As chaotician Ian Malcolm (played, famously, by Jeff Goldblum) states in Jurassic Park, some people spend too long “with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” In the case of the film (and book) there were multiple deaths, but generally, when engineers and designers don’t think about limitations they end up making things that are just confusing.
The “Design Design” group is dedicated to shaming and mocking some of the most overdesigned, overengineered items out there. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the worst examples and share your own thoughts in the comments section below.
#1 Minimalist Nativity Sets
Image credits: kejones_
#2 1960 Bmw Isetta
Image credits: BroadCapital
#3 The Look Of This Office Building
Image credits: Lepke2011
Sometimes less really is more, particularly in cases where the designer can’t explain the purpose of “more.” Sometimes there are reasons to overdesign things, but generally, this is just a waste of resources or, even worse, just a means to impress investors.
Take the infamous case of the Juicero. Founded in 2013, the company pitched a high-tech, innovative juicing press. Users would have to use special packs of fruits and vegetables, each marked with a QR code that the machine would read before turning it into fresh juice. So far so good, right?
#4 There Must Be A Reason Design People Are So Obsessed With Stairs
Image credits: Virmire_Survivor
#5 This Bench Looking Like A Book
Image credits: Public-Eagle6992
#6 This Handrail
Image credits: ekkki
First of all, the machine was priced at $699 in march of 2016, making it a pretty exclusive piece of tech to have in your home. Sales were not great and by 2017, it was being sold for $200 dollars less. Why were wealthy, health obsessed folks not buying it? Well, in 2017, Bloomberg News revealed that the juice packs could just as easily be juiced by hand, making the device practically useless.
#7 Why Does The Logo Look Like It Belongs To A Keratin-Enriched Conditioner Bottle?
Image credits: bubblyboiyo
#8 Sunglasses, Mask, Face Shield
Image credits: Sufficient-Cress1958
#9 This Complicated Chair
Image credits: Papapishu
This would be embarrassing enough, but what makes it so much worse is that the company had 120 million dollars of funding, all for a machine that did… nothing. Just a classic case of not stopping and considering simple questions like “does this juicer actually do anything?” and “does a juicer need to be connected to Wi-Fi at all times?”
#10 These Corner Windows
Image credits: fuzzytheduckling
#11 This Is Supposed To Be A Bathtub
Image credits: AStrangeHorse
#12 Gosh
Image credits: Sufferr
#13 A Sink That... Sinks?
Image credits: Virmire_Survivor
#14 This Bread Knife In A Swiss Restaurant Has A Silhouette Of The Major Peaks In Switzerland
Image credits: Independent_Log1931
#15 Coffee Table With Bonus Mountain Range
Image credits: acidiola
#16 Man Ray Chess Set (1926)
Image credits: StephenMcGannon
#17 Panthermobile
Image credits: StephenMcGannon
#18 This Restaurant Has Their Salt And Pepper In Pill Form
Image credits: qwesrst
#19 Because People Love Sitting On Bike Seats When They Don’t Have To
Image credits: DrLeisure
#20 Another One
Image credits: portal742
#21 What Is Even The Goal Of The Photographer Here?
Image credits: FreddThundersen
#22 Creature Cups
Image credits: PresentSecretary44
#23 Handrail With Gaps And Sharp Edges
Image credits: acidiola
#24 Thank You To The Designers
Image credits: Shwinnabego
#25 This Whisky Glass
Image credits: skan76
#26 Cat Spotlight
Image credits: lauraakabeibi
#27 How Are You Supposed To Know Which Bathroom To Use??
Image credits: Ok_Hat7989
#28 Chairs In Despair
Image credits: jibcheese
#29 This Is Probably The Funniest And Weirdest Washroom Sign
Image credits: portal742
#30 Re-Imagining The Egg Carton
Image credits: lasercat_pow
#31 Inspired By Another Building Post, I Present The Ugliest Building I Have Ever Seen
Image credits: y4s4f4e
#32 This Wavy Sidewalk Is More Fun And Less Practical
Image credits: akkosetto
#33 Cliff Cup
Image credits: snootyscoop
#34 The Forks They Had At The Restaurant This Guy Went To
Image credits: glemau
#35 Rip White Shirts
Image credits: braveNewWorldView
#36 This Is A $1,000 Armchair
Image credits: Moonwatcher-451
#37 Who Designed This Mouse? I Tried It And It Is As Uncomfortable Ad It Looks
Image credits: zygro
#38 Dangling A Toilet Above Another Toilet
Image credits: hofong159
#39 A Ring With A Candle In It
Image credits: icedcappie
#40 This Speedometer
Image credits: knjiru
#41 Looks Comfortable
Image credits: KinKaze
#42 What Is This Oddly Shaped Sink Used For?
