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Win a $50 (approx £25) Amazon Voucher by writing a 50-100 word blog post (see details below) on, either your biggest graphic design bloopers (mistake/s) or the biggest/funniest design mistakes you have seen.
Inspired by Aaron from Milienzo.com post why proof reading is important I started thinking about graphic design mistakes. I did a google search expecting to find references to thousands, but nothing except articles like “10 web design mistakes to avoid”. So, did I search the wrong terms, or is nobody prepared to admit to their design mistakes?
Several years ago, when I was still an employee, I had to create a wordsearch in a company’s newsletter I had designed. The wordsearch contained words relating to their products. The only problem was I spelt one of the words wrong within the puzzle so no-one would ever be able to find it…ooops. The next issue of the newsletter they had a competition to spot the deliberate mistake in the previous issues word search (seriously!).
What about deliberate mistakes too? A photographer I sometimes use, was telling me, that when he was much younger he used to be a photographer for a catalogue company and had to photograph product shots all day. To ease his boredom, he and his fellow photographers used to moony into the reflection of shiny products. He said no-one ever noticed, but he and his colleagues would see their bottoms reflected throughout the catalogue. Needless to say, I avoid giving him shiny objects to photograph!
To enter just email competition@graphicdesignblog.co.uk along with your 50 – 500 words (describing it, where you found it etc, your name, URL ), if you have got an image of the design blooper to go with it that’s great too. It can be your own design mistake, a colleagues or something you have seen in a book or on the web.
Some suggestions include – 1. the worst typos or grammatical errors you have seen 2.logos which look like something else 3. photography which has been flipped so wording reads the wrong way or a flag becomes that of a different country 4. brochures with missing contact details or logo
The best entries will be posted on this site with your name and website URL, so don’t forget to include that with your entry. The winning entry, chosen by myself (unless anyone would like to volunteer as a guest judge?) will receive a $50 (approx £25) emailed voucher from Amazon. Closing date for entries 21st May 2007.
Like competitions?… Enter the competition to win a mascot at Bloggingtips.com too!
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24 Comments
Damn. I read this post this morning, and have been thinking constantly since. Still haven’t found any worthy of submitting. Fun, though.
Got any submissions, so far?
Hi Asgeir,
You mean you’ve never made any?
I look forward to seeing your entry!
Early days for entries, only posted last night.
Good luck with the competition, Tara.
It’s a great idea, and everyone loves a competition.
Thanks David, I hope so
Be great if you could enter, if you can think of anything? Its just a bit of fun really.
If anyone has any good ideas on ways to promote it I would love to hear them. Thanks
Tara, I’m too young. I haven’t had time
Probably made heaps without even knowing it, though. A day will come when I realize the logo I just charged thousands of dollars for looks veeeery much like a penis (Airey’s post). :p
Everyone reading the thread could also Digg it. I’m sure that’d help get the word out some.
I think we’ve all made quite a few blunders, but the lovely power of denial allows us to block them out pretty effectively.
I’ll keep searching my mind for something significant. It’s there, rest assured!
Hi Ashan,
Thanks for the comment and the digg (much appreciated). It doesn’t have to be your own mistakes – embarrass your friends too, thats what friends are for
Santosh P
Thanks for your entry by commenting, I haven’t published it as I assume you would like to be entered in the competition. I hope thats OK.
Hi Steve – cymru66
Thanks very much for the mention. Much appreciated.
Oh, I made a huge blunder about five years ago. Do I want to admit it and have it posted for all to see? That’s the question
Hi Kat,
Go On tell us
I told you mine!
huh.. glad there’s still time left for this competition.
To tell you the truth, I was thinking of hosting a group writing project titled “Your Design mistakes”, but then thought that the idea was too close to another group project hosted by dailyblogtips – “Your Blogging Mistakes”. So instead, I’ve decided on my current topic: Source of Inspiration.
I’m glad I did that, because you’ve already launched this competition.
Are you limited to just one blunder?
Hi Hobo SEO
As many as you like
Where do I begin ….
Does anything written in Comic Sans count?
Hi The Thinking Blog
I think anything in Comic Sans definitely counts
Wow, now I wish I had saved some of my projects from my own Halls of Shame. Sometimes, I’ve gotten so caught up in the design of a project, that I forgot to check spelling of the text itself.
I hate when that happens….argh.
Hi Chris,
I’ve done that too. Worse still is when you do it on a big headline.
I wish I could take credit for finding it, but this unintentionally penile logo takes the cake.
And yes, I know all about these.
I think I found some of my own work to enter
Not recent work, I hasten to add. Will try to send this week.
“Not recent work”
Of course we believe you
Look forward to seeing it, the closing date for entries is 21st May
so, today’s the day for the competition to close. can’t wait to see the winners!
–Steve
6 Trackbacks
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