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When you’re neck-deep in your work, you can get so focused on a few details that you no longer see the forest for the trees. Before you know it, you’ve made some major mistakes that are glaringly obvious to practically any bystander. That’s true for any profession, including folks working in graphic and product design.
Created by David Delahunty (@delahuntagram), the ‘Design Fails’ (@designfailures) Instagram account has been amusing social media users for over a decade. The account does exactly what it says on the tin: it focuses on facepalm-worthy design fails that are as confusing as they are amusing. We’re featuring some of the most epic ones to brighten your day. Scroll down to check them out. Oh, and if you’re a designer, keep in mind that these pics might make you cringe extremely hard!
More info: Instagram | DavidDelahunty.com
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Jan Willem ten Dam 10 months ago
To play devil's advocate: since the paper can provide strength to the bottle, the plastic can merely be a relatively thin liner, somewhat like a bag inside a cardboard container. If the bottle is incinerated or ends up in a landfill, there is at least less plastic involved. Maybe it's actually less harmful to the environment. Maybe…
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#2
Toothless Feline 10 months ago
Always check how the logo and slogan will look when the door is open *before* you heat-seal the wrap.
Mary Peace 9 months ago
I would have thought a company of that size, fame or infamy and 'notoriety' would have checked this aspect of design.
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#3
Wang Zhuang 10 months ago
Yeah, truly a fail. It would have been better if they had just put the author's whole name on the spine somehow
Billo66 10 months ago (edited)
OMG snorted coffee out ma nose! Thats too funny. My nurse in the hospital was chinese, she asked where Im from I'm American with some German roots. Last name Otto. Anyway, right about then I was scrolling reddit and there was an old german commercial for chinese food on. We watched it together, these big burly germans would take a bite and POOF into a sterotypical looking chinese person. (bowl cut, bucked teeth). It was so racist but so hilarious I was super glad I got to share it with her we both laghed so hard. I really needeed that. edit:spelling
Delahunty created the ‘Design Fails’ account in July 2013. Over the past 11+ years, he’s amassed 31.2k followers on Instagram. The idea behind the account is very straightforward: “When design fails, we share it.”
Bored Panda has reached out to the curator via email to learn more about his project and what good design should look like, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from him.
Not only are the photos that Delahunty shares useful for any current and future designers as examples of what not to do, they’re all also wildly enjoyable to look at. There’s a certain element of schadenfreude involved here, too. Like it or not, human beings get a bit of pleasure from another person’s misfortune. And many of us like to think we’d never make the same design mistakes that other professionals have… even though we probably inevitably would find another way to fail.
#4
Glix Drap 10 months ago
What's it meant to say? Ah, I'm ashamed to say I only just worked it out.
TribbleThinking 10 months ago
I'm more ashamed to stay that I remained mystified and MrTribble had to translate it for me. 😄
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EmJay 10 months ago
Ive read this about 20 times and i still don't get it, someone please tell me
Philippa Davies 10 months ago
It’s meant to be a cross at the start then the word ‘unashamed’- saying they are unashamed to be Christian. The way it is laid out makes it look like it says ‘tunashamed’- with the cross looking like a ‘t’ I hope that makes sense!
Load More Replies... #5
Tilly’syellowsnowman 10 months ago (edited)
This would be a nightmare in a middle or elementary school classroom 🤣
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 10 months ago
Or high school or college or a rest home.
Load More Replies... Jason Kennith 10 months ago
I miss hearing that one every day in elementary school. I was the one who started the whole thing in my class.
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Glix Drap 10 months ago
The next version is going to introduce scratch and sniff of the planets (Venus is apparently hot and spicy). Wonder what Uranus smells like.
Trophy Husband 10 months ago
It's pronounced your-un-us... Not that a school kid it going to care
#6
Daniel Atkins 10 months ago
looks like it is upside down so that it would be plugged in without interfering with the bottom outlet. It looks loke the writing on the end is upside down too.
