Category: funny design decisions

141 Designs That Are So Bad, They Deserve To Be Shamed On The Internet (New Pics)

April 24, 2023

Most of us can intuitively tell whether something is designed well or if the end result falls way short of what it should be like. The more we’re exposed to ads and products—both great and god-awful—the more our sense of taste develops.

Ever since 2011, this popular subreddit has been sharing examples of epic design fails that are beyond hilarious. In fact, they’re so bad, it’s mind-boggling that the people behind them green-lit them! We’ve collected some of the worst offenders to share with you, Pandas, so scroll down and upvote the designs you love to hate the most.

More info: Reddit | Wiki

#1 Being Gay Was A Sin They Said

Image credits: TKZoroSantoryu

#2 This Amazing Pregnancy Test

Image credits: Explodinator580

#3 So, It’s Fine Then?

Image credits: juanjoli

The subreddit has been poking fun at horrible and hilarious designs all the way since 2011. Over the past 12+ years, the community has grown absolutely massive. At the time of writing, the group had 3.4 million members.

Years pass, seasons change. But what stays constant is people’s appetite for shaming truly awful product and ad designs. (What changes, however, is how the internet reacts to names like the subreddit’s that use gentle curse words. These days, you can’t even mention them in full without some social media megacorps frowning in your general direction!)

#4 Seems A Bit Counterintuitive

Image credits: cevanc

#5 A Solar Powered Parking Meter In An Underground Garage

Image credits: Kadnify

#6 Surely There Is No Better Way To Write Your Phone Number

Image credits: aiden66

The subreddit’s moderators have created a fantastically detailed wiki that explains what does and doesn’t count as a bad design. For instance, amateur artwork or signs don’t belong in the online group because they were made by, well, amateurs. Similarly, broken things also don’t count.

#7 My Arms Are About 7 Feet Long, So This Wasn’t An Issue For Me

Image credits: Tekki

#8 Love Handles

Image credits: dwThread

#9 I Cancelled My Transaction Twice In A Row By Accident. I Finally Found Out Why

Image credits: KearBear

And don’t even think of posting the Roman numeral for 4, IIII, as an example of awful design because it’s a fairly common alternative way to write IV. Meanwhile, unintentional errors like manufacturing defects also don’t count as examples of bad design. Neither do novelty items or obvious satire.

#10 What About When You Cross Your Legs?

Image credits: UglyDuce

#11 Our Wedding Is Going To Have Three Delicious Meal Choices

Image credits: Siggy778

#12 Thanks For Reminding Me

Image credits: Conicius

The mod team encourages its members to be original. So you shouldn’t be sharing any pictures that fall into the list of the top 150 most popular reposts. Software designs, hate symbols, and memes also don’t have any place on the sub. Meanwhile, all members ought to be as civil as possible, avoid sharing any personal information, and ensure that they write awesome descriptive titles for their posts.

#13 How Much Do You Trust Your “Multilingual” Ad Designer?

Image credits: badon_

#14 “How Do We Make It Clear That It’s A Male Hand Without Seeing The Nails?”

Image credits: neverindoubt

#15 This Bus

Image credits: reddit

A while ago, interior design expert and then-editor at These Three Rooms, Ariane Sherine, had shared her thoughts on taste and aesthetics with Bored Panda.

“When it comes to aesthetics, ‘bad design’ is a very individual thing that comes down to personal taste,” she said that our personal tastes and (dis)likes affect our judgment of products and interiors.

#16 This Music Poster Looks Like A Guy And Girl Being Hanged

Image credits: Mayafoe

#17 This Unfortunately Designed Kid’s Balloon

Image credits: ViolentThespian

#18 If Only There Was An Easier Way To See Who Was Outside Your Front Door..

Image credits: The_Magi_Carpy

“It’s perhaps more helpful to talk about ‘bad design’ as design that doesn’t function as it should—for instance, a kitchen that doesn’t have what’s called ‘good flow’, where you have to walk impractical distances between complementary appliances and where the dimensions of the ‘kitchen work triangle’ (the distance between fridge, sink, and hob) aren’t practical,” the design expert said.

#19 Another Example Of Unrealistic Body Expectations For Men

Image credits: deepshitgoeshere

#20 Le Tits Now

Image credits: Thee_Nick

#21 I Needed Red. Guess Which One I Grabbed At First

Image credits: bennythomson

“A kitchen where there isn’t enough storage, where potentially dangerous appliances aren’t located safely, and where cornflakes and milk are placed at opposite ends of the room is what I’d call ‘bad design,’” she shared that a poorly-crafted space can be a huge headache for someone in their day-to-day lives.

