You just spent way too much time obsessing over your new website or marketing piece. You picked a color scheme that looked killer in your head, found some decent enough images online, and thought, “Yeah, this is a winner.” Then you put it out into the world and…crickets. Oof.
Chances are, your business isn’t the problem. Instead, some graphic design fails – like chaotic layouts, mismatched fonts, or blurry images – might be secretly killing your brand’s trust factor.
Have you seen those blogs that share screenshots of some of the funniest design fails? Trust me, you don’t want to be among them. Below, I’m sharing the 10 biggest graphic design mistakes and how to fix each one.
Fail #1: Text Looks Like a Ransom Note
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You know when you see a flyer, ad, or website, and it looks like someone picked a handful of fonts at random? That’s bad graphic design in action. Font overload happens when you mix too many typefaces – like pairing a fancy script with a blocky sans-serif and then throwing in something “quirky” just for fun.
Maybe your original logo has one style, your social posts have another, and your business cards? A total wildcard. A graphic designer might call it “expressive”, but the rest of us just call it confusing. Good design is about clarity – if people are too distracted by clashing fonts, they won’t absorb your message.
The Fix: Stick to 2–3 fonts max, and make sure they actually get along. Think of them as a band – each one should play a role, not compete for attention.
Fail #2: Colors Are Fighting Each Other
Your color scheme shouldn’t look like it lost a fight with a box of crayons. But some design fails happen when people throw random hues together with zero strategy.
Maybe your website is pastel, your flyers are neon, and your poster is black and white. It’s like your branding has an identity crisis. Color influences how people feel about your business – if your palette is all over the place, you lose cohesion (and trust).
The Fix: Pick a core palette and stick to it. Not every color needs to “pop” (looking at you, neon green). Keep it consistent across your layouts, logo, and marketing materials.
Fail #3: Pixelated Images Are Hurting Our Eyes
Look, we all love a good image, but if your art is blurry, grainy, or stretched beyond recognition, it’s bad design. And the last thing you need is a website or marketing materials that like they were made in Microsoft Paint circa 2003.
A graphic designer who knows their stuff will always tell you: double-check your image resolution. Because nothing screams crappy design like a poster with jagged, pixelated visuals.
The Fix: Use high-res images only — go with a minimum resolution of 300dpi for print graphics and 72ppi for website graphics. If you’re grabbing stock photos, make sure they actually look good (and don’t look staged – more on that later).
Fail #4: Branding Looks Different Everywhere
One day your company is rocking a red-and-black look, and the next, you’re out here pushing blue-and-green. Your business cards have a fancy script, but your social posts use the most generic typeface possible.
These design fails make people wonder if they’re even looking at the same business. If you’re evolving from your original logo, do it cohesively – don’t just swap out design elements on a whim.
The Fix: Create a brand style guide so every design choice stays consistent. That way, your target audience instantly recognizes you.
Fail #5: Too Much Stuff, Too Little Space
If your design looks like a hoarder’s closet, we’ve got a problem.
Forgetting to leave a little white space leads to cramped layouts where everything fights for attention. Your flyers? No margins. Your homepage? A maddening mess of widgets and text. If designers forget that white space isn’t wasted space, but a tool, they end up overwhelming the viewer.
The Fix: Less is more. Give your design room to breathe so your key message actually lands.
Fail #6: The Logo Looks Like a Low-res Meme
Your logo is supposed to be the face of your business – it should be clear and inviting.
Yet, some folks squash, stretch, or blow up their original logo way beyond its limits, leaving it looking like a bad copy of itself. Among all the graphic design fails, this one is brutal – because if your logo looks unprofessional, people assume your whole company is.
The Fix: Use high-quality vector files. Resize wisely (nobody needs to see your logo bigger). And please – no stretching.
Fail #7: Crappy Clip Art That Belongs in 2002
If your marketing art looks like it came from an old PowerPoint presentation, it’s time for an upgrade.
Clip art might have been a thing once, but now it just makes your brand look seriously outdated. A graphic designer will tell you – good design doesn’t include cheesy stock icons.
The Fix: Invest in custom illustrations, icons, or quality stock graphics that actually match your brand story.
Fail #8: Everything’s Important, So Nothing Is
No hierarchy = bad design.
When everything on the page is the same size, same color, and same weight, the eye doesn’t know where to go. Your target audience should be able to scan your design and instantly know what matters. If not? They’ll bounce fast.
The Fix: Make important info stand out with size, weight, and spacing. Guide the viewer, don’t overwhelm them.
Fail #9: Stock Photos Feel Too Fake
Nothing kills credibility faster than awkward stock photos.
A serious law firm using cartoonish handshakes? A business selling outdoor gear, but the photos scream corporate office stock image #312? That’s bad graphic design because it doesn’t match the brand.
The Fix: Choose authentic, on-brand images. Avoid overused stock pics – you don’t want to share the same visuals as your competition.
Psst…you might also like reading “Web Design vs Graphic Design: What’s the Difference?”.
Fail #10: AI Visuals Creep People Out
AI-generated art can be amazing – until it starts churning out extra limbs, distorted faces, or unrealistic body expectations.
The internet loves roasting the funniest design fails made by AI, and you don’t want to be the next meme.
The Fix: AI is great for idea generation, but double-check the results before you hit “publish”.
You’ve Seen the Fails – Now Let’s Make Sure They’re Not Yours
These failed designs might not always be blatantly obvious, but the harsh reality is, they slowly chip away at your brand’s credibility. Bad graphic design choices make people second-guess your business. The good news? Every one of these fails is fixable.
If your visuals are all over the place, people will notice (and not in a good way). Get my free Brand Consistency Toolkit and lock down a polished, pro look – so your brand stays recognizable, trustworthy, and totally on point. You’ll get:
- Easy-to-use templates for colors, fonts, and logo usage
- Voice & Tone Checklist to keep your messaging consistent
- Social Media & Content Calendar to plan like a pro
Sound like something you need? Drop your email below, and I’ll send it your way!
