The Barcode
#52
Yeah. No. No Thanks
#53
Spotted This Yesterday
#54
This Couch Has Fat Rolls
#56
Did I Accidentally Do A Design Design? This Is The Clock I Made For My Living Room
#57
Have Fun Memorizing The Height Of Different Pieces
#58
Dyson Air Purifier Headphones
#59
I Feel This Might Belong Here?
pug nose curly tail 2 years ago
I kinda like it. *shrug* it's says tomorrow's a new day, 11:59 representing the end of the day. Idk, I think it's neat.
#60
I Like Minimalism But Medicine Is Not The Right Place For It
#61
This Gorgeous Stupid Mug
#63
Umbrella Doubles As A Poncho. Looks Comfy!
#64
Plate Design
#65
This Coffee Table
#66
This Stubby Handle That You Have To Pinch To Pick Up The Coffee Cup (From IKEA)
#67
Salt Lake City, Triple Decker Fireplace
#68
Hard To Clean
#69
If This Hasn't Already Been Posted
#70
Found At An Antique Store In Hudson, NY. $15,000
#71
A Nightmare To Clean, Fraglie And Extremely Unhygienic After The Very First Use. Good Looks Only
#72
Restroom Sign In A Bar Named Toolbar
#73
These Stairs
#74
"Small Space Design"
#75
Armchair Sofa
Abgr Xenda 2 years ago
do you think the designer have a childhood psych problem that reflects the inner intervention of his concerns about the future, when he design this sofa? or it is just me watching a normal sofa flipped on the side?
#76
A New Bike Ddeessiiggnn
#77
Let's Play Guess What's A Faucet. I Saw 3 Guys In A Row Guess Wrong. I Was One Of Them
#78
You Can Go Illuminated I Guess (That’s A Room Light)
#79
Seems Like This Would Have A Lot Of Small/Annoying Problems
#80
$1000 For An Uncomforable Chair With Sharp Edges
#81
Pasta Served In A Bottle That Is Levitating On A Chain
#82
This “Reimagined” Mortar And Pestle
#83
Who Says Crown Molding Is Overdone?
#85
Hanging Bookshelf. It's Just Like A Normal Shelf, But More Designey
#86
Introducing, The Scrub & Plunge
#87
Rice Dice
#88
These Stairs Look Kind Of Cool, But Will Definitely Kill You
#89
Can’t Wait To Sweep And Have The Thing Constantly Bend
#91
Design Of The Entryway Isn't Satisfying Or Good, But It Is A Lot Of Design
#92
The Reebok Atv 19+
#93
This Would Be A Terrible Handrail. People Falling Wouldn't Be Able To Grab Into It, And It Would Be Horrible To Clean
#94
Looks Nice, But Is A Nightmare To Stack Your Groceries In As You Walk Around The Store
#95
Ever Try Sitting On A Stack Of Blankets?
#96
Eating Off The Underside Of Your Carpet
#97
Believe It Or Not, This Is Not A Fancy Scratch Post. It Is An Actual Cardboard Chair That Costs $1,025
#98
These Round Dice
#99
How Have Three Kinds Of Cutlery When One Will Do?
ADHORTATOR 2 years ago
how do you use the knife and the fork at the same time? You need two..... :-)
#100
Rainbow?? Bench?? At Laguardia Airport
#101
All The Drinking Glasses In This Restaurant Are Slanted
#103
The Pinnacle Of Overdesigned S*te
#104
And Here I Thought I Was Poor For Carrying An Old Suitcase 😅
#105
Looks Great, As Long As You Don’t Try To Actually Use It
#106
Two Letters Having Sex On Top Of Cum? Sure, Why Not, That’s Exactly What I Want From Cucumber Water
#107
Good Luck Getting The Last Bit Of Wine Out Of Your Glass
#108
My Beer Was Served In A Box
Francis 2 years ago
from the comments on the OP: That’s a Japanese masu. And it’s how sake is served at traditional events like weddings. In modern times you’ll get them frequently if you order sake in many izakaya or Japanese restaurants and bars too! Usually the sake glass (like a shotglass but a little bigger) or ceramic choko (that you can see just to the right of the box) is put IN the box and it’s filled to overflow into the box. You drink the glass and then drain the overflow remnants from the box - the wood adds to the texture/flavour. Someone has obviously taken some creative liberty by deciding that beer can go in there too. It appears to be a Japanese restaurant anyway. So while BEER in it is not the norm, it’s pretty easy to see what has happened here.