“‘Good design’ is where a lot of thought and effort has been put into structuring and renovating a house so it’s perfect for the people living in it. It takes account of their aesthetic preferences but also focuses on the concepts I mentioned before, paying close attention to detail,” she told Bored Panda.

#22 No Thank You, I Think I’ll Pass

Image credits: DragonsTurnMeOn

#23 Artistic Kid Dies

Image credits: Rosrit

#24 Okay. I Know This Cake Is A Number 1 And It Says “emma,” But It Looks Like A Dick With Balls That Says “weed”

Image credits: lama579

“The only true way to ascertain whether a design is going to be a commercial success is to make it available for sale, market it widely, and see how many people buy it. But success is different to taste. Personally, I think taste is all about understatement, minimalism, and neutral decor. But again, that’s only my personal opinion!” the design expert told us during another interview, earlier.

“This will differ for each person, but for many people, loud and garish colors used liberally in the home would signify a lack of taste. Then again, I can think of designers who have based their entire career around the use of color and loud prints,” she said that there aren’t any hard and fast rules.

#25 If Only I Had Some Scissors…

Image credits: BeardedMan32

#26 This Maze Game

Image credits: peggiep9pm

#27 Meme Says It All…

Image credits: TheBensonBoy

When it comes to furniture, you have to consider functionality, not just aesthetics. “Does the furniture function as it should? Is it likely to collapse or break easily? If seating, is it comfortable? I mean, my idea of aesthetic hell would be a bright purple inflatable sofa with lime green spots, but your mileage may vary! The question of comfort and function is a less subjective one,” the design expert shared a few of the considerations you should keep in mind when thinking about interiors.

#28 If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It

Image credits: Momochichi

#29 What’s My Age Again?

Image credits: jcampbell514

#30 When Your Dental Banner Features An Execution

Image credits: admiralnorman

Tell us all about which of these pics and fails made you cringe the hardest, Pandas. Meanwhile, for some more amazingly awful designs, check out Bored Panda’s previous features right here, here, as well as here.

#31 F**king Hurry!!

Image credits: NahAnyway

#32 This Could Have Been Avoided With 1 Focus Group (of Women)

Image credits: JillianDavid13

#33 This Jfk Memorial

Image credits: -Tilde

#34 No Way Anyones Getting Past That

Image credits: TeLizardWizard

#35 Attention

Image credits: boobooob

#36 Two Flamingos, One Vagina

Image credits: afaintsmellofcurry

#37 Good Luck Wheelchairees

Image credits: OfficialDampSquid

#38 I Was Looking For Those…

Image credits: Carter4502

#39 Sometimes It’s Okay To Judge A Book By Its Cover

Image credits: jaapgrolleman

#40 Love, Morriage, Boby?

Image credits: redsox1524

#41 Never Split Your Legs When You Slide Down!

Image credits: AdmitOneOnly

#42 This Flower Print Dress

Image credits: 666

#43 If You Were In A Car, Would You Know What Accident To Do?

Image credits: JoJoeyJoJo

#44 Toilets And Mirror Ceiling

Image credits: zorton213

#45 This Warning Sign

Image credits: awesomefacepalm

#46 All Ye Shall Come To Me For The Healing Of Burgers

Image credits: deadpoolyes

#47 This Awful Slide Placement

Image credits: unknown456

#48 Which Is It?!

Image credits: Dcooper123

#49 I Have No Idea What I’m Doing

Image credits: billow2112

#50 Ass To Ass

Image credits: Starhounder

#51 In Japan, You Have To Follow These Signs While Driving At 70 Mph

Image credits: tori_bird

#52 This University Isn’t Very Good With Fractions

Image credits: Housson

#53 What A Great Packaging Choice

Image credits: bwaredapenguin

#54 50 Lanes? Lets Merge Those Into 4

Image credits: JackleBee

#55 The Grill Being Sold On Amazon Is Only Supposed To Be A Foot Tall, But Can We Talk About The Gondola Silhouette?

Image credits: IceCreamTacosPizza

#56 Baby Jesus/severed Thumb Christmas Ornament

Image credits: Blenderhead36

#57 Correct Punctuation Is A Must!

Image credits: hmm-cheese

#58 Why Not Use The Selfie?

Image credits: Eddiecreates

#59 This Handicap Parking Spot…

Image credits: holddemaio

#60 Sparkling Red “slippers”

Image credits: throwd_away8675309

#61 Cool… What?!

Image credits: ledjimmypage

#62 Teaching Kids The Harsh Reality Of Life

Image credits: MyBoener

#63 The Printing On This Ball

Image credits: lvchy

#64 The Tans Will Fade…

Image credits: Roguecop

#65 Do You Squirt?

Image credits: justinwzig

#66 Toss Me A Cold One, Will Ya?

