Designing a product, ad, or building is far more difficult of a challenge than you might think. Sure, you could argue that human beings are instinctively artistic and love aesthetics, but the sad truth is that there are far (far!) too many design fails out there. I’m not going to lie, sometimes they keep me awake at night. Thinking about them is both hilarious and terrifying at the same time. And the most powerful pics tend to haunt you for weeks and sometimes months at a time. Good design, why are you so rare?

One of the best places to find some outstanding examples of double-plus-ungood designs is this subreddit right here which shames and pokes fun at them for our amusement. Have a look through some of the best (worst?) design disasters that they featured recently. Remember to upvote the ones that you loved to hate the most and I’d absolutely love to hear which of these were your (least) favorite!

Pssst, Pandas, we know how much you love looking at epic design fails and aesthetic apocalypses, so we cordially invite you to check out Bored Panda’s earlier posts about them after you’re done enjoying and criticizing this list. You’ll find the articles here, here, and here.

#1 Gas Station In Nebraska. The Station’s Color Scheme Was Red. They Tried To Get Artsy

Image credits: aspiecat7

#2 Best Cat Carrier To Contain Your Sexy Cat

Image credits: moos_in_space

#3 Great Image To Help Your Kid Not Freak Out While Getting A Haircut

Image credits: g_nome7

The subreddit that makes fun of bad designs is a goliath on Reddit with a whopping 2.6 million members. The online group has been active since January 2011 and has become a true pillar of design discussion online, ranging from the silly and fun to the in-depth and serious.

Over the last two years alone, the subreddit grew by nearly a million members from 1.7 million adoring fans. Back then, they were getting 2 million page views per month. That’s proof enough of their popularity.

#4 Lex? Derp? Lox? Nope, It’s Supposed To Say Jax For Jacksonville, Florida For $18 Million Dollars

Image credits: baltinerdist

#5 The Placement Of This Baby’s Head Wasn’t Quite Thought Through

Image credits: ninimalini

#6 Not Where Earphones Go

Image credits: Grognak42

I previously spoke to a member of the subreddit’s moderator team to learn a bit more about their community. One of the mods told me previously that the “original motivation” of the subreddit was to “point out” horrible designs.

“Nowadays, most subscribers probably come here for entertainment. However, it is common to have meaningful discussion here on why or why not something is [bad] design,” the mod told Bored Panda.

#7 Pet Clippers That Let You Pull Naked Dogs Out Of Furry Behinds

Image credits: ssorrenidrag

#8 The New School In My Community Has A Wheel Chair Access Button For The Door, But No Way For A Person In A Wheel Chair To Reach It

Image credits: crimxie

#9 This Bench. Where I Live It Is Very Hot And It Is Impossible To Sit In This Park

Image credits: RocketSmash9000

We might intuitively understand what good design is, however, it’s a real challenge to get the design just right. It’s not just about beauty or function, however (though these are vital, too!). The idea of good design goes deeper still.

For instance, researcher Don Norman believes that the essence of design is… communication. “Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating,” he writes in ‘The Design of Everyday Things.’

#10 Women’s Jeans, I Want The Rest Of My Pocket

Image credits: evening_shop

#11 This Sign At The Akron Zoo That Looks Like A Man Peeing In His Own Face

Image credits: -Error-UserNotFound

#12 A Speed Bump On An Downhill Slope With No Drainage?

Image credits: M_Alex

According to Norman, design doesn’t have to be complicated. He argues that usability is just as important as aesthetics. Or, in other words, the product has to be functional and useful, not just a pretty thing to look at.

Norman explains that product design cannot ignore the needs of users. In the book, he argues that good, usable design is entirely possible, not just a dream conjured up by idealists.

“The rules are simple: make things visible, exploit natural relationships that couple function and control, and make intelligent use of constraints. The goal: guide the user effortlessly to the right action on the right control at the right time,” he writes that some products are able to satisfy customers’ needs while others only end up frustrating them.

