RidiculousDesignRules.com

Like it or love it, we all have rules that help us at work. "Leave it until the last minute." "Never use a PC." They make sense because they work for you, and you alone. When you try and make someone else follow them, they stop working and become a joke. The problem is that every rule related to, or governing, design is ultimately ridiculous.

 

We decided to give you a place where you could unload those pretentious sound bites about design you've heard from colleagues, clients or anyone else who thinks they know more than you.

Designers don’t need anybody else to make us laugh,

when we do it so well ourselves. 

Send in your ridiculous design rule

 

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DON'T SIT ON THE FENCE

Ball Chair

Pat Conley II

Hand Chair

Max the bath tub chaise

 

Check this article for more information about these chairs.

 

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Ridiculous Design Rules

You'll find below a list of some of the most Ridiculous Design Rules we could find. This is only the beginning.

Whether it's practical or a principle, add your own RDRs to compile the ultimate list of ridiculous design jargon. 

You can rate each rule on the Ridiculous Scale where 5 is ridiculously ridiculous and 1 if it almost sounds sensible. As if that will ever happen...


Avoid san-serifs. Use life as inspiration
1 Vote(s)
Always take away the last thing you put in to the design.
0 Vote(s)
Bad taste is timeless
2 Vote(s)
Everything on the page must align with at least one other thing
3 Vote(s)
Logo's should not be handdrawn
1 Vote(s)
Design the Future Dream
0 Vote(s)
Comic Sans is to only be used in comic books. ONLY COMIC BOOKS
10 Vote(s)
One of my early employers: "I can't think without a pencil in my hand"
5 Vote(s)
It's in the eye of the beholder
6 Vote(s)
Without CTRL+ALT+Z an artist could not survive
13 Vote(s)
1.6180339887
2 Vote(s)
If you don't know what to do... Just do it big and red
14 Vote(s)
The Client is always right
29 Vote(s)
Design is made by the client, designers only push some buttons
20 Vote(s)
Brand logo must be the biggest detail in the composition
16 Vote(s)
Always use landscape format pictures in web design
16 Vote(s)
Always make the top left-hand logo of the website a home button
19 Vote(s)
Always use two columns
12 Vote(s)
Never use more than two types
16 Vote(s)
Design isn't Art
24 Vote(s)
All good design should be done by Photoshop
23 Vote(s)
Never use Copy and Paste
26 Vote(s)
The early bird catches the worm
9 Vote(s)
Design is to resign
10 Vote(s)
Redesign design
6 Vote(s)
Simple design is better
23 Vote(s)
If you have time, you are not a designer
24 Vote(s)
God is in the details
19 Vote(s)
Rounded corners are too hard
8 Vote(s)
Use DaFont.com to find a more original typeface for this logo
16 Vote(s)
Design is suffering
13 Vote(s)
Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke
17 Vote(s)
Never ever kern more than 5
12 Vote(s)
It's called referencing, NOT copying!
16 Vote(s)
Whoever says being pretty is not a function?
21 Vote(s)
Moderation in all things and all things in moderation
11 Vote(s)
'Good artists copy, great artists steal' (Picasso)
135 Vote(s)
A good logo will help your business. A GREAT logo will help MAKE your business
20 Vote(s)
Everybody is a designer
145 Vote(s)
'The box' is inside out
6 Vote(s)
Kill your darlings
17 Vote(s)
[insert buzzword] is the new black
20 Vote(s)
Always use an invisible grid and invisible guides
20 Vote(s)
Everything needs to be balanced
34 Vote(s)
Shine a light on it and call it art
18 Vote(s)
Design is glue
16 Vote(s)
To frame it is to lock it
15 Vote(s)
Put two ears on it and call it a day
9 Vote(s)
Use DaFont.com to find a more original typeface for this logo
27 Vote(s)
If you can't hide it, make a feature out of it
26 Vote(s)
No more slogans
19 Vote(s)
Design is not a democracy
37 Vote(s)
If we remove everything we will gain .000001% in margin
18 Vote(s)
You can always have attractive people using it... sex sells too
16 Vote(s)
If you cannot use it then call it art
34 Vote(s)
Nothing is evident
9 Vote(s)
Design the design of the design
23 Vote(s)
Design is what the designer decides
15 Vote(s)
Garbage In, Garbage Out
18 Vote(s)
WYSIWYG
19 Vote(s)
Gradients are bad
32 Vote(s)
A good copy is better than a bad original
39 Vote(s)
Good taste is the key
25 Vote(s)
A dress makes no sense, unless it inspires men to want to take it off you
30 Vote(s)
You don't buy the product if you don't buy the story
21 Vote(s)
Copy is sloppy
73 Vote(s)
When in doubt, leave it out
25 Vote(s)
Never use stock images
32 Vote(s)
Try using stock images first
22 Vote(s)
Sometimes you have to create bad design to please your clients
33 Vote(s)
Never use Photoshop to create a logo
41 Vote(s)
Get it done on time
20 Vote(s)
Simple is hard
35 Vote(s)
"There's too much white space, what is it for?..."
45 Vote(s)
Use more hair
22 Vote(s)
Don't use all caps
29 Vote(s)
Never pretend to be the target of other people's work
14 Vote(s)
Power is nothing without ctrl+z
30 Vote(s)
A giraffe is a horse designed by a committee
122 Vote(s)
Never trust Helvetica. Just use it.
116 Vote(s)
Trust no-one. All clients are bastards. Eat more fish.
111 Vote(s)
Good design is when it's finished
25 Vote(s)
Design is playing with de sign
16 Vote(s)
Minimal, lower case headline on an add gets the price
13 Vote(s)
Good type speak louder than everything
18 Vote(s)
Bigger font is more readable
36 Vote(s)
Never finish an image with feather unless it's originally like that
16 Vote(s)
Design is my business... and the business is good.
9 Vote(s)
Live Trace is for cheaters
27 Vote(s)
Make the logo bigger
45 Vote(s)
Speed to market = measurable design
8 Vote(s)
Helvetica always works
43 Vote(s)
Good philosophy, concept and visual always make a good design
19 Vote(s)
Freehand is obsolete
36 Vote(s)
Turn it upside down, if it still looks great you're on the right track
42 Vote(s)

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