According to world-renowned industrial designer Dieter Rams from Germany, good design is innate innovative, makes the product useful, and is aesthetic.

Not only that, but good design should also aim to make the design understandable, unobtrusive, honest, long-lasting, and thorough down to the very last detail.

Moreover, these quality designs ought to be environmentally friendly. And, somewhat counterintuitively, good design is as little design as possible. In other words, simplicity and a ‘less is more’ mindset is better than over-designed products that focus on non-essential details.

Empathy for the consumer is paramount—in everything that designers strive to accomplish. Well, ideally!

The online community has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. Currently, 214k redditors are members of ‘Anti-[Jerk] Design,’ compared to 160k back in 2021. Quality posts attract attention. Captivating and imaginative designs are hard to ignore pretty much anywhere on the internet.

Unfortunately, the subreddit is no longer active. Oneof the current moderators confirmed to Bored Panda that the sub has officially “shut its doors in protest of Reddit’s API changes,” which happened in June 2023. It’s a big loss for the internet. Many subreddits protested Reddit’s changes at the time.

The goal of the online community is to share pictures of great designs that would make people smile. Once the scales fall from your eyes and you realize what’s possible with a bit of elbow grease and ingenuity, it’s tougher to tolerate products and services that are less than friendly.

But if that happens on a mass scale, it’s a win not just for the consumer but also for the global market. If everyone raises their standards, brands have no choice but to react and accommodate this.

Previously, Bored Panda spoke to one of the moderators who used to help run the entire subreddit, Dale. He explained to us during an earlier interview that, originally, the ‘Anti-[Jerk] Design’ subreddit was created as an offshoot of another online community that also had a similar-sounding name.

“It [the subreddit] was created for the purpose of celebrating the effort made by companies and organizations that are directly for the benefit of the consumer. Particularly those efforts that may be at their expense,” the moderator told Bored Panda earlier. The members of the sub mostly focused on celebrating good and environmentally friendly designs.

According to former moderator Dale, some examples of good design decisions may include things like “the ability to turn off ads for free on free apps. Or, articles or videos that include the answer to questions before the content (such as in the title) as a kind of anti-clickbait.” The friendlier these designs are to the people actually using them, the better.

The moderator explained to Bored Panda that the ‘Anti-[Jerk] Design’ subreddit had been gaining traction and slowly growing since the start thanks to a “diverse crowd with a common goal to celebrate and spread the news of good companies and organizations with consumer-friendly practices.”

From Dale’s perspective, many companies have been moving in completely opposite directions in recent years. Their business philosophies couldn’t be more at odds. “Some companies are becoming more ethical, caring, and thoughtful towards their consumers, doing what is right and being rewarded through the growing mindset of being an ethical consumer,” he shared the upside.

That’s not to say that all brands are so kind and caring. “There are also companies that are prioritizing fast profit over everything else and, as a result, will be gracing the front page of our sister subreddit. I think more and more, as time goes on, companies need to be mindful of which side they will choose when it comes to developing their brand,” the mod said.

“Being nice is its own reward. However, if subreddits like ours can help boost these companies, then all the better,” the sub moderator told us earlier. “There does not need to be a financial loss for kindness. Money spent on good design can pay dividends in this brave new global economy.”

Which of the designs we’ve featured in this list do you think are the most consumer-friendly, dear Pandas? Which designs do you think you couldn’t do without now that you’ve seen them? Meanwhile, what are the most and least empathetic designs you’ve come across in your day-to-day lives?

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts on all of this. Be sure to share your opinions in the comments!