#13 Why Is Clear A Green Button While Enter Is Yellow? I Kept Accidentally Clearing My Pin

Image credits: veeveemarie

#14 Striped Carpet On Hotel Stairs. Hard To Use Even After Two Weeks And Completly Sober

Image credits: OilCareful8232

#15 Rénovations Done To A 500 Years Old Tower

Image credits: scepticeye

#16 They Just Don’t Go Together

Image credits: terbiun

#17 Easy Way To Piss Off A Mailman

Image credits: popstarter

#18 This Is Not Vitamin D; It’s An Emoji On A Bottle Of Magnesium

Image credits: archfapper

#19 If You Say So!

Image credits: TML_31

#20 Her Face Is Not Ok

Image credits: lololy87

#21 The Sign Says “Teaching Kids Good Manners”, But It Looks Like You’re Just Yeeting The Baby Into Trash

Image credits: alphaMrWave

#22 Got This As A Gift And Honestly I Don’t Want To Throw It Away Just Because It’s Terribly Funny

Image credits: AmberedVal

#23 Thought It Was A Different Language At First

Image credits: TitanicsAnInsideJob

#24 They Sell Suitcase Covers.. But The Photoshop Is Just Awful

Image credits: suscript25

#25 This Unfortunate Placement Of A Handle

Image credits: loselmuh

#26 The Marbling In These Floor Tiles Makes It Look Like Someone Pooped All Over The Floor

Image credits: thisshortenough

#27 Sure, Place An Ad With A Guy Drinking Water Next To Rubbing Alcohol Of The Same Brand

Image credits: labanapoy

#28 Much More Convenient!

Image credits: J-P-4711

#29 Maybe I Shouldn’t Park Here

Image credits: 1pcbetterthanxbox

#30 Is This Andre The Giant’s Treadmill?

Image credits: phillypharm

#31 This Amazon Photo Where The Kids Don’t Even Look At The Toys

Image credits: MeteorBladeV2

#32 Practical Bathroom

Image credits: schen4181

#33 This Frozen 2 Temporary Tattoo Is Supposed To Say “Face Your Fear”, But The First Two Words Are Written In An Orange-Ish Color

Image credits: Vencero_JG

#34 Restaurant Bathroom: One Mirror Panel On Top, One On The Bottom…no Way To See Myself In Between

Image credits: freckledfrida

#35 Welcome Shorpers

Image credits: directtides72

#36 He’s Either Sucking On Her Head, Or He Is A Raccoon Cap… Not Sure Which Disturbs Anymore

Image credits: embarrased_to_Ask_42

#37 This Shirt That Looks Like It’s Covered In Coffee Stains

Image credits: TheMrMeatball

#38 Don’t Have Hep C? Get Some!

Image credits: Dtomnom

#39 How On Earth Can The Overpass Be Flooded?!

Image credits: jndlcrz888

#40 This Tea Will Change Your Image Size Ratio!

Image credits: Am-Linguist

#41 The Balcony Of My Hotel In Switzerland Is Only Accessible Through The Window

Image credits: loulan

#42 The Design Of This Pillowcase Makes It Look Like There Are Bugs Crawling On It

Image credits: FreshSansSimp

#43 Nev York

Image credits: specialvixen

#44 This Hose Cart Creates Water From Thin Air

Image credits: pzPat

#45 Is This Cake Like Deadpool?

Image credits: ydarbj1

#46 Outdoor Tables With Rough Surfaces

Image credits: MiniMakerMM

#47 The Shower In My Dorm Freshman Year (I’m Only 5’7)

Image credits: xxsoulpunkedxx

#48 In A Friend’s Wedding Goodie Bag

Image credits: korzorro

#49 A Very Easy To Read Graph About Texting While Driving? Found In My High School Yearbook

Image credits: Buddhacream

#50 Hedge Archway In The Neighborhood

Image credits: eyee_yyxy

Source: boredpanda.com