As a graphic design student, I’ve learned that design and trust go hand in hand. I’ve also learned how that same trust can be manipulated. I’ve seen countless fake instagram accounts posing as real, trustworthy sites. For example, I recently saw an Instagram account pretending to be Nike offering a “limited-time ambassador program.” The post looked real and enticing, showing clean typography, professional-looking images, and a consistent brand aesthetic to make people believe without a doubt that they’d stumbled across a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the real Nike. 

They essentially wanted to collect personal information and money. People who began the process were told that they had been “selected” as brand ambassadors and needed to pay a small shipping fee to receive free products. In reality, there were no products-just a well-designed illusion. 

The account replicated Nike’s visual identity almost perfectly. From logo placement to color palette and even the tone of voice in their wording, the posts utilized those to grab people’s attention and get them to believe it was real solely based on that. They also used high-quality mockups and modern layouts that were consistent with Nike’s current branding trends. As a result of this, viewers had no reason not to believe that this opportunity to be Nike’s ambassador was real. In the message, the post was smart enough to add “Only a few spots left.” That simple message created a sense of urgency and made people want to act quickly without questioning the source too much because, who wouldn’t love to be Nike’s ambassador?

There were some subtle red flags that were easily missable to the untrained eye. Things like the username being slightly off, the account not being verified, there was a link to a third-party site instead of an official brand page, and there was a request for payments and information even if they were small fees. A quick look at Nike’s official website to verify the ambassador’s ad would’ve easily confirmed that it was, in fact, a scam. 

Experiencing this showed me that good design doesn’t always mean good intentions. As designers we’re trained to create trust and a sense of realness through design choices like typography, visuals, and tone. Those skills can be used and manipulated to mislead people. It’s a reminder to design responsibly and also check sources before you give out personal information.