There are some things that really bother people, and bad design is one of them. I realize that in art sometimes things just don’t 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 you’d 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 it’s not a nice image!
2) Sign At a German School
So…is 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.
Apparently, in New Zealand school buses are just regular buses with ads on them. This one ended up with an unfortunate design! Let’s just be clear—quit smoking, don’t 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 “what not to do” in design!
5) Backpack Hangers In a Children’s 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 it’s 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:
“A man plowing a field”
7) Quote On a School Display
Well, I think the text on the picture says it all. Who didn’t realize this quote actually encourages students not to be there? Where’s the love, support, and encouragement? I tell you, teachers need to be paid more.
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?
“Being Helpful For the Blind”
9) New Projector Installed In School
Someone on the maintenance staff must have had a bad day. They did get the projector centered–great job–but 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!
“My School. This Is The Place Where Every Hallway Intersects”
11) Toilet Renovations In a School Gym
There’s 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 it’s a typo? Let’s hope whoever wrote this stays with the newspaper and doesn’t try to branch out to something like engineering—or 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 it’s audience of high school students! Was there something to the color of these two wrestler’s 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) “Multicultural” Trash Can In a School
Did the design team not realize the implications of these photos being on a trash bin? Offensive.
“My Schools Attempt At Being Multicultural”
16) Non-Accessible Atrium Park In a School
“Let’s build a beautiful park and atrium with a tree inside the middle of our school, but we won’t let anyone go in”, said no one decent, ever.
“My School Has This Mini Park Inside It But No One Can Get Inside It”
17) Ceiling Fan In a School
The Amazing But Unusable Fan. Let’s 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 it’s anywhere between 2 pm and 10 am you’re good, otherwise, you are on your own as far as getting to class on time. With no way to tell time, I guess it’s a free-for-all!
This is an unfortunate locker assignment. Explain to me how this is a beneficial storage space!
“My School Locker Can’t Even Fit My Backpack Because Of Those Shelves”
20) Front Door At a Middle School
I don’t 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.
“Extreme Entrance To School Gym”
22) One-Way Tinted Window In a School
This looks like a “we can see you but you can only see yourself” 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 doesn’t seem like a good situation regarding student safety.
23) “Inspiring” 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.
“School My From Words Inspiring”
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 didn’t 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 student’s quality of life and ability to learn?
26) Wall Decoration In a High School
This looks like blood on the walls–creepy!! 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 isn’t cut out for the regular school program? How about focusing on giving the special needs kids what they actually need instead.
“The Pamphlet For My School’s Special Needs Program”
28) Fine Art Department Logo At a School
This logo stinks! Aren’t the fine arts supposed to represent high culture? It’s sad that the graphic artist missed the word these letters make.
“My Schools Fine Arts Department Had Some Interesting Stickers”
29) Graph In a High School Year Book
I think we are missing something here. 91 + 3 + 1 + 5… where’s 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 children’s hands for the images on this flyer was unfortunate. Didn’t the graphic artist realize that what is being communicated with these handprints is:
“Let’s Sell Some Children!”
32) Pride Poster In a School
I think this says it all:
“At First Glance, The White Lettering On This Pride Poster At My High School Blends In With The Yellow Background. Changes The Meaning Drastically”
33) Mirror In Men’s 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!
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 doesn’t really encourage a great end-zone dance.
“My High School’s End Zone For Over 90 Years”
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!
“Off Centre, Misspelled, Hard To See Road Markings At A Local School”
38) Locker Space In a School
Is this what we are paying for with public education—lockers to be put where the pipes are? This poor kid. Don’t 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.
“My Friend’s New Locker Has A Huge Pipe Running Through It”
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 student’s privacy!!
40) Wall Sign In a School
I think they thought they were being clever, but this is just confusing and embarrassing. Aren’t we supposed to know how to correctly arrange letters at this point?
“Highschool”
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
Woah, this is scary! What moving parts and why are these moving parts accessible to students?! I’ll keep my hands in my pockets, thank you very much.
Talk about bad design! How do you even access the right corner locker? I guess you don’t.
“There Are Several Of These At My School And I Am Unlucky Enough To Be Right In The Corner”
Well, this is confusing! Which way do I go to escape the danger?
“After My School Had A Fire Alarm (Planned) I Noticed This”
45) Desks In a School Library
Are we in mid-twentieth century Germany? These desks are in the shape of a Swastika!
“The Unfortunate Overhead View Of My School’s Library Desks”
This poster is just confusing. First of all, is help-ful-ness a real word? Okay, I just looked it up and it is… 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 don’t 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: “
You will never have this day again, so make it count.” 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 student’s minds to science! This definitely was an unfortunate design flaw. Come one, how are we supposed to see in here?
“My High School Science Departments Lights”
50) Postcard From a Design School
I get where they were going here, but is this actually good design? Don’t make your students wonder if they wasted their money!
“The Design School I Graduated From Sent This Postcard Out”
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
There are some things that really bother people, and bad design is one of them. I realize that in art sometimes things just don’t 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!
