Oops They Did it Again

Introducing the OOPS DESIGN AWARDS. This snarky commentary on design's worst blunders zeros in on three coveted categories: the ugliest, silliest, and most useless product designs of the year. 

The awards are new for 2009, but to give us an idea of what they're after, the creators of OOPS have bestowed prizes on some would have been contenders of 2008. A few of the worst include the Flock lamp, which looks like a bunch of partially inflated used condoms, and the One chair, a melting pile of gelatinous fat. 

The awards are all in good fun, and it's nice to see them pick on big manufacturers, like Vitra, along with little guys just trying to break in. And the whole thing does have a point: that design solely to be different or to shock is often useless in terms of functionality, aesthetically marred or, as the award categories spell out, just plain silly.  See them all, and get a look at this year's nominees at www.oopsaward.jimdo.com