You Had One Job: Top 10 Design Fails to Make You Laugh

Design equals creativity, research and a little bit of common sense… right? Well, you’d hope so. However, you win some and you lose some in life. And these fails are the perfect example of when common sense is lacking in design.

As a web design agency, it’s safe to say we spend a lot of time discussing and critiquing design. But sometimes, we like to just laugh at it. There really isn’t anything more entertaining than huge mistakes, all public for the world to see. Here are just ten of the worst design fails we’ve seen floating around the internet. ✨

You had one job: 10 design fails

Okay, let’s just jump straight into it. We’ve scoured the web (okay, Reddit) for some of the funniest and downright awkward fails that some marketing department somewhere is probably now getting stick for. Or even fired. Who knows. But we know we want to laugh at them…

10. An emergency evacuation plan… that you really need to read

We don’t know about you but we’ve always thought that emergency evacuation plans should be clear and easy to read. For obvious reasons.

9. Wait, so, which way for deliveries?

The most important part of a sign for directions is that people actually know which direction they’re going in. This one wasn’t thought through.

8. The kind of bus stop we all want to wait at in the rain

This is the perfect example of style over practicality. Except it’s not even all that stylish. Just a bit strange.

7. Can you literally not count?

We can’t even get our heads around this one. This is why proofreaders and copy editors are important! Also, it probably helps to hire people who can count past five.

6. Is it just us or is this asking for ingestion poisoning?

Yes, to an adult, it may be common sense to not put candy-scented hand sanitizer in your mouth. But something tells us this could be dangerous in the hands of a child.

5. Just bad.

This was found in either a school or a college, so it’s obvious that someone has just taken a rubbish ‘Good Effort’ certificate and tried to repurpose it. Fail.

4. We’re sure there was a better way to do this

“I’m taking my girlfriend for a romantic weekend away soon.” “Oh yeah, where you thinking of going?” “Paras.” “Nice.”

3. hand shake o r a kiss

I mean, it’s not the easiest thing to read. And even when you figure it out, it still doesn’t make sense. What if I want both a handshake and a kiss? Not from the same person, mind.

2. Watch out for secondary meanings

For those of you who are familiar with Venn diagrams, you’ll see the funny side of this. We just wonder how many people this design went through and how none of them picked up on it!

1. And finally… some real words of encouragement

We thought we’d leave you on a high note so you’re feeling inspired for the rest of the week. Remember, nothing is possible.

If you want to avoid design fails at all costs, you should get in touch with our team who know a thing or two about creativity, research and most importantly… common sense. Drop us a line.