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If you want to get your message across, the best thing to do is be concise and direct. If you have an issue with your partner’s behavior, don’t expect them to read your mind. And being passive aggressive towards colleagues isn’t going to solve any problems.

So if you’re planning on creating a sign to share an idea with the public, you should probably follow the same guidelines. Or you can always go your own route, create an unintelligible sign and end up being roasted online…

We took a trip to a subreddit that’s dedicated to sharing the most questionable signage people have ever come across. If you simply try to read these messages from left to right, they will have a completely different meaning than what was intended. But that’s what makes them so amusing! Good luck scrolling through these pics without getting a headache, and be sure to upvote the ones that make you facepalm.

#1 You Don’t Got This. Drink

Image credits: Fun_Orange_3889

#2 Women Want Fish Me Fear Me

Image credits: legalfoxhound27

#3 There’s Planet Noob

Image credits: wilharris1982

We’re surrounded by signs every single day. They tell us where to exit the highway, which room today’s meeting is in, which vegetables are discounted this week and whether or not the bathroom is available. Society couldn’t function without these signs. But they can only do their jobs if they were actually made well…

That’s where the DDOI subreddit comes in. This group, which got its name from this famous scene in The Walking Dead, has amassed an impressive 725K members over the past 11 years. The group is a treasure trove of terribly designed signs. And every single day, new messages are shared to this community that will remind you to always get a proofreader or at least a second opinion before printing out a sign.

#4 Don’t Pull Push Only

Image credits: Tidiahn

#5 Game Over Grant, Cancer Won

Image credits: fatcatpoppy

#6 Are Who You You Are Are You You You

Image credits: Flaming-Havisham

To learn more about this topic from an expert, we got in touch with Nichole Loati from Great Big Graphics. She was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and explain what makes an effective sign.

According to Nichole, every great sign should be “clearly readable at a drive-by, conveys to the reader what the company is offering, eye-catching and memorable in an attractive way.”

#7 Don’t Be Quiet Knock Please

Image credits: lilyoungsimba

#8 Ianlhe Eaxlhe

Image credits: CrazyBalrog

#9 E W E V O L Sr Egr Ub

Saw this in a burger joint, still confuses me.

Image credits: JO65FFS

On the other hand, we also asked Nichole what kinds of things can ruin a sign. “Too much text (more text equals smaller text, which won’t be readable from a drive by),” she noted.

“So many small businesses think their roadside sign should include a telephone number (maybe two if they also have a cell or toll-free,) a website address AND their email. No one is going to call or email you while driving by at 40mph,” the expert explained. “Clear and simple website address is one thing. Memorable business name and some basic SEO is even better. When folks get where they’re going they can look your company up online and contact you that way.”

Nichole also says the address where the sign is being mounted is very important. “A good sign company will ask you for the address, and they’ll ask you what the traffic speed is on that road,” she shared. “Traffic speed matters because the faster the traffic is moving, the larger any lettering needs to be in order to be readable at a drive-by.”

#10 I Do Have Am Enough

Image credits: I_exist_but_gay

#11 Get Good News!

Image credits: Pan_Fried_Okra

#12 Every Im Thing Not Made Me Everything I Am

Image credits: bbubbletrubble

Vagueness can be another huge mistake in signage, Nichole says. “For instance, a company in our area is called Apex. The sides of their vehicles simply read ‘Apex,'” she shared. “No one I’ve asked knows who they are or what they do. If their goal is simply to identify their fleet, then they’re winning. For most sign applications, though, the point is to generate sales. Not only are people not able to call without a phone number, but they have no reason to look up the phone number without an idea of what Apex even does or sells.”

#13 Say Racism No To Respect

Image credits: omaewamoushindeirou7

#14 Men Because Women

Image credits: Charming_Link

#15 If You Give Chances They Will A Kid Are Have Something A Voice To Say

Image credits: P00ld3ad

Next, Nichole warned that poor choice of placement or color scheme can also be an issue. “Here in the Green Mountain State, many companies feel it’s appropriate to display green signage,” she shared. “The sides of the road are literally green, all shades of green. Very rural/trees everywhere. When you place a medium or dark green sign with black lettering amongst a forest, people aren’t going to see it. This is a fight I fight with my customers every single day!”

#16 W Fart Free Water

Image credits: BradlePhotos

#17 I Am ᴶᵉᵉᵖ Honk

Image credits: flopsychops

#18 Lcoinmmcolnn

Image credits: Volcaronaa

Thankfully, Nichole also shared some helpful advice for anyone out there who will be designing a sign. “Work with a professional. Most sign companies aren’t going to take more than 5-10 minutes to design a sign, and as industry professionals, they have a solid understanding of what works and what doesn’t,” she told Bored Panda. “Rely on these folks to take care of you, and trust their advice.

#19 You Can’t But You Change Can Change The Past Our Future

Image credits: TheCentralCarnage

#20 Stop Black Asian Lives, Hate Still Matter

Image credits: i_am_eight_bees

#21 Be Do Gay Crime

Image credits: narcissus_shrugged

“Also, in many situations, graphic designers who specialize in branding and print goods (like business cards and fliers) are not good sign designers,” Nichole noted. “These types of designers will often design signs that can’t be physically built without a lot of adaptation and editing, which can lead to increased fabrication costs and shorter lifespan of the sign.”

“Case in point, a client recently sent me sign designs provided to her via a professional graphic designer. They’re pretty, don’t get me wrong, but the signs were designed as being made from birch branches,” she continued. “Not only does that resemble more of an arts and crafts project than a professional sign, plus make it difficult to read, but it physically won’t last very long, since birch branches aren’t something that will weather well over time.”

#22 Doesn’t Make Bad You Look Look…?

Image credits: Sir_Spexus

#23 The Bible One Way Jesus Be Saved Kids

Image credits: Stinkmop

#24 Choose Abortion, Life Kills!

Image credits: dmhacks22

Are you enjoying this list of hilarious and confusing signs, pandas? Keep upvoting the ones that make you facepalm, and let us know in the comments below if you’re ever encountered a similar message. Then, if you’d like to check out even more pics from the same subreddit, you can find more questionable signs that we’ve shared on Bored Panda right here!