Aesthetics play a key role in consumer behavior because our brains are wired to respond to beauty. Something that is visually appealing is pleasant to look at, essentially. So, good design makes you feel that the product or service is reliable and has a group of competent people behind it. Meanwhile, the way something is designed can resonate (or not) with consumers’ sense of style and individuality.
On the other hand, visually messy designs—like logos that are hard to read—project unreliability, a lack of quality, and speak volumes about the lack of editing. In other words, bad design is a sign of untrustworthiness.
#8
Karolina Di 10 months ago
Notice that mom's 'elbow' is faded. I just think that in this spot, the child's hand rested against mom's arm before it faded.
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#9
cj be like 10 months ago
You have to purchase those doors if you want them to slide, luckily they're only 12.99 per movement!
Rejectedkid 10 months ago
i mean they might be manufacturing sliding doors, but this dont mean that they have a sliding d oor.
No matter how skilled, perceptive, and talented you think you are, nobody is immune to making mistakes. Everyone messes up from time to time. Nobody’s ‘flawless’ or ‘perfect.’
It’s how you react to the mistakes you make that says a lot about your character. Someone who has a growth-oriented mindset sees failure as an opportunity for growth instead of something that should continue to haunt them for years.
#10
JL 10 months ago
You should have seen her at New Year's parties from 2000-2009.
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#12
KittyGaming 10 months ago
The plot to Luigi's Mansion, you shoot ghosts with light and Mario is trapped in a painting
Messing up a design in a very embarrassing and public manner doesn’t have to be a fail. For one, you make a mental note of all the ways you’ll do things better the next time around. But on top of that, this is actually a good opportunity to connect with your audience, clients, and coworkers.
As we’ve covered earlier, displaying signs of mild embarrassment can be socially constructive because everyone is likely to be more sympathetic.
#13
Fuket 10 months ago
I have worked at a sign shop as the graphic designer... I have seen this pic on the web multiple times. It is a fake (the huge space between "do" & "it") OR the person ordering it thought they knew more than the designer and asked/forced for this layout... and has gotten sh!p for it ever since.
Fuket 10 months ago
Just = 4 Do It = 5.... no reason DO needed to be on the side with JUST.... just saying :)
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Bryan Wright 10 months ago
Oh no, it is most certainly possible to do nothing and you don't even need any experience not to do it.
Johanna Tetley 5 months ago
It actually is physically impossible to do nothing, because you are always doing something, no matter what it is.
#14
Bryan Wright 10 months ago
I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Great Orange (Lemon) Buffoon was behind this.
Warren Peece 10 months ago
The Lemon is a cross between a sour orange and a citron. And the sour orange is a cross between a mandarin and a pummelo. So the lemon is a hybrid of a hybrid.
Rick Murray 10 months ago
Just think: somebody wrote this, somebody else probably signed off on it and it was then sent to a printer to get printed, then delivered and stuck into the boxes...and not one person did anything about the painfully obvious error that is now being humiliated online. 🤦🏻♀️
Catherine Maven 10 months ago
... on the other hand, my mom always added orange slices to our lemonade. Delicious!!
#15
When you embrace your embarrassment (for instance, when the design you’ve worked so hard on gets called out for being ridiculously bad—oops!) instead of shying away from it, you show your human side and vulnerability, which is super relatable.
On the flip side, if you pretend that you haven’t messed up, your social capital can crash. Furthermore, that sense of embarrassment can continue to haunt you, eventually morphing into deep-seated shame. And that’s just plain unhealthy physically, emotionally, and mentally. Laugh it off if you can. And if you can’t find the humor, at least be honest about having made a mistake.
#16
Mary Peace 9 months ago
I have a cat one of these, the ears are more rounded, not pointed. I drink from it without a problem.
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Bryan Wright 10 months ago
Darwin Award for attempting to use this dangerous piece of c**p as a mug.