Image credits: freakame

#67 I’m Pretty Sure The Odds Are In My Favor To Win The Fight

Image credits: VirtualKorean

#68 The Vent In My Hotel Shower Doesn’t Seem To Work

Image credits: eddygoombah

#69 Are The All The Translations Really Necessary Heinz?

Image credits: bog_warrior_ie

#70 Measurement Lines On An Opaque Bottle

Image credits: sashley520

#71 Why The Hell Do The Weights Make Up The First H But Not The Last One?

Image credits: WoodPeckker

#72 Why Is It Not The A ??

Image credits: psycoffman

#73 Kitten Socks

Image credits: KevlarYarmulke

#74 Giant Is Seconds From Being Paralyzed

Image credits: BIRDoS

#75 F**k Or Treat

Image credits: KanataCitizen

#76 But They Are Both Right Hands

Image credits: flea123-rhcp

#77 “12 Wa S Y U Can Tell You Ha E Th Right”

Image credits: justinerwin

#78 We’re Sorry…

Image credits: 2ndmostimproved

#79 Not A Car, Not The Police…

Image credits: LuffyTheAstronaut

#80 This Monstrosity Will Surely Make Someone Want To Date These Handsome Men

Image credits: lokiinthesky

#81 Poor Url Choice By A Fagas Strap Company

Image credits: omicron7e

#82 How Big Is That Watch?!

Image credits: skepticalDragon

#83 I Want To To Open A Shop In Goa That Slightly Copies A Popular Chain, What Should I Call It?

Image credits: Munt_Custard

#84 We’re Not Happy ’til You’re Not Happy

Image credits: Hantook

#85 Proof Your Layouts, People

Image credits: Estoye

#86 Hot Dog Anyone?

Image credits: AsianMasterium

#87 No Use! Only Charge!

Image credits: RiggzBoson

#88 The Scaling Is So Bad…

Image credits: Smiteside

#89 Fake Zipper On Levi’s Boots Makes Holes In Your Boot When You Walk

Image credits: peppaz

#90 Seriously?

Image credits: GallowBoob

#91 Better Than Cream Cheese? No!

Image credits: ibegross

#92 …the “O” Has Already Been Guessed

Image credits: crabbyshellfish

#93 Doesn’t Sound Very Exciting

Image credits: thenewkelly

#94 From Afar, This Sign Has A Completely Different Meaning

Image credits: tannerclary3

#95 Happy 20170!

Image credits: bakugandrago18

#96 This Fucking Outlet At My University

Image credits: txglasgow

#97 One Of The Worst Flow Charts I’ve Seen In A While

Image credits: Irate_Rater

#98 Suicidal Holiday Introvert, Look No Further

Image credits: George_E_Hale

#99 The Three Multiple Choice Options My Physics Teacher Gave For This Example Problem

Image credits: justindi

#100 Printing Shop In My Home Town

Image credits: boots_and_cats_

#101 The Official Emma Watson ‘beauty And The Beast’ Doll

Image credits: Yzre

#102 Ho Ho Ho, Shit Down My Throat

Image credits: PDwasHere

#103 Ndeeisgihgbnocrehnotoedr

Image credits: RoscoeG

#104 Texcock Mextails

Image credits: smunchyblue

#105 Beautiful Driveway. Sucks You Can’t Use It

Image credits: AsASymbol

#106 This Slide With No Side Rails…

Image credits: STR4NGE

#107 Let’s Come Up With An Easy Acronym To Let People Know We Support The Military

Image credits: DonSquirrelio

#108 Literally Can’t Fall For This Scam

Image credits: Tramarius

#109 Stressed Backwards Spells…

Image credits: MarcXJF

#110 Marketing Skills At Its Finest

Image credits: ArbitraryEnigma

#111 While We’re On The Topic Of Awful Pool Design…

Image credits: ericsinsideout

#112 Heart Shape Headphone Splitter Looks Like A Nut Sack

Image credits: sksksk1989

#113 Friend Posted This From A Lift In Vietnam

Image credits: Aaronponniah

#114 The Rails Should Prevent People From Hitting Their Head, But Instead They Trip Over Them. So Now, Traffic Cones

Image credits: domin8r

#115 The Eight In This Clock

Image credits: macafeu88

#116 I Just Want To Heat My Hot Pocket

Image credits: coconutgoat

#117 Ate At A Local Restaurant

Image credits: Nopeasuoli

#118 These Hotel Room Directions

Image credits: phoenix772

#119 Do Love What You Do What You Love

Image credits: alicecyan

#120 When Does The O’s Play?

