Good design makes life easier. It solves problems, improves everyday experiences, and often goes unnoticed because it simply works. But when a design goes wrong, it’s almost impossible to ignore.
Even a small mistake in planning or execution can turn a well-intended project into a confusing or impractical creation. Surprisingly, many of these design fails end up in public places, where thousands of people see and use them every day.
Below, we’ve gathered some of the funniest and most baffling design mistakes shared online. Some are harmless, some are frustrating, and a few will leave you wondering how they were ever approved. Scroll down and see these unforgettable design fails for yourself.
#1 Yes, Ew.
#2 Perfect outlet
#3 Hmmm
#4 Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness….I think
#5 This keyboard on Amazon
#6 Yess milk
#7 Printing audio files
#8 Bus Shelter at a railway station
#9 Quality control must have had the day off when this was created.
#10 Nice place to cut off the sign Disney
#11 This sign
#12 Sign at a local beach
#13 Out of the corner of my eye I thought that I left my daughter strapped into the hot car all day. Nearly gave me a heart attack. Who designed this??
#14 A sign that looks like it says “follow someone home”
#15 I tried to post this years ago but it got taken down due to lack of karma. Today, it found me again at a thrift store for $5.99
#16 The An needs M
#17 These stairs at my cabin vacation feel designed to kill you
#18 So is it off or set to 60 watts?
#19 Pure fun to clean
#20 This Circular Pill Organizer that Opens Inward
#21 Pi** hallways in the Hyatt Regency Dallas
#22 This building’s billboard lights point straight to my bedroom
#23 The quotes make me doubt the freshness of said baked goods…
#24 Roof of university building intentionally leaks water and it spatters everywhere
#25 Before you THINK. PARK!
#26 Peak a poo
#27 At first glance I didn’t pick up on what it was saying, I was thoroughly confused. Also for a 19oz that’s pitiful.
#28 Nothing says ‘safe cycling infrastructure’ like swerving into traffic to avoid a concrete planter
#29 Crappy world map in a store at the Cebu City airport
#30 This pretty much unusable chessboard setup the city built on my street