#109
New Fashion Standards Being Created Before Our Eyes
#110
Armchair, 1976, Tokyo
#111
Umbrella Sunshade Backpack Thing?
#112
Single Use Dirty Knife For Single Use Butter
#113
This Coffee Cup
Paulo Freitas 2 years ago (edited)
Thats almost a normal Irish coffee cup ( at least the ones we serve them in here )
#114
The New Tesla Steering Wheel, There's A Reason This Usually Stays On The Design Students Portafolio And Never Makes It Into A Production Car
Jrog 2 years ago
This design goes far, far back. The first instance I am aware of is a design by Giugiaro for the Chevrolet Corvair in the early 60s. Giugiaro reused and expanded the concept on the Oldsmobile INCAS prototype in the mid-80. Around the same time, it was included in the groundbreaking Mazda MX-03 prototype, a car with 4-wheel steering, digital dashboard and fly-by-wire controls. BMW, MG, Lexus, Toyota have cars, or at least recent patents, about cloche-style steering wheels, and this kind of wheel is standard on F1 racing cars since the 90s
#115
This Controller
#116
Wait... What?
The only Plueschopossum 2 years ago
Rooms 201-213... but I'm pretty sure the people there don't want to be found :D
#117
This Watch
ADHORTATOR 2 years ago
they were a thing in the 1970s, I have one and instead of the date it shows the seconds passing
#118
Mason Cash Combined Rolling Pin And Salt Shaker, For When You Want To Roll Out Your Dough And Salt Your Table At The Same Time
#119
Think Of The Clammy Hands
#120
Rain Is The First That Comes To Mind
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What do you think ?
Liz Clarke 2 years ago
I don't think any of the designers seem to know that disabled people exist. As an ambulatory wheelchair user/walking stick user loads of these would be a nightmare for me.
Tim 2 years ago
Many of them would be dangerous to 100% able bodied people too.
Load More Replies...
MongoMarcia 2 years ago
Regarding all the stairs: Do they not have building codes? They are death traps.
Dee Tag 2 years ago
I've reached the end!!! And I am absolutely mentally exhausted. I need a glass of wine.
Lindsey Morris 2 years ago
I think the majority of the first half of the list were awesome designs!
David Paterson 2 years ago
Love this BP thread. Great to see so many people thinking outside the box. So far outside the box that they fall off. Brilliant for claustrophobics, space saving, sometimes environmentally friendly. A great reminder that my designs aren't so weird after all.
Danish Susanne 2 years ago
Surely you didn't need all the fingers on that one hand?
Load More Replies... Janet Howe 2 years ago
Going thru these was fun. However now I'm worried about the 2 hours of my life I'll never get back. But this was one of the better BP offerings.
TAYLOR SWIFT IS AWESOME 2 years ago
A few of the ones at the top were pretty cool! The rest, though….
isharamadhumal77 2 years ago
Smart home a to z https://comfortablelife4u.blogspot.com/2023/02/building-smart-home-a-to-z-guide.html
Liz Clarke 2 years ago
I don't think any of the designers seem to know that disabled people exist. As an ambulatory wheelchair user/walking stick user loads of these would be a nightmare for me.
Tim 2 years ago
Many of them would be dangerous to 100% able bodied people too.
Load More Replies... MongoMarcia 2 years ago
Regarding all the stairs: Do they not have building codes? They are death traps.
Dee Tag 2 years ago
I've reached the end!!! And I am absolutely mentally exhausted. I need a glass of wine.
Lindsey Morris 2 years ago
I think the majority of the first half of the list were awesome designs!
David Paterson 2 years ago
Love this BP thread. Great to see so many people thinking outside the box. So far outside the box that they fall off. Brilliant for claustrophobics, space saving, sometimes environmentally friendly. A great reminder that my designs aren't so weird after all.
Danish Susanne 2 years ago
Surely you didn't need all the fingers on that one hand?
Load More Replies... Janet Howe 2 years ago
Going thru these was fun. However now I'm worried about the 2 hours of my life I'll never get back. But this was one of the better BP offerings.
TAYLOR SWIFT IS AWESOME 2 years ago
A few of the ones at the top were pretty cool! The rest, though….
isharamadhumal77 2 years ago
Smart home a to z https://comfortablelife4u.blogspot.com/2023/02/building-smart-home-a-to-z-guide.html
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