There are some things that really bother people, and bad design is one of them. I realize that in art sometimes things just donโt work out, but these pictures prove that some people have crossed the line.
These images make you wonder if some of these builders were even thinking, and whether or not the artists (or the people who commissioned the artists) were sending accidental subliminal messages. After all, art is based on experience!
Thanks to all of the students who posted about their bad design experiences. This way, we can know that we are not alone in our design flaw frustrations and try to affect change!
1) Statue At a Catholic School
This statue is not really what youโd think they would want to go for in terms of public relations at a CATHOLIC SCHOOL. It looks like the saint is holding some type of bread down there, but really? The placement is terrible. From far away itโs not a nice image!
2) Sign At a German School
Soโฆis the teacher in this sign doing the Nazi salute? Watch out, this school might just be going Auschwitz.
*Sending lots of love to those who have been affected by the terrible atrocities during these things that happened during the Holocaust.
3) Ad On a School Bus
Apparently, in New Zealand school buses are just regular buses with ads on them. This one ended up with an unfortunate design! Letโs just be clearโquit smoking, donโt quit school!
4) Outdoor Walkway At a Design School
Trying to get to drafting class? You might have to take a little detour. There is also the off-chance that this was done intentionally as a learning exercise for the students, a โwhat not to doโ in design!
5) Backpack Hangers In a Childrenโs School
What an unfortunate image these hanger racks make when they are put back to back! Is this intentional? How did the teachers not notice this? And the parents? Maybe itโs a subconscious child-development experiment.
6) Logo On a School Building
Maybe this looked better before it was cut out of metal and put on the side of a building. This was a miss for this Estonian design artist, how unfortunate!
The design is titled:
โA man plowing a fieldโ
7) Quote On a School Display
Well, I think the text on the picture says it all. Who didnโt realize this quote actually encourages students not to be there? Whereโs the love, support, and encouragement? I tell you, teachers need to be paid more.
8) Ink Jet Brail Sign
Whoever printed this out did not realize that in order for brail to be helpful it needs to be raised so that it can be felt with fingers instead of seen with eyes. Maybe this was for a class for the sighted to learn how to write brail?
โBeing Helpful For the Blindโ
9) New Projector Installed In School
Someone on the maintenance staff must have had a bad day. They did get the projector centeredโgreat jobโbut there is huge metal track blocking the screen! What a bummer for the teacher.
10) All Hallways End Here
Both the island of Manhattan and the Los Angeles turnpike have met their equals. Talk about a crazy traffic jam. Forget road rage, this design has to be creating walking rage!
โMy School. This Is The Place Where Every Hallway Intersectsโ
11) Toilet Renovations In a School Gym
Thereโs nothing like an awkward public restroom experience. How is this considered a beneficial renovation? I think the design team would have benefited from visualizations of the bathroom actually being in use.
12) Pie Graph In a School Newspaper
I guess according to this graph, 26 x 4 = 100. Maybe itโs a typo? Letโs hope whoever wrote this stays with the newspaper and doesnโt try to branch out to something like engineeringโor just gets a really good math tutor!
13) Mural In a High School Gym
This is just painful. The expression on the taller wrestlers face is one of triumph, but this image communicates the wrong kind of win for itโs audience of high school students! Was there something to the color of these two wrestlerโs skin in terms of a cultural statement?
14) Large Machine In a School
This machine looks scary. It even looks like a piece of medical equipment. Be careful not to go to close if you want to keep everything intact!
15) โMulticulturalโ Trash Can In a School
Did the design team not realize the implications of these photos being on a trash bin? Offensive.
โMy Schools Attempt At Being Multiculturalโ
16) Non-Accessible Atrium Park In a School
โLetโs build a beautiful park and atrium with a tree inside the middle of our school, but we wonโt let anyone go inโ, said no one decent, ever.
โMy School Has This Mini Park Inside It But No One Can Get Inside Itโ
17) Ceiling Fan In a School
The Amazing But Unusable Fan. Letโs give this school the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the beam was added later for stability in a structural emergency?
18) Wall Clock In a School
If itโs anywhere between 2 pm and 10 am youโre good, otherwise, you are on your own as far as getting to class on time. With no way to tell time, I guess itโs a free-for-all!
19) Locker In a School
This is an unfortunate locker assignment. Explain to me how this is a beneficial storage space!
โMy School Locker Canโt Even Fit My Backpack Because Of Those Shelvesโ
20) Front Door At a Middle School
I donโt think the artist visualized this sketch actually being up on the door when it was conceptualized. How sad, this was such a fun and environmentally friendly idea to paint polar bears as a welcoming image into the school.
21) Doors In a School Gym
I could see this either making for a really bad accident, or a really fun game time entrance involving the school mascot and a jumping sheet.
โExtreme Entrance To School Gymโ
22) One-Way Tinted Window In a School
This looks like a โwe can see you but you can only see yourselfโ type of situation. Imagine all the funny selfie poses and faces you would see walking down the halls at this school!
I can understand the school administartion wanting to help students pay more attention in class, but this doesnโt seem like a good situation regarding student safety.
23) โInspiringโ Words On Stairs In a School
Trying to read this might distract me enough to make me actually fall on my face. Maybe this is what happens when you let middle schoolers do unsupervised at projects around the school.