#17
me McG 10 months ago
Upvoted due to the correlation of the commenters handle.
Load More Replies... #18
True professionals always strive to get feedback on their work. It might be awkward. It might be uncomfortable. But unless you take the time to see how your ideas and designs are viewed by the outside world, you won’t grow. After all, designs meant for the public are meant to capture attention and bring in revenue.
So, unless you’re doing things purely for the sake of artistic merit, you need to keep your finger on the pulse of consumers. Ideally, you should find a balance between function and form, as well as what consumers want and what your vision as a professional is.
#19
Rick Murray 10 months ago
I just let my eyes wander and it doesn't appear solvable by any other route. If we start at the exit (bottom right) and work back, we'll end up at a dead end on the upper left. Going the other way around, a dead end just above the entry.
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 10 months ago (edited)
Probably made by AI. EDIT: Why can't we have a serif font?
Cydney Golden 10 months ago
You can go all the way thru but it doesn't say end. Nor does it say start for that matter.
#20
Nix 10 months ago
The same type of person who thought it would be a good idea to take a photo of someone else using it and post it on the internet
Mary Peace 9 months ago
They could easily put a poster or something at the appropriate height, possibly leaving a gap at top or something.
#21
Corvus 10 months ago
It is more realistic now, though. Spiders don't produce webs from their hands :P
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Test out a few designs with a focus group or two. Or, if you don’t have anything as fancy as that, run your visuals or sketches by your family and friends. Ask for some honest feedback and promise that you won’t get upset. Then, when you’ve got a bunch of feedback, sit down and evaluate what’s genuinely useful and what’s not.
Not every critic will be able to articulate why they (don’t) like your design (they might have a gut, instinctive reaction), but when someone offers semi-constructive feedback, it’s usually best to at least think about it.
#22
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
Perfect t-shirt message for Americans under our new dictatorship. Actually, the way things look, these could easily go global, now that the US is becoming an isolationist country.
#23
TotallyNOTAFox 10 months ago (edited)
What a nice bank, they provide a nice back support for their customers
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
It always warms my heart to see accessible designs for the elderly and disabled.
Bill Swallow 10 months ago
Well, at least it should slow down the idiots who attach a chain and a pickup and try to yank the ATM out of the wall...
#24
Spring Pao 9 months ago
"If you see someone drowning, laugh in their face" according to this sign
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
I never knew that laughing out loud was the way to respond to a drowning emergency. Now, does this method work in other emergencies, say like a house on fire or a horrific highway accident?
Whether or not you end up implementing those changes will depend on your goals, timelines, and design philosophy as a whole.
Meanwhile, some comments are going to be negative no matter what. It’s impossible for everyone to love your designs. When you get hate for what you do, it’s healthiest to ignore it when there’s no genuine criticism there to help you improve.
#25
#26
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
Ok, let's see 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 + 3 = 9, then repeat steps 3X. No, that's stupid. 3 X 3 = 9, then repeat 3X. That's it. Much quicker.
#27
Which of these design fails did you love to hate the most, dear Pandas? On the flip side, were there any designs in this list that you genuinely liked?
What is the very worst logo or product design that you’ve seen recently with your own eyes? We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to share your thoughts, you can do so in the comments below.
#28
Glix Drap 10 months ago
The complete guide to go whore. Well you do have to find out from somewhere.
no adhesiveness 2020 10 months ago
Velvet Jackson, "I wanna be a Ho" (Eddie Murphy SNL skit)
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James King 10 months ago
"I want to whore, but just can't seem to figure out how to do so. If only there were a magazine I could subscribe to!"
Robert T 10 months ago
Remindes me of the website whorepresents.com for finding the name of a celeb's agent.
Joots (shants/jorts) 9 months ago (edited)
took me a while to figure out its: —————— who represents.com
Load More Replies... CalamityOne 10 months ago
Ooooh, it's the cover title... Sorry, I was distracted trying to figure out the weird-looking left arm placement...
