132 Times People Had Brilliant Design Ideas (New Pics)

There are three things that warm our hearts, dear Pandas, and we hope that you’re fans of them, too. Funny cat pics (because who can ever get enough of those?), wholesome stories, and—last but certainly not least—creative designs. It’s that last category that our team here at Bored Panda really wants to share with you today.

We’re featuring some of the best and brightest designs we’ve seen. Some of these are genius while others are so simple-but-effective that we’re sad we didn’t think of them first. Whatever the case, these designers truly push the boundaries of creativity with their imaginations. We’d love it if you’d upvote the photos that you like the most and be sure to let us know in the comments which of these pics you enjoyed the most and why.

Pssst, Pandas, if you want some more amazing design pics, we’re more than happy to let you into our mini-galleries. Check out our earlier articles right here, here, and here for some artful inspiration.

Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, an incredibly skilled pie artist and the author of 'Pies Are Awesome: The Definitive Pie Art Book,' was kind enough to walk Bored Panda through her thoughts on good design, creativity, motivation, the world of Pie Art, and how to balance the needs of the customer and audience with the desires of the artist. Scroll down to read her artistic insights, dear Pandas.

#1 I'm Lovin' It

Image credits: DeltaMVperru

Bored Panda was interested to get pie artist Jessica's take on how much designers and creatives should focus on the audience and end-users, and how much they should try to stay true to their artistic vision.

"I have a loose 'three for them, one for me' policy when it comes to my art. Riding emerging trends and tapping into the cultural zeitgeist certainly helps when you are trying to build a following. And as much as I would love to just make what I want all the time, my art puts food on the table (figuratively and literally), so I have to pay attention to what the people respond most to," Jessica explained to Bored Panda.

#2 This Crack In The Pavement Filled With A Stained Glass Cat Portrait

Image credits: sanelib

#3 An Amputee Doll

Image credits: PlayaNayame

"But sometimes I’ll get the urge to create something obscure that I know no corporate partner will care for, and only a tiny portion of the population will appreciate, but will make me happy. So if I’ve got the energy, I’ll go for it. And not shockingly, it is a lot easier to find the energy for these types of works! I often end up surprised by the response to the 'one for me' pies, however. Maybe because they are made with a little more care and love, but oftentimes people will like those just as much as my more 'mainstream' offerings, even if they aren’t familiar with the subject matter," she said that the audience can always surprise you with what they end up liking.

"I wonder if folks can guess which of my pies fall into the 'one for me' category?" she mused.

Though a lot of designers, artists, and creatives frequently encounter creative roadblocks, Jessica is one of the lucky few who never really had to deal with them (and we might be a bit jealous!). "I have sketchbooks filled with hundreds more Pie Art concepts than I could ever make in ten lifetimes… And there is so much creative inspiration out there in the world! All I have to do is look at craftspeople at the top of their game in a couple of different areas—watchmakers, architects, gardeners, painters, poets, etc.—and my mind is filled to the top with new ideas again," she shared that we can look to nearly any area in life for inspiration.

#4 The Sinks Inside The Le Creuset Headquarters Are Dutch Ovens

Image credits: BabyDaddy9000

#5 The Local Blood Bank Has These Signs To Show How Much Blood They Have

Image credits: awritemate

#6 When I Bought My House, The Title Company Gave Me A Digital Copy Of All My Documents On A Thumb Drive Shaped Like A House Key

Image credits: MatabiTheMagnificent

"The biggest challenge to my work is not the 'creativity tank,' it’s the 'energy/motivation' tank. Professional artists who have to balance commercial realities against artistic passions I think all have to deal with finding ways to keep that 'motivation tank' topped up. It’s not always easy! But I find that being around other creative working professionals and talking with them about it helps a lot."

Jessica explained to Bored Panda that "it is critical" to plan out every last detail in advance when it comes to Pie Art. "Once your dough is rolled out, the clock is ticking! If you allow the fat in your dough to melt, you’ll lose the little pockets of air in the finished pie dough that create that delicious flaky mouth-feel, and you’ll end up with tough leathery crust instead," she explained why exactly time is so important. When it comes to turning her latest project into reality, every minute counts and the race against time is on.

