50 Designs That Are So Bad They’re Almost Good, As Shared By This Instagram Account

Good design is effective and efficient in fulfilling its purpose. But so many solutions fall out of this category. Many, in fact, cause more problems than they solve. And they can be quite entertaining.

So let’s take a look at the Instagram account that calls itself “the largest collection of C.R.A.P design” on the platform.

The people behind it decipher the acronym as contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity. Let’s see if we can find these things in the pictures they share.

More info: Instagram

#1 Fashion Friday

#2 That’s How I Count Too, 1, 2, Cox, For

There can be so many reasons why a product fails. Sam Gwilt, who is a London-based industrial designer and product visualizer and also runs anInstagramandYouTubechannel called Sam Does Design, told We about the challenges that lurk along the way for one of our earlier pieces on the subject.

First of all, there’s lots of sketching. “From research to concept, to refinement, to manufacturing, designing a product is an iterative process that can take years,” Gwilt then said.

#3 I Like How They Handled This Toilet Door Design

#4 Living On The Edge

#5 Fixed It

“It’s important to understand what the markets and mindsets of customers will be like in the next few years (when the product launches).”

“Once a brief has been set, it’s time to design multiple concepts to find the right solution. Sketching, scribbles, and CAD modeling are all useful to refine designs,” Gwilt explained.

“Each solution will be prototyped to analyze ergonomics and assembly, usually starting with rough card models, progressing to 3D prints, and then finally to full industrial tooling.”

#6 No One Likes Being The Butt Of The Joke

#7 The Crugg. Ugg X Croc X Toe Shoe. The Ugliest Shoe On The Internet

#8 Game Of Throne Brushes

Trying to determine whether or not a particular design is good, many turn to Dieter Rams and his ’10 commandments.’

According to the German design legend, good design is innovative, makes a product useful, is aesthetic, makes a product understandable, is unobtrusive, is honest, is long-lasting, is thorough down to the last detail, is environmentally friendly, and involves as little design as possible.

#9 The Lion, The Sausage And The Bananas?

#10 Seamless

#11 ‘Build Us A Shelf, You’re The Piano Fan Build Us A Shelf With A Light La, La-La, Di-Di-Da’

“When Dieter Rams defined the 10 principles, he thought that they’d be updated and adapted over time,” Gwilt said.

But even though he wrote them a long time ago and technology has advanced light years since then, many think Dieter’s principles still apply today.

#12 Innovation Think Tank Just Got Upgraded

#13 Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

#14 “Tonight I’m Going To Party Like These Are $19.99”

#15 When Your Phone Autocorrects To Holy Sit

“It’s a good starting point; a helpful framework, but it’s exciting to see new designers from different backgrounds share their voices for what makes good design.”

Interestingly, Sam even met Rams in person!You can check out how that went here.

#16 ‘Grandma Is On Her Way Over, Put On The Jumpers On She Knitted For You’

#17 Looks Right

#18 Happy Ending

#19 This Is A Bad Sign

In Gwilt’s own opinion, a good design must first and foremost form an innate connection between the user and the product.

“Someone needs to look at the product and instantly understand what it is and how it can benefit them,” he said.

#20 Disco Ball, But Interior

#21 I Was Asked To Design A Topless Bar, They Weren’t Happy With The Outcome

#22 Auto Reverse

#23 Fashion Friday

“The goal is to design a product that is understandable and desirable. It should integrate neatly with the existing lifestyle of the customer, and improve it for the better.”

“I feel like ‘industrial design’ has hit a wave of public interest in recent years,” the designer and internet personality added.

So maybe we’ll be seeing fewer and fewer products like these?

#24 When Nature Calls