โSchool My From Words Inspiringโ
24) World Map In a School
I might be able to understand how this map came to be if this classroom was in Maryland, maybe, but where is South America? Do those people just not exist? Also, is Mexico part of America now, and was Donal Trump impeached and I just didnโt know about it?
25) 4 Bad Designs In 1 School
This school wins the award for the most number of bad designs. I wonder how badly this impacts the studentโs quality of life and ability to learn?
26) Wall Decoration In a High School
This looks like blood on the wallsโcreepy!! Aparently, the color red is supposed to represent the freshman, is this sending a message for newcomers to beware?
27) Pamphlet For the Special Ed Program
Oh, man. This is funny! So, they are going to comb through the classrooms with a magnifying glass and decide who isnโt cut out for the regular school program? How about focusing on giving the special needs kids what they actually need instead.
โThe Pamphlet For My Schoolโs Special Needs Programโ
28) Fine Art Department Logo At a School
This logo stinks! Arenโt the fine arts supposed to represent high culture? Itโs sad that the graphic artist missed the word these letters make.
โMy Schools Fine Arts Department Had Some Interesting Stickersโ
29) Graph In a High School Year Book
I think we are missing something here. 91 + 3 + 1 + 5โฆ whereโs the other 1%? Those kids must be going into the CIA and their identities have to be kept secret.
30) Image On A Wall In a School
Apparently, the original of this image looked less like a noose and violent scissors in, but someone else came in and upped the line weight. They should have left the original! Then maybe I would be thinking about a lightbulb and good ideas instead of something terrible.
31) Signs Posted At a School
This choice of childrenโs hands for the images on this flyer was unfortunate. Didnโt the graphic artist realize that what is being communicated with these handprints is:
โLetโs Sell Some Children!โ
32) Pride Poster In a School
I think this says it all:
โAt First Glance, The White Lettering On This Pride Poster At My High School Blends In With The Yellow Background. Changes The Meaning Drasticallyโ
33) Mirror In Menโs Bathroom At a School
This is just creepy. It might have inspired a movie like The Hunt (2012). I thought we were trying to discourage misconduct in schools!
34) Door In a School
How did this even happen? Sometimes you can guess how a building remodel might have resulted in weird design features, but this door is a legit mystery. Where does it lead? A mysterious and creepy secret schoolroom?
35) End Zone At a High School
Tradition is great, but sometimes things need to change. The athletes are getting a good quad workout, but this kind of thing doesnโt really encourage a great end-zone dance.
โMy High Schoolโs End Zone For Over 90 Yearsโ
36) Student Photo In a School Book
This poor model got his nose cut off! It must have been a fluke with the digital design. A nose-less face would be quite a distraction during science class.
37) Road Markings At a School
I can see why someone just had to post this. This is a school people, spelling counts!
โOff Centre, Misspelled, Hard To See Road Markings At A Local Schoolโ
38) Locker Space In a School
Is this what we are paying for with public educationโlockers to be put where the pipes are? This poor kid. Donโt worry though, if the kids had enough confidence to post this online, I am sure they will have enough confidence to go and complain to the office.
โMy Friendโs New Locker Has A Huge Pipe Running Through Itโ
39) Bathroom Stall In a School
I understand the need to make sure nothing inappropriate is happening in the bathroom stalls, but making them see though? What about the studentโs privacy!!
40) Wall Sign In a School
I think they thought they were being clever, but this is just confusing and embarrassing. Arenโt we supposed to know how to correctly arrange letters at this point?
โHighschoolโ
41) Graph In a School Yearbook
4 + 17 + 22 + 56 + 1 = somebody get a calculator! Okay, so the math checks out, but the health consciousness of the students does not!!
#merica
42) Sign At a School
Woah, this is scary! What moving parts and why are these moving parts accessible to students?! Iโll keep my hands in my pockets, thank you very much.
43) Lockers In a School
Talk about bad design! How do you even access the right corner locker? I guess you donโt.
โThere Are Several Of These At My School And I Am Unlucky Enough To Be Right In The Cornerโ
44) Sign In a School
Well, this is confusing! Which way do I go to escape the danger?
โAfter My School Had A Fire Alarm (Planned) I Noticed Thisโ
45) Desks In a School Library
Are we in mid-twentieth century Germany? These desks are in the shape of a Swastika!
โThe Unfortunate Overhead View Of My Schoolโs Library Desksโ
46) Sign At a School
This poster is just confusing. First of all, is help-ful-ness a real word? Okay, I just looked it up and it isโฆ but do we really need students being helpful with a ladder and a noose?
47) Wall Painting At a High School
When are people going to learn that great care is needed while designing an artistic image of wrestling! I donโt even want to imagine what is happening between these two people.
48) Wall Sign In a School
Can we even read this? I had to get out my magnifying glass and squint, but it says: โYou will never have this day again, so make it count.โ I spent half my day reading this sign, how am I supposed to make it count!
49) Lights In a High School Science Classroom
Way to light up the studentโs minds to science! This definitely was an unfortunate design flaw. Come one, how are we supposed to see in here?
โMy High School Science Departments Lightsโ
50) Postcard From a Design School
I get where they were going here, but is this actually good design? Donโt make your students wonder if they wasted their money!
โThe Design School I Graduated From Sent This Postcard Outโ
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