Sometimes a design is so baffling that it defies human logic. «How, on this green Earth, did you decide to do that, take a step back, look at it, and decide it was okay to put it in front of humans?» You think. «Surely there is some governing force of order that commands us, surely there is …
Seguir leyendo 27 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (October 20, 2024)

It can be so funny when things go wrong. There’s a whole subsection of this website that’s devoted to it (cough cough Fail Blog). There’s a whole TV show dedicated to showing people’s screw-ups (cough cough America’s Funniest Home Videos). There’s even a whole weekly series here at Memebase that brings you the best design …
Seguir leyendo 27 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (October 13, 2024)

It has become clear to me that the world is ruled by chaos. We can try to make sense of it the best that we can, and create plans and rules and systems, but randomness pervades. How else do you explain some of the kooky stuff that happens in our world? Why else do I …
Seguir leyendo 27 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (October 6, 2024)

We don’t give enough credit to things that are designed well. We take them for granted. Like, for example, a Doc Marten boot. It’s a classic shape that’s so universally recognizable that you immediately know what it is. Or perhaps the toaster. What a simple, elegant design that we haven’t really improved on (besides adding optional …
Seguir leyendo 26 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (September 29, 2024)

As Yves Saint Laurent once said, «Fashions fade, style is eternal.» Trends come and go, that’s for sure (though somehow mid 2010s fashion already coming back, and it’s scaring the heck out of me). But there are a few things that will alwaysremain in vogue. And you can tell when someone is just following trends …
Seguir leyendo 27 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (September 22, 2024)

Design flops happen more often than we think they do. How often do we make an error that could have been solved by a design choice? Everything should be intuitive. There should be no showers that we can’t figure out how to turn on. There should be no pens that refuse to click into place. There …
Seguir leyendo 27 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (September 15, 2024)

Part of being human is trying and failing. We’re not computers, or algorithms, or robots, we make mistakes. And that can be a beautiful thing. That’s how evolution works: a genetic mistake is made and if it works, we run with it. It’s how we get the best art: artists shatter the conventions previously set out …
Seguir leyendo 28 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (September 8, 2024)

They teach you in school that you shouldn’t rudely point out other people’s mistakes. They tell you that it’s not nice to point fingers, that you should have patience with others, and not to laugh at the failings of another. That’s all well and good,  but there’s a line with this. For example, if my fly is …
Seguir leyendo 29 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (September 1, 2024)

A good or a bad design can make or break… almost anything. A book could have the most riveting, original plot line the world has ever seen, but if it has a boring cover, it may not ever reach the masses it should reach. A website could hold vital, life-saving information, but if it’s not intuitive …
Seguir leyendo 27 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (August 25, 2024)