#7 IV Bag Plant Watering Thing I Saw At My Dr's Office

Image credits: Hyperi0us

#8 The Room Number For Mammogram Testing

Image credits: roosking

#9 Elvish - Elvin Silverware

Image credits: Studio Bitonti

"To circumvent this, I fully sketch out my designs in advance and create paper or acetate templates to help me cut out pieces as fast as humanly possible. I even take things a step further and walk through the whole process in my mind before I take the dough out to the fridge. Visualizing the process this way allows me to spot any steps I may have missed—like a tool I’ve forgotten to set out, or the fact that I’ll probably want tea while I’m working and should put the kettle on now—which saves precious minutes of working time."

However, she noted that things can still "go sideways from time to time." Nobody's perfect and mistakes sometimes happen even to the best of the best. These mistakes, however, help push the boundaries of what's possible. "Less often these days, but when I am working with a new technique or unfamiliar dough, there is always the possibility that I will suddenly find myself needing to get creative to solve a problem on the fly. Sometimes, these last-minute saves end up becoming 'proper Pie Art technique cannon' down the road! 'Happy Accidents' are real."

#10 Local Kmart Has A Doll With Down’s Syndrome

Image credits: Moves_like_Norris

#11 Found Band-Aids For Different Skin Tones At Target

Image credits: Frings_Chicken_House

#12 Maneki-Neko Statues In My Local Gym

Image credits: kylat930326

Associate Professor of Design Studies Tim Antoniuk, from the University of Alberta, previously shared with Bored Panda his take on design, including his opinion on Dieter Rams’ legendary 10 principles of good design.

He believes that Rams “does a great job” identifying what makes a design good. However, the principles themselves might not stand the test of time as well as could be hoped.

"That said, given the speed of change that we encounter today in our lives in the digital environment that we live in, I believe that some great design is not necessarily timeless. One example is seen in Interface Design, Ux Design, and in-service design. As new layers get added into our lives, things naturally have an evolutionary cycle,” Tim explained.

“This is different from furniture which naturally can be more ubiquitous and designed to fit the human body. There is a great deal of fuzziness in this discussion but I do believe that the essence of this idea is true," he mused.

#13 This Lamp Post Holds Up An Umbrella For A Spot On The Bench

Image credits: cupofdirt86

#14 I Found A Pen And The Pen Cap Is Shaped Like A Cat

Image credits: BurnsMyWaffles

#15 This Doorknoob At My Butcher's

Image credits: 0nissay

According to the design expert, someone’s personal taste creates a gray area between designs that are objectively good or bad.

"The gray area comes in when people start to talk about taste and about degrees of aesthetic. I may love the design of Bauhaus furniture, for example, while somebody may feel that it is too cold and void of personality. Not unlike great art, I believe that much of what came from this era is ‘great design,’ in part because it represents an era and a philosophy. When we start to mix in discussions of taste and preference, that is where the gray areas of good and bad design get blurred."

In the expert’s opinion, we can intuitively feel if a design is good. "Quite often, this relates to ergonomics and the usability or functionality of the products and services and systems. Having said that, I think far too many people expect poor design that doesn’t really work well," Tim told us.

#16 My Grandma's Chinese Teacups Where You Can See A Woman's Face When You Put Them Against The Light (From 2 Different Sets)

Image credits: _whatsmynameagain

#17 This LEGO Set Has A Loose Change In The Couch

Image credits: burstaneurysm

#18 This Bread Knife In A Swiss Restaurant Has A Silhouette Of The Major Peaks In Switzerland

Image credits: ste211

The upside is that good design is a skill that can be learned. Through practice and exposure to quality. And lots of it. "For me, great design is what Dieter [Rams] talks about—it is also intuitive, it is deeply sympathetic and empathetic to the user at all levels, and at some level, it is emotional. It is a catalyst for giving us feelings."

#19 This Airplane Was Designed To Look Like A Whale

Image credits: djazzie

#20 A Very Literal Half Pint

Image credits: clusterlove

#21 The Banisters At My Hotel Were Held Up By Little Metal Men

Image credits: reddit.com

Some time ago, pie artist and all-around creative Jessica spoke to Bored Panda about people’s sense of taste and aesthetics.

