is bad design having a moment? at the very least it’s having a spotlight thrown on it. after learning from alice rawsthorn the 8 categories of bad design you should know in order to avoid it, swiss accessories brand FREITAG now wants you to report it. during milan design week 2019 it presented an installation inviting designers and consumers alike to swing by to confess their sins as well as the sins of others.

FREITAG wants you to report examples of bad design designboom

images courtesy of FREITAG
photo by das bild

 

 

upon arriving to the installation – titled ‘UNFLUENCER – de-sinning the designer’ – visitors were given a receipt and asked to write down their confession. after that, their was a choice between entering a confessional and discussing the sin with someone else; or continuing independently, to attach your sin to a wall covered in everyone else’s.

FREITAG wants you to report examples of bad design designboom

 

 

in addition to confessing their consumer and design sins, visitors were invited to lose themselves in an immersive light installation. designed by swiss artist georg lendorff, whose work often features large scale indoor and outdoor video projection, he created a spatial video installation made up of hundreds of hanging threads. together they created a matrix, upon which light was projected, illuminating the dark viaduct and inviting visitors to lose themselves in a state of flux.

FREITAG wants you to report examples of bad design designboom

photo by claudia zalla

 

 

‘discussions about bad design – and that means all our own flawed ideas too – wouldn’t just be funnier and more exciting; they would also be more honest and inspirational’, FREITAG explains.just like it’s more freeing and truthful to talk about our stupid, unnecessary and unsustainable shopping mistakes. after all, neither consumers nor designers are immune to negative forces, constraints, simple errors or delusions.

FREITAG wants you to report examples of bad design designboom

photo by claudia zalla

 

 

to commemorate all of the sins that were reported during the event, FREITAG has created an anonymous confession feed on twitter. if you missed the installation, you can still post your confession with the hashtag #UNFLUENCER.

FREITAG wants you to report examples of bad design designboom

photo by claudia zalla

 

project info

 

company: FREITAG

installation: UNFLUENCER – de-sinning the designer