Xandra 10 months ago
The e in "where" is covered, so it can be read as an "o"
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Glix Drap 10 months ago
Man proposing to girlfriend with a tyre? Not sure how that worked out. Did he tread carefully enough?
Ace 10 months ago
My first thought was an earlier song by that name https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPGiLsdWZdo&t=18s
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#30
Joots (shants/jorts) 9 months ago (edited)
(am American) I watch a ton of UK shows & always wondered - is high street the equivalent to the USA’s main street?
Load More Replies... Riley Quinn 10 months ago
The least the bank could do is provide a step stool. Customer service is really going downhill.
The person leveling NYC 10 months ago
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: what are these non-tall people doing? This is a very normal ATM
#31
CalamityOne 10 months ago
They were going to use this in that TNG episode, but Picard yelling "There are SIX bananas" just didn't have the same gravitas as lights...
#32
#33
Lester the Space Duck 10 months ago
I roll my eyes when people try to listen to audio coming out of a book.
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#34
The person leveling NYC 10 months ago
If sham means fake and poo means poop, why do we put it in our hair?
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
I focused on scalp, re, sham trying to figure this... oh, freshing poo. I'll pass.
#35
#36
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
All jokes about this poorly worded sign aside, what are able-bodied adults suppose to do? Pee in the shoe department like a misbehaved pet?
#37
#38
Astara Marshall 10 months ago
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
#39
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
Yeah, try explaining that to Quiverfull (Christian Patriarchy movement).
#40
Kay C 10 months ago
Dont know if this is is worse than birthday date picker calendars that makenyou tap back month ny month for 40 years, they both make me mad lol
Tropical Tarot 10 months ago
You can usually click on the year to get to the correct one. You don't have to scroll month by month.
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Riley Quinn 10 months ago (edited)
Just went through this aggravation on a site, finally got to the end, and the submit button didn't submit. Up yours!
#41
Giles McArdell 10 months ago
IDK about the National Geographic but the New Scientist comes in a biodegradable bag. ;)
Robert T 10 months ago
Looks like the same stuff we use for our club magazine - it is made from potato and maize starch.
Load More Replies... Riley Quinn 10 months ago
Visualizing irony. Nat Geo has declined so much over the years, nothing at all like it was back in the 60/70's. This sums up their decline perfectly.
BeKind&Rewind 10 months ago
You can request your magazines not be shipped in plastic. Also, your subscription date is on the label and you can even request the magazine company to not send reminders until just before your subscription expires. Poor senior citizens always order more and more thinking they are about to expire. So criminal.
#42
Fuket 10 months ago
This is an example of how bored graphic designers find joy in the little things in life! This is after when they first started they tried to explain it would be better to rotate the words and have the sentence start from the eraser end... and being told absolutely not! I am paying for it and want it THIS WAY! We learn to let the customer BE RIGHT when they insist...
#44
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
Okay, which is better? American toilets with gaps around the door or Russian toilets with mirrors on the ceiling?
cerinamroth 10 months ago
If it says there's a straf, how are they going to know who to strafen?
#45
#46
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
This is food poisoning personified. It begins with gas and lots of belching (the columns), followed by projectile vomiting and diarrhea (the ridiculously large overhang), then turns into an entire night of delirium and writhing on the cold tile floor in the bathroom (the rest of this hideous mess).
#47
#48
Fire Singer 10 months ago
My mom had to have dental work done once and the sedative was so strong this is what she looked like for hours after. This was many many years ago, but we kids laughed and laughed because then she would laugh but only half her face would laugh. It was hilarious!
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
What I think I look like after several Novocain shots at the dentist's.
#49
#50
#51
#52
Bill Swallow 10 months ago
Yep. But the more embarrassing thing is them failing to remove the 'Shutterstock' marking.
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Riley Quinn 10 months ago
Seriously guys, this isn't that mind-boggling artistic. You could've come up with something. Heck, is there a 4yo with crayons in the neighborhood? Ask the kid for a design that doesn't include Shutterstock.
