Baffling design choices that someone actually approved

Welcome to a gallery of questionable decisions and unexpected hilarity! These images perfectly capture moments when good intentions met some truly spectacular design fails. If you’ve ever wondered if anyone else notices the absurd in the everyday, rest assured—you’re not alone. Prepare for snark, surprises, and a few “how did this happen?” eye rolls.

“Road made in Spain. The owner of the landfield next to the road didn’t want to sell that little triangle. They built the road in the same place anyway.”

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Yolomps/Reddit
Yolomps/Reddit

Who needs negotiation when you can just build around the problem? That triangle of land gets the ultimate power move: be inconvenient forever. I'm picturing the road planning meeting—'Let’s just swerve around it. No big deal, right?' Real-life Tetris, but nobody really wins.

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“Ballroom where everyone downstairs can see up your skirt”

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crudolph0828/Reddit
crudolph0828/Reddit
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Love a good glass dance floor… until you realize you’re on display for the audience below! Now every twirl could be a peep show. It takes ballroom transparency to a whole new level. Check your outfit choices, everyone—privacy’s not part of the architecture tonight!

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“The handle of this pan is heavier than the pan itself, making it fall over immediately”

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Hell_Awaitz/Reddit
Hell_Awaitz/Reddit
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When your frying pan’s handle outweighs its own sense of purpose, you just have to laugh. Cooking should not double as a balancing act. That sizzle you hear isn’t just food—it’s the sound of your cookware planning its next escape. Gravity, 1. Pan, 0.

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“Imagine cleaning a fan so well that you uncover 2 new blades!”

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erkang06/Reddit
erkang06/Reddit
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Sometimes a deep clean uncovers hidden treasures… or, in this case, a whole extra set of fan blades. Two for the price of one! You think you’ve seen it all, then your fan unlocks secret levels. Maybe there’s a ‘bonus round’ every time you dust your appliances.

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“Paint on my new cheap barbecue melts when coal is burning”

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vcninja/Reddit
vcninja/Reddit
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That first barbecue: Excitement is high, steaks are ready, and… wait, is the paint melting? Not exactly the sizzle you were hoping for. Time to add “heat-safe paint” to your checklist before buying a grill. Maybe it’s a feature, not a bug—custom patterns with every cookout!

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“Who thought it was a good idea to put an image of 7 churros for the sign of 3 churros.”

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Imhereforgiofilmsbro/Reddit
Imhereforgiofilmsbro/Reddit
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Three churros, pictured with an extra four for inspiration. That’s some sweet false advertising. It's the visual equivalent of buying a six-pack and finding three inside. Maybe they’re setting your expectations high for next time.

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“These restroom stalls have translucent doors...”

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hi_fbi/Reddit
hi_fbi/Reddit
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These restroom stalls leave little to the imagination—privacy is such an outdated concept, right? Frosted glass: maximum embarrassment, minimum effectiveness. It’s an open invitation to hurry up, make eye contact, and question every life choice that led to this moment.

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“New paint on the wall at my gym”

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krbdy_1/Reddit
krbdy_1/Reddit
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New motivational gym paint: for when you want encouragement and anxiety in equal measure. Awkward wall placement never made anyone stronger, but it sure makes things confusing. Just focus on your gains—and don’t think too hard about what message you’re supposed to get from the mismatched text.

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“A pie chart out of 178%”

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veganator/Reddit
veganator/Reddit
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A pie chart with 178% is a bold statement about confidence, if not about math accuracy. Sometimes, more is more… or maybe less? Trying to make sense of this is its own feat of mental gymnastics. At least they went for maximum inclusivity in their slices!

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“My high school commissioned a bulldog statue! This is the result”

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cutzngutz/Reddit
cutzngutz/Reddit
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This bulldog statue is the stuff of school spirit and potentially a few nightmares. The artist was going for fierce but landed somewhere between bewildered and deeply confused. Still, it's unforgettable, and maybe that’s what really matters in mascot design. Go, mildly alarmed bulldog, go!

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“My hurricane grade metal roof didn’t survive Category 1 winds (Hurricane Isaias)”

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Count-Cockblockula/Reddit
Count-Cockblockula/Reddit
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Invested in hurricane-proofing your house? Apparently, the roof wasn’t in on the plan. Category 1, 1. Roof, zero. Guess it’s back to the drawing board and time to double-check those warranties. Maybe next time you’ll need the ‘super-hurricane’ upgrade.

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“The clock hands don’t glow...”

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Bl0rgasmorg/Reddit
Bl0rgasmorg/Reddit
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Gonna be a wild guess at the time every night, I guess! When you find out only the numbers glow and the hands are invisible darkness ninjas. This is the perfect clock for thrill seekers—every look is a new adventure in time-telling. Just go with your gut feeling!

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“At first glance, the white lettering on this Pride poster at my high school blends in with the yellow background. Changes the meaning drastically.”

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DJSalmonsloth/Reddit
DJSalmonsloth/Reddit
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A pride poster that’s a visual riddle—did you spot the white lettering on yellow? The hidden message now reads like an accidental secret club. A reminder that visibility matters, even for fonts. Let’s hope next year they break out the contrasting color wheel.

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“Sounds like an invite to your own murder”

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shitelyf/Reddit
shitelyf/Reddit
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‘What happens when you die? Come and find out!’—well, that certainly sounds like an invitation to a murder mystery, or maybe just a very literal interpretation. Somebody definitely should have run this past the 'creepy phrase' department before printing.

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“A video in a book”

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idiotic-fish/Reddit
idiotic-fish/Reddit
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Modern textbooks: now with ‘video’ buttons that do absolutely nothing. This pop quiz is sponsored by disappointment. You keep pressing, and nothing happens—except maybe your patience wears thin. Wishful thinking is now officially part of the curriculum.

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“$1 million San Francisco loft has diagonal support beam that cuts through the middle of the kitchen”

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DewayneJones/Reddit
DewayneJones/Reddit
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Open concept kitchen, closed concept support beam. It’s a million-dollar view—with a million-dollar inconvenience. At least you’ll never lose sight of structural integrity. If only eating dinner required fewer gymnastic moves around that diagonal obstacle.

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“Think inside the box first.”

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SpeedDreaming/Reddit
SpeedDreaming/Reddit
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Think inside the box first, or outside… or wherever this tic-tac-toe match is going. The shirt says ‘think differently,’ but the design thinks in riddles. Fashion shouldn’t require a logic puzzle to interpret, yet here we are. Maybe the real message is: confuse everyone equally.

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“I think my stairs fit here”

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IsItKandar/Reddit
IsItKandar/Reddit
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Some staircases just beg to be unique, but these went through a funhouse mirror. Did anyone do a dry run before installing them? I need a protractor for every step! Navigating these stairs feels like a secret level in a video game. Proceed with caution or risk unlocking the tumbles achievement.