Image credits: c_h_a_r_
#43 This Is What Happens When You Let An Architect With Too Much Free Time Loose
Image credits: Stephanie_Tatum
#44 Hmmm
Image credits: NopestMoment
#45 Logo For The Family Federation For World Peace And Unification Found Across The Street From My Apartment Appears To Contain Boobs
Image credits: EZalmighty
#46 My New Laptop's Keyboard Has The R And E Intentionally Printed Backwards
Image credits: ShaiNoy
#47 Life Size Horse Statue / Lamp
Image credits: cranrob
#48 This Bundle Of Planks Being Passed Off As A Coffee Table
Image credits: RSGK
#49 No One Can See Your Cards, Including You
Symbols only visible if you hold a light to it at just the right angle. Purchased at RISD a decade ago.
Image credits: Gunsh0t
#50 A Ladder Innovation
Image credits: Virmire_Survivor
#51 This Hammer
Image credits: brainchipedchicken
#52 Opaque Bottle Has Drinking Goal Marks
Image credits: noyza2132
#53 Troye Sivan’s Lifestyle Brand Is Selling A $610 “Bottomless Bowl.”
Image credits: hillsthatis
#54 Just Saw This Bench Made Of Playground Slide
Image credits: SirCalvin
#55 This “Dynamic” Clock
Image credits: LeBateleur1
#56 Anyone Care To Decipher This?
Image credits: downydafox
#57 This Trashbin At My Dentist
Image credits: Pvdkuijt
#58 I’m Bothered By Like Three Things
Image credits: Aristocration
#59 Design First. Design Second. Safety Third
Image credits: wogawoga
#60 This House, Where You Will Never See Any Sun Or Sky, Complete With Unusable Pool
Image credits: ruumoo
#61 Fully Transparent Urinal Glass Partition. More Cr*ppy Than Interesting Imo
Image credits: wingsoverpyrrhia
#62 Lcoinmmcoln
Image credits: spycodernerd2048
#63 This Cup I Got At A Brunch It Also Leans Towards You
Image credits: asszo1nakz
#64 The Dune Popcorn Bucket
Image credits: ryansc0tt
#65 Square Toilet Is Really Uncomfortable
Image credits: chillpill_23
#66 New Store At My Mall. I Have No Idea What Its Called
Image credits: Snoo-35252
#67 Having To Scan A Qr Code In Case Of Emergency
Image credits: y4s4f4e
#68 A Story A Is Will Deal Storr
Image credits: tor-ak
#69 Here, Now You’re Bottom From The Started
Image credits: a22x2
#70 This Lift's Jumbled Floor Indicator
Image credits: heard10cker
#71 Relax, They Say… No, Not All Design Must Be Practical, But There’s Surely A Reason To Why We’ve Evolved, Away From Drinking Horns
Image credits: NaiveRepublic
#72 Demistella Console Table By Ettore Sottsass For Up&up (Italy, 1990)
Image credits: ChrisZAR789
#73 W The In R
Image credits: giereck
#74 A Modern Floating Staircase With Wooden Steps
Image credits: cla7997
#75 Skateboard Chair By Florent Lasbleiz
Image credits: passimaker
#76 'minimum' - Please Let Me Know What You Think
Image credits: Krallorddark
#77 The Lampshade Is Not Something That Needs To Be Reinvented
Image credits: cheeseburgercats
#78 Semco37hls
Image credits: scheepers
#79 I Mean… It’s Kind Of Cool Though
Image credits: NiceAnn
#80 Server Had To Go Around And Tell Everyone At The Table That The Sharp Side Is The Flat (Top) Side
Image credits: DreamCyclone84
#81 A Bag That Things Can Fall Out Of
Image credits: mcnuggetfarmer
#82 Tried Holding These Mugs But The Handle Made It Unnecessarily Hard To Do So
Image credits: Affectionate-Humor99
#83 For The Beer-Drinker Who Hates Drinking Beer
Image credits: MrWhiskerBiscuits
#84 Surely These Uncustomisable Chocolate Squares Belong Here?
Image credits: tameyzin
#85 How Someone Even Does This?
Image credits: Colisir
#86 The Rustic Asthetic Is Not Worth The Incredible Discomfort Of These Arm Rests
Image credits: CandyHeartFarts
#87 Outlet At My Hotel
Image credits: Thebulfrog
#88 Ashtray Chair, Copenhagen, Denmark
Image credits: OkRestaurant69
#89 Press Down For Soap! It Could Come Out... Well, Anywhere, Really
Image credits: jofish22
#90 These Sticky Notes…
Image credits: TinySarcasm
#91 I Don’t Know Where I Am At Target
Image credits: TuhTuhTony
#92 Salt & Pepper Shakers Designed To Look Like Grinders. They Had To Add Instructions
Image credits: Incromulent
#93 Yay Or Nay?
Image credits: jeloushuman
#94 This Hotel Room Tap
Image credits: genericgod
#95 Black Hands Over Top Of A Dark Gray Clock Face
Image credits: Top-Relationship5547
#96 These Chairs
Image credits: TimeVortex161
#97 "Hoopla" Doughnuts Made With "Doughnut Quarters" Apparently
Image credits: kioku119