Image credits: Swegerts

#121 This Woman Looking Out The Plane Is Very Calm Considering She’s About To Crash Into The Hudson

Image credits: bmdelaune

#122 The Awful Name Of This File

Image credits: GuD_MeMeS_OnLy

#123 The Stairs Leading To This Bedroom

Image credits: reddit

#124 What

Image credits: gamebird8000

#125 There’s A Line Forming Behind Me. I Have No Idea

Image credits: samsuh

#126 This Watch Is Not Ez Read

Image credits: SoonerVillage

#127 The Worst Thing About Lenovo Laptops. A “Close Current Page Without Warning Button” Right Next To The “Volume Up” Button

Image credits: srcw624

#128 That’s Like Asking To Get Your Speaker Kicked In

Image credits: Malfaisance

#129 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pgup 9

Image credits: tayomoore

#130 We Need A Poster That Says “Wine”

Image credits: NotBrenAgain

#131 In The Shadow Of Every Yes Is A… Different Shadow?

Image credits: Fineus

#132 My Gf Is A Teacher. This Sits On Her Desk And The Lack Of Punctuation Disturbs Me

Image credits: mattym00

#133 This Door At My Dentist’s Office

Image credits: Michael_The_Great

#134 Beer Coaster

Image credits: _Hungry_Llama_

#135 I Made An Account Just To Post This Unforgivable De$ign Choice

Image credits: The_Bronald

#136 This Sign

Image credits: rachgard

#137 Lots Of Hope For Sure

Image credits: s1lentstorm

#138 The Design School I Graduated From Sent This Postcard Out

Image credits: edrini

#139 Give Up On Your Dreams

Image credits: Mage42384

#140 This Coat Rack

Image credits: bdevildds

#141 This Carpeted Bathroom

Image credits: cbigsby

50 Times Common Sense Went Over The Heads Of These Interior Designers (New Pics)

January 7, 2021

Good design is about finding the delicate yet pleasing balance between form and function. Though a lot depends on what you want to get done, a good rule of thumb is to keep your designs simple, so that they’re easily understood, practical, and aesthetic. But some people throw the rulebook out the window into the dumpster. And then they wing it.

Even though bad home interior designs are something you should practice social distancing from, you can’t deny that they can be hilarious… as long as it’s not your home we’re talking about! Bored Panda wanted to make you laugh and feel better about having to stay in your lovely home during the lockdown, so we’re bringing you the funniest, most facepalm-worthy interior design fails that prove common sense is actually quite rare.

Are you in the mood for some more horrendous examples of design? Well, once you’re done scrolling through this list and upvoting your fave horrible design pics, we invite you to check out earlier posts about design fails here, here, and here.

#1 Steps That You Can’t See

Image credits: Paarnahkrin

#2 Up The Drain It Goes

Image credits: Winsthorne

#3 My Uncle’s House Got A Bathroom Without A Door, Literally The First Thing You See When You Enter The House

Image credits: muurilin

Designer Dieter Rams is one of the world’s brightest experts when it comes to design that’s done well. Back in the 1970s, he said that the world was full of “an impenetrable confusion of forms, colors, and noises” and then went on to create his 10 principles for good design. In our opinion, he expressed timeless rules that are as important now as they were back then.

For Rams, good design has to be innovative but also useful. It can’t sacrifice form or function for one or the other: it has to be a blend of both. If a product is self-explanatory, even better! That goes for designs everywhere—if something is over-designed, it can create confusion.

#4 My Friend’s Under-The-Stairs “Bathroom” Where The Toilet Is Diagonal And Partially Installed Into The Carpeted Wall

Image credits: dbqbbq

#5 Can’t Stop Thinking About This Sink

Image credits: aprilcotz

#6 Kitchen Made By A Sofa Maker

Similarly, Rams argues that good design is honest, long-lasting, friendly to the environment, has a shelf life longer than current trends, and does away with non-essentials. In short, aim for purity. Show the essence of the design. Do away with what’s unnecessary. More is less.

However, we’re not the only ones who think that bad designs can be a lot of fun (and not just a warning about what to avoid doing). The founders of the Ugly Design Instagram page, Jonas Nyffenegger and Sébastien Mathys, told Bored Panda in an earlier interview that bad designs jump out at people from the screen and grab their attention.

#7 Imagine Having To Scrub Or Clean It

Image credits: IdahoePotatoe

#8 At Least You Don’t Have To Reach For It

Image credits: Henry Franks

#9 New Kitchen Style

Image credits: DrFetusRN

What’s more, atrocious designs also keep on surprising people. Just when you think you’ve reached the bottom of the (Un)Aesthetic Abyss, you realize that it was just the tip of the Iceberg of Bad Taste. What’s more, the founders pointed out that the world would be a very boring place if everything looked tasteful and nice.