Critical Diary Entry - Channel Four - Funniest Moments

Having only watched this programme from number 12 in the list of Funniest Moments I can only comment on what I saw. Despite finding a lot of the clips/moments very funny I found myself disagreeing with a lot of the choices or the order that they had been voted. I know it isn’t really that important but I found it irritating to see that for example, Peter Kay was at number 1 for his stand up performances! I don’t dislike the man and I do happen to find his act funny, however I certainly don’t think that it deserved number 1 with comedy masterpieces such as Spinal Tap, The Office, Alan Partridge and Brasseye (the list goes on) falling behind it. The format for Peter Kay is so predictable and lacks the subtle genius of those others I have mentioned which tap into the audience’s minds and make them cry with laughter through alternative and original comedy. As my house mate pointed out, everyone can do observational comedy like Kay on a Friday night in the pub “Remember when you were younger and you did this..”, “Isn’t it funny how you wake up but won’t get up until…”. Yes it is funny and I will give Peter Kay credit for the way he performs and communicates but as with previous Channel Four polls, I disagree with the placing of it. Another thing that annoyed me about the programme was the way they would keep interrupting the funny moment they were showing with annoying ‘so called’ critics or ‘comedians’ such as Richard Blackwood! I would rather see the whole clip in its hilarious entirety and then have someone who is actually funny and knows what they’re talking about comment after the clip (such as Paul Merton, Ricky Gervais…Victoria Wood – Just Kidding, don’t get me started on her!)

Critical Diary Entry - i-pod Ad Posters

I think this is a great campaign for the Apple i-pod product. They have successfully managed to create an identity, as soon as you see this kind of image (right) you associate it with the i-pod. The design is so eye catching and versatile. There was recently a huge i-pod poster hung up in front of what will be the new museum opposite Millennium Square in Leeds and it looked amazing, I wished that I had designed it. The contrast between the bright background and dark silhouette along with the trademark white i-pod looked so professional and worked really well on such a large scale. Brilliant…so…

Critical Diary Entry - Fat Pie Cartoons

I first stumbled across the cartoon creations on fat-pie.com during my Art Foundation year. I wouldn’t advise anyone who is easily offended to watch the animations as there is some shocking and dark content, but personally I can’t help but laugh at some of it. There is a strange off-the-wall humour that somehow appeals to me (however the content isn’t a reflection of my character. You will understand why I had to clear that up if you ever watch the cartoons!)

It is the style of animation that I particularly like, roughly drawn and animated in Flash and some drawn on paper before being manipulated in Flash. The flickering lines and odd looking characters that David Firth creates suit the random storylines.

My favourite character or cartoon is the Salad Fingers series. He is a strange creature who comes across as being quite innocent and naïve with his faltering voice, yet there is something creepy and dark about him that adds to the weird humour. The slow moving animation also adds to the unnerving atmosphere.

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Critical Diary Entry - Album Cover - Revolver

Cover Design - Klaus Voormann, 1966

Many critics often talk about and label the Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover as the one that stands out as being the most innovative and ground breaking of its time. I agree that as a concept, it was well ahead of its time (the idea that The Beatles were as big and important as the significant world figures, political and celebrity that they pose amongst). It has definitely influenced others since then to present day to consider cover design as a meaningful design process and important selling point.

However I believe that the earlier album release "Revolver" in 1966 was the first record cover to really the break the mould. Prior to this album we would only see a plain photograph of band members such as shown below.

The Beatles' Rubber Soul showed signs of change with a more artistic and experimental approach to layout and typography but it was Revolver that broke the boundaries. The cover is composed from both hand drawings of John, Paul, George and Ringo and collaged photographs of the quartet. The way the photographs relate to the larger scale drawings is so interesting; you really have to look closely to capture the humour and originality that Klaus Voormann has created.

Voormann first met The Beatles during their tour of Hamburg back in the early days of 1960 - 1963. It was his girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr who inspired The Beatles to adopt the famous 'mop top' haircut and I think that Voormann's style of drawing on Revolver shows off their style perfectly.

I can definitley see a message or idea coming across through the layout and scale of the drawings and how the smaller collaged images interact with them. If you look closely you can see John peeking out from George's hair and Paul lying on Ringo's head. Perhaps this was their way of saying that they considered themselves to be the giants of the popular music industry and culture. They had strongly established themselves through their brilliant music and even more so by taking advantage of using their album cover to portray their message, which nobody had done before Revolver.

As a massive Beatles fan myself I think that the ambitious and innovative developments that the band made musically with this album goes hand in hand with the cover design and the message it conveys. I couldn't say which Beatles album is my favourite as they are all in my opinion, great for different reasons. As far as the album covers are concerned however, Revolver is top of my list.