Huddo's sister 10 months ago
It's not a design fail though, it's a cheapo fail. They didn't pay the artist for the image and got what was coming to them.
#53
cerinamroth 10 months ago
There is a street in Hamburg (Neuer Wall, I think maybe Große Bleichen, too) that have double arches along the road in Christmas lights every year. We all call it Booby Street.
Auntriarch 10 months ago
I saw a bridge decorated like that, it looked like a washing line with half a dozen pairs
Scotira 10 months ago
This is a Christmas decoration. I think the town near my home has something similar. I have to say one by itself looks weird however when you have an entire row of these they do look pretty.
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#54
#55
#56
eric p 10 months ago
That seems to be the point. See how at the edge of the frame there is an apple. It's probably a worksheet to teach kids to make healthy choices
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#57
#59
#60
TotallyNOTAFox 10 months ago (edited)
Let me guess, it was a New Yorkian company doing that - The continent of New York is crazy like that, wouldn't have happened in countries like Africa or Paris though
Wang Zhuang 10 months ago
I"d be pretty pissed if I paid someone for this world map and this is the result
Crissy Newbury 9 months ago
Apart from everything else that’s wrong with this, the scale is wildly disproportionate.
#61
#62
#63
#64
#65
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
So close. Maybe reading a book in between weight-lifting is in order.
#66
eric p 10 months ago (edited)
This came from a law school... must be run by maga...
Load More Replies... SaraCapybara 10 months ago
What in the heck are they trying to say? No matter what order I put the words in, it makes no sense.
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
My eyes are whirling trying to read this. I surrender to whatever cult this is.
#67
#68
#69
#70
#71
#72
#73
#74
Kiss Army 10 months ago
Surely you mean most secure ladder anyone could build? LOL!
Load More Replies... cerinamroth 10 months ago
This looks like the entry to an apartment hotel I stayed in in Tel Aviv once.
#75
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 10 months ago
Well, the toilet and urinal on the right would be the most akward. Not a fan of any of it, though.
Mark (it/urgh) 10 months ago
Those are for when you have vomiting and diarrhoea at the same time.
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#76
E Menendez 10 months ago
Too bad bananas don't come in some sort of skin or peel that would protect it from the external environment. Such a shame we have to use plastic.
SCP 4666 10 months ago
I still see people pack their bananas in a plastic bag and I`m like ...bruh
Load More Replies... Riley Quinn 10 months ago
This is only for people who like black bananas (yummm). The plastic bag is trapping the ethylene gas that promotes natural ripening produced by the bananas. Only the stems should be wrapped in plastic to slow ripening.
#77
#78
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 10 months ago
That doesn't sound like a statement from Ming the Merciless.
Mark (it/urgh) 10 months ago (edited)
Nah it was the guy who made the pots. Nice pronouns btw.
Load More Replies... #79
Bored Seagull 10 months ago (edited)
When you have to fix letters to a wall, but your only tool is a giant shotgun...
Kevin Doyle 10 months ago
It took me a long time to decipher but in someone's brain that reads " Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness"
Riley Quinn 10 months ago
This is exactly what it will be like for us as life, liberty, and happiness are drained from our society by an orange solipsist and an unelected sociopath.
#80
#81
Doug Moyer 10 months ago
Nice to see that you got the reason why it's in this list. Good job!
Load More Replies... Ace 10 months ago
Not "just" gulls, but any of 54 distinct species all bearing the name "gull". But yeah, another QI factoid, thx.
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#83
#85
Glix Drap 10 months ago
You just know someone will try to climb around this after a few beers.
#86
#87
#88
Johnnynatfan 10 months ago
Why do assume that's in America? Where does it say that?
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#91
DowntownStevieB 3 months ago
I really REALLY hate all the extremely basic "toes in the sand" decals people put on their Jeeps. It's always the same people.
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