Why I Love Bad Design
Don't write me off based on the title of this topic. This sounds like one of those posts that is playing devil's advocate, just to be cool or trendy. But for me, this topic is a big influence on my design and illustration work. It’s an important way that I keep my style fresh and my ideas new.
Of course, we are all trying to make good design. Let's let go of the need for the ego to say that for a few moments. And let's let go of the whole topic of what makes "good" design. Let’s complicate the conversation beyond those points. Let’s talk about why I love bad design.
For me, the power of bad design is that it is rooted in play. When we let go of outcomes like conversions, strategy, visual psychology, we are sort of left in a void. And this is great. When we remove those typical outcomes, play and experimentation is the only thing left. And then, you’ve arrived at the place where experimentation is the only focus.
Bad design is also often rooted in humor. When we know the rules and we break them, that’s a form of dramatic irony. It's a form of recognition comedy. It's like when an actor in a historical play makes an ad lib reference to a current president - the reference doesn't make sense in the plot, but the recognition gets a laugh. When we make bad design. we allow ourselves to laugh and make light of our own practice, and we learn to recognize what is bad design. We bring more joy into the work, purely for the sake of joy.
“When we make bad design. we allow ourselves to laugh and make light of our own practice.”
And finally, making bad design on purpose is a form of conscious exploration. When we throw out the rules and just play, we can find new ideas and make new connections. And experimenting with bad design, specifically naming it that, takes off all pressure to generate good ideas. When we brainstorm, we seek to generate good ideas. When we play with bad design, we might generate only bad ideas, and that's allowed.
For me, making intentionally bad work is my favorite ways to keep my business fresh. It's how I maintain a sense of flow and play' in my work. When I allow myself to play with weird stuff in my own work, it allows me to generate better ideas in my client projects.
When I was in school, working for a degree in scenic design, one of the things we did a lot was critique recent theatre productions. And so often, it was much more enlightening to deconstruct bad moments. When you see something like a set design or a logo design and its really good. the experience is seamless. We don't have many specific reactions besides enjoyment and warmth. When design works, it’s hard to notice. It just looks easy, obvious, results guaranteed. But when design is bad, we immediately notice. When a certain scene doesn't make sense, it's easier for us to notice why. When design goes wrong, we can pick it apart and see its inner workings.
My family often jokingly calls me a "hater” because I tend to deeply critique every show, artwork, and movie. But as a visual professional, it’s so important to me to take everything apart. I'm so interested in why bad moments didn't land. The more we understand about what doesn't work, the better we can utilize these "rules" to make good design.
Let’s Make More Bad Design
In a creative business, it's so important to generate new perspectives and keep your ideas fresh. When you play with bad design, you can learn so much, without all the pressure of making "good" work.
I encourage you to set aside the rules, the training, the ego, and let yourself make make more bad design. See how much it can change your design practice.
Want to talk more?
I would love to hear your thoughts, rants, or questions about this topic.
Click here and shoot me a DM on my Instagram, or click here to send me an email. I will also accept submissions for the worst piece of design you’ve ever seen.