“Our sense of taste is a product of our upbringing and the people and content we are exposed to throughout our life, particularly during our formative years,” she explained to us.

#22 My Thai Food Came With A Chork

Image credits: finchdog

#23 Door Handle As John Lennon’s Glasses

Image credits: Serge1086

#24 Someone Put A Bob Ross Toaster In Our Breakroom, And It Burns An Image Of Bob Ross Onto The Toast

Image credits: DictatorTot23

“Different cultures, different families, different peer groups place different value on different aesthetic conventions. If we want to ‘fit in’ with whatever group we are affiliating with, we tend to morph our own personal tastes to match that of the group,” Jessica said that we adapt to our social environments.

#25 This Flat Fire Extinguisher I Found

Image credits: anagitatedarsonist

#26 My Boss' Mousepad Shaped Like A Tiny Rug

Image credits: stellarecho92

#27 The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

Image credits: joannaleonar

“But what if we don’t want to ‘fit in’ and conform our taste to match the crowd? Well, that’s where things get interesting,” the artist noted that this leads to interesting growth.

“Once a person has, for whatever reason, decided to expand their horizons beyond what is naturally presented to them in their immediate circles then something magical happens: their true ‘personal taste’ begins to coalesce,” she said.

#28 The Coke Bottle On This Cup Is Transparent So The Bottle Empties As You Drink

Image credits: chris102099

#29 My 1000 Piece Puzzle Has A Cheat Code

Image credits: TheManRoomGuy

#30 LEGO Set Included This Figure/Wheelchair And Incorporates A Wheelchair Access Ramp Into The Build

Image credits: Ildrim

“We may be born into a family/community that places a high value on exploring different aesthetic forms and embarking on journeys of personal discovery. We may be born into a family/community that punishes any deviation beyond the accepted norms,” Jessica told us.

“But we always have the choice to learn about something new. Taste may always be somewhat subjective, but the more forms of aesthetic content we seek out and allow ourselves to be exposed to, the better our shot at claiming that elusive, ‘good taste’ badge!”

#31 Legos Inspired Bollards

Image credits: Le CyKlop

#32 This Awesome Little Sponge Holder

Image credits: CallMe_Dig_Baddy

#33 The Porsche 944 Hot Wheel Designer Had Cancer, The Stethoscope Was Added By Ryu To Pay Tribute To His Cancer Doctor, Who Drove A 944. Rest In Peace Ryu Asada

Image credits: stancehunters

#34 Puzzle Carpet

Image credits: Jacob van Rijs of MVRDV

#35 I Give You The Wolverfork

Image credits: thehughjackman

#36 Japanese Restaurant Has A Tiny Mt Fuji In The Base Of Their Glasses

Image credits: ssladam

#37 A Vertical Chessboard

Image credits: Penguinkeith

#38 This Tesla Charger Set Up To Look Like A Vintage Gas Pump

Image credits: Indieobsession

#39 A Bike Stand Built Into A Park Bench

Image credits: bight_sidle

#40 Sushi Bar's Sushi Chairs

Image credits: elmielmosong

#41 This Lidl Lithuania Grocery Bag Promoting Paper Bags Over Plastic Ones

Image credits: ArchaeologicalTop

#42 A Push/Pull Sign On The Door Of A Glasses Shop

Image credits: Geschinta

#43 Bike Racks I Saw With A Cool Perspective Trick Built-In

Image credits: fallacyfallacy

#44 My Ice Cube Tray Is Tetris Shapes

Image credits: LadyJane17

#45 This 1 Cup Milk Pitcher

Image credits: GreenScREEn

#46 Americans Put Cups Of Water In The Microwave So Maybe We Need This Kettle Tower

Image credits: Spiritual_Fee4768

#47 This Pen At The Doctor's Office

Image credits: B001eanChame1e0n

#48 Sometimes A Rainy Day Ain't That Bad

Image credits: cookie_flip

#49 Play A Friendly Game Of Football While You Sit At These Tables

Image credits: sdxab1my

#50 My Cup Noodles Lid Is Also A Cat That Greets You When You Open It Halfway

Image credits: AnCapiCat

#51 Bought 2 Different Sizes Of Shoes, But The Boxes Align Perfectly With One Another

