I think one of the most revealing moments in my design education was when a teacher asked us to design a packaging that looked cheap. We all felt relief because we thought it meant we didn't have to be as careful with the quality of our design, and in general most proposals were shoddy and poorly built.
Of course, the teacher chided us for being careless, "looking cheap" doesn't mean low quality, it means subtle signals like inexpensive materials, no flourishes, no 'status symbol' indicators.
When looking at certain design pieces we often have a visceral reaction, you either like it or you don't. You must step back and think about the purpose, if the design accomplishes its purpose then it's good design. The aesthetics might be off, but that's easy to fix.
On that note, IKEA is the only company I can think of that successfully designs their products and branding to look "cheap", as you define it. Countless other companies seem to go for a more "trashy" look, akin to tabloids.
Of course, the teacher chided us for being careless, "looking cheap" doesn't mean low quality, it means subtle signals like inexpensive materials, no flourishes, no 'status symbol' indicators.
When looking at certain design pieces we often have a visceral reaction, you either like it or you don't. You must step back and think about the purpose, if the design accomplishes its purpose then it's good design. The aesthetics might be off, but that's easy to fix.