5 times “smart” copy swung into graveyard humor
What do tea, Fabulous app, Stravinsky, Italian pasta, and Grammarly have in common? Awkward English.
You’ve probably heard of the r/Engrish thread, where people collect awkward use cases of the English language. I’m one of these collectors. But instead of making fun of misspelled words, I collect UX copy gone wrong.
Like in the Fabulous app (mental health and habit tracker coaching), where I found a button called “collapse”:
I had beef with this button. Because:
- Who gives a button such a long name (or a name at all) in an app (mobile devices = small screens)?
- Using “collapse” in a mental health app is a bad idea for users who might be struggling with depression.
I’ve been traveling Europe on a scavenger hunt for more awkwardness. There has been ample. Here are four more recent examples of UX and brand copy that were intended to be quirky but ended up a bit dark.
P.S. Quirky copy — is it good? I usually detest humorous copy (with the rare brilliant exception of CitizenM’s brand writing) as it very often turns out double-faced — you can read it in too many ways for your own good.
So, no, please don’t try to be smart.
German tea — I want to berry you
The phrase “I want to berry you” is a play on the word “marry,” as in to get married, substituting “marry” with “berry” to tie in with the tea’s berry flavor. However, “berry” as a verb could also suggest “to bury,” which has a completely different, darker connotation.
While the intent here is to be cute, combining the idea of love with the berry flavor of the tea, there’s a risk of it being read as “I want to bury you,” which is… let’s just say, less than romantic!
Italian restaurant — PastAway
“PastAway” is clever — it’s a play on words, likely meant to suggest a place where you can enjoy pasta quickly or to-go. Or that pasta is the way? In any case, to an English speaker, it hilariously (or morbidly) echoes the phrase “passed away.”
Google Maps — Grave not too busy
Google Maps can be surreal at times. Here, it’s showing Igor Stravinsky’s grave in Venice as if it were a place to hang out, complete with a live update on how busy it is.
Grammarly — Correct your spelling
In Venice, I was dealing with some pretty severe skin irritation — redness and blisters. It’s safe to say my anxiety levels were through the roof. So I bought a cream in a pharmacy — Fucidin (or below as I misspelled it — “Fuicidin”).
To learn more about this potential skin savior, I tried to input it in ChatGPT (still feeling pretty sad and anxious), but Grammarly’s spellcheck offered a drastic alternative to my skincare routine.
Ambiguity in microcopy — genius advertisement?
In brand copywriting, there’s a phenomenon called “ambiguous advertising.” It’s when we make mistakes in texts on purpose:
What makes ambiguous advertising so elusive to viewers and potentially helpful to advertisers is the “Come again?” aspect of deciphering what a particular message means. Sometimes, the advertiser is intentionally ambiguous — to raise intrigue, invoke associations — and other times, an advertisement is simply downright confusing
For example, Apple’s motto is “think different,” and not the grammatically correct “think differently.”
Of course, content designers need to use language with caution, especially if it’s not their native tongue, and test different situations in which the user will see the text. But what if ambiguity occurs nonetheless?
It might be a good ad if nothing else. Users will have to solve the puzzle and double-take on the text —which is exhaustive, of course, but it makes you remember the product (like the tea from this story).