Image credits: Greenveins

#52 These Six Packs When Stacked On Each Other Create Something Special

Image credits: Highlife2tall

#53 This Hourglass-Shaped Traffic Light

Image credits: --Abby--

#54 Pencil Bollards Outside A School In London

Image credits: psgenius

#55 Kaunas, Lithuania On Valentine’s Day

Image credits: kaunosavivaldybe

#56 The Indian 1 Rupee Coin Just Has A Dude Giving A Thumbs Up On It

Image credits: Markisworking

#57 Bus Interior Made To Look Like A Forest

Image credits: jyrisa

#58 Pug Measuring Tape I Found For My Wife

Image credits: unfortunate_banjo

#59 This LEGO Bonsai Set Uses Small Pink Frogs To Portray Cherry Blossoms

Image credits: Rebuildingz

#60 This Older Keyboard I Found In An Office While Cleaning On Campus

Image credits: Maud_Frod

#61 Wonderful Paintbrush Packaging - Mexico

Image credits: heribertohobby

#62 Origami Bird Lamp

Image credits: cyberentomology

#63 These Priority Seats On A Train Come With Designs Showing Examples Of Who Might Need Them

Image credits: PaulSinclair90

#64 This Toaster's Cord Has Finger Pull

Image credits: VEDAHtheDJ

#65 Bench In Front Of A Public Building, Corte Madera, California

Image credits: NewChinaHand

#66 Croissant Night Light

Image credits: eliesaaabs

#67 My Beer Mat Revealed A Hidden Image After It Collected Enough Condensation

Image credits: takaijin

#68 Thought This Was A Very Clever Way To Make A Caution Sign. It's Still Highly Visible And Does It's Job But With Some Fun

As an added bonus it was in a Jamba Juice so it makes sense with their aesthetic.

Image credits: RGZoro

#69 This Bottle Opener

Image credits: waynology

#70 Bottled Water Shaped Like A Dumbbell

Image credits: leaderwho

#71 This Hotsauce Set I Got For Christmas

Image credits: Racoonhero

#72 Here's Johnny Bookshelf Decoration

#73 The Force Is Strong With My Yoda Book End

Image credits: frmacleod

#74 Every Vauxhall Car Built Since 2004 Has A Hidden Shark Somewhere In The Car. Found Mine In The Glove Box

Image credits: darkdetective

#75 I Saw This Doorstop Today That Is The Titanic Sinking

Image credits: QuarterlyTurtle

#76 The Lights Outside My Local Pharmacy Are Shaped Like Syringes

Image credits: whodigsdeepest

#77 This Jeep’s Brake Lights Are Jeeps

Image credits: hannahtaylor_

#78 This Tic-Tac-Toe Toilet Paper Holder

Image credits: SlipTheSlime

#79 These Texas Shaped Bricks In Texas

Image credits: lakeberry

#80 This Gas Station Sells Ampersand Shaped Donuts

Image credits: Karcinagin

#81 Cheese Cutter From The Swedish Museum In Philadelphia

Image credits: Zwierzycki

#82 A Packet Of Olive Oil Shaped Like An Olive

Image credits: nflodin

#83 The Benches At My Local Library Are Books

Image credits: ronky35

#84 Biggest Foosball Table I’ve Ever Seen

Image credits: Staker17

#85 The Bench In This 24-Hour Laundry Is A Giant Clothespin

Image credits: houseforever

#86 Sushi Train Restaurant Had A Train Serving Sushi

Image credits: grendel123

#87 Those Sealife-Shaped Anti-Skateboarding Guards On Sf Embarcadero

Image credits: Rhet0R

#88 This Mirror In The Front Of My Hotel Looks Like You Can Walk Through It

Image credits: arjuna20

#89 Saw These Cute Little Stools At A Burger Joint

Image credits: dacoobobswife2

#90 The Clock Of A Local Hair Saloon

Image credits: xXHacker69Xx

#91 These Fish Socks From Japan

Image credits: danifrancuzrose

#92 This Minnesota Judicial Branch Pencil With An Eraser Shaped Like A Gavel

Image credits: KelsieTaylor

#93 My Daughter's Dinosaur Puzzle Has Dinosaur-Shaped Pieces

Image credits: MarriedToSanta

#94 Scissors

Image credits: Suihnennews

#95 The Hands On My Watch Move Out Of The Way So They Don't Obstruct The Little Screen

Image credits: taranasus

#96 This Blender Company's Front Door

Image credits: Vanessa4698

#97 These Cups/Glasses In The Freiburg Football Stadium Have Hollow Handles, You Can Carry Up To Four In A Single Hand

Image credits: Snoo_28562

#98 Unique Packaging Design By Angelina Pischikova

Image credits: angelina_pischikova

#99 Skatepark Bench

Image credits: leakyweenie

#100 This Clock At The Erasmus MC In Rotterdam Uses A Video Of People Brooming Up Trash As Clock Hands

Image credits: Dark_Wolf04

#101 I Bought A $14k Staircase Today And It Came With A Little Example Model

Image credits: ibemuffdivin

#102 You Can Now Choose The Race Of Santa On Gap Socks

Image credits: eipiminus1

#103 My Buddy’s Ancient PS1 Has A Screen On Top Of It

Image credits: Faith_SC

#104 Someone Bought Me LEGO Highlighters

Image credits: matt_charmander

#105 This Book Stand

Image credits: sinmantky

#106 This Gymnasium Wall That Consists Of People Doing Sports

Image credits: diejuengling

#107 This Book Teaching Children How To Tie Shoes Look Like A Shoe

Image credits: ClinkKongDingDong

#108 These Street Benches In Buenos Aires Are Made Of Cement

Image credits: vragal

#109 This Pattern On This Bench At My Vet

Image credits: HarlivyShipper

#110 This Mug I Found With A Tea Bag Holder

Image credits: nextjesus

#111 Elemental Dice

Image credits: xebecforward

#112 A Gas Station In My Country Uses Gas Pump Handles As Door Handles For Their Restrooms

Image credits: newecreator

#113 Chess Pieces Made Out Of Hardware

Image credits: Itsmemcghee

#114 This Watch That Looks Like A Bracelet When The Time Isn't Displayed

Image credits: PlopCopTopPopMopStop

#115 Goodwill Find: Hershey's PC Mouse Has Built-In Aquarium With Tiny Floating Candies

Image credits: LootBoxDad

#116 University Coffee Shop Used Pencils Instead Of Tile At Counter

Image credits: sweetishfish53

#117 This Packaging For Pineapple Cakes, I Saw In The Chinese Supermarket

Image credits: madcatezle

#118 The Windows At My Local Library

Image credits: hiyathea

#119 The Legs On This Table In The Idaho State Capitol Building

Image credits: peredaks

#120 These Round Dice

Image credits: kalvinoz

#121 I Saw Wood Carved Stop Sign

Image credits: bikrame

#122 “Thirsty Scholar” Bar In Helsinki, Finland

Image credits: Robotfood2030-

#123 The Donut Stand In Our Mall Is Shaped Like A Box Of Donuts

Image credits: f1sh98

#124 A Pen, Ruler, Level, And Stylist All In One

Image credits: Willow116704

#125 Asics Shoe Boxes Designed As Painkiller Packets

Image credits: trolleytrolley

#126 LEGO Brick Shoe Box

Image credits: aloofloofah

#127 My Koala Snacks Are Wearing Little Masks

Image credits: manlikerealities

#128 Our Ramen Kit Came With A LEGO Man Butter

Image credits: snilloc5

#129 This Book On Money Is Designed Like A Credit/Debit Card

Image credits: backstreetatnight

#130 Screwnicorn Corkscrew

Image credits: GAMAGO

#131 Super Mario Pipe Mug

Image credits: Halfang

#132 This Restaurant In DC Uses Table Football Figures For Their Restroom Gender Designations

Image credits: LurkerPatrol