Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol.4

[cdnchris]

Seriously? A couple people here (and elsewhere) have bitched about the cover and he starts crying? I actually like the cover, but someone needs to seriously grow a pair when it comes to criticism rather than going onto Twitter and basically saying "Waaa! some people I don't know hate my cover. Please respond and agree with me to improve my self worth and show them how wrong they are."

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

He's probably in a snit that Kate Beaton got a poster instead of him.

[Alphonse Doinel]

You think the guy would appreciate some intelligent comments on his work, rather than the ass-kissing that goes on everywhere else. i guess not.

[Werewolf by Night]

One of his readers called us "armchair designers" and then said the Ben Folds Forum was nicer than we are.

Hey, "armchair designers" puts us in the company of Eames and Saarinen. I'll take that. And wasn't this guy Ben Folds' drummer, isn't that the context for that remark?

Anyway, "fuckem" is pretty much the right attitude to have when faced with most of what gets posted in this thread, but I wonder if saying it so publicly to the people who buy the DVDs that enable you to have a job is good for business.

[Mr. Ned]

Edit: I retract my previous comments; even if the guy is being a whiny, pompous windbag for complaining people don't like his work, I don't think I should liken him to someone who actually bottles and smells his own farts for inspiration. That's a little mean.

Snarkiness aside, I kind of like the Chaplin cover. I think it's similar to Last Year in Marienbad and the recent P&P releases, as we won't be able to tell if the covers work or not until we have them in our hands. But seriously, part of art is its critical judgment: if you can't take what people say about your pieces, maybe you should find a different line of work...

[Steven H]

I don't mind designers with attitude but I'd probably be a little bit more humble if my big paycheck came from "copy and paste sprockets on Chaplin's face, click Save as"

[mfunk9786]

After all the love this guy got for that Hausu design, this guy should really just shut his mouth. I have the damn poster up on my wall right now, it looks terrific. But it doesn't change the fact that the Modern Times design is pure lazy shit, and an inexplicable homage to A Clockwork Orange.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

All I know is, if I was actually privileged and talented enough to get my work published and paid for, then nothing else would really chafe my balls.

Also, Ben Folds is HEINOUS.

[Flike]

Eh, I'll admit as someone who is also lucky enough to earn a living doing creative work that a good portion of my post-project down time is spent reading reactions on forums like this and Twitter. Difference being, I'm incredibly self-critical and nothing a stranger on the internet could say is worse than what I really think about my stuff. Guy is just sheltered or way young, I think.

[Doctor Sunshine]

With all due respect, this thread isn't exactly a bastion of intelligent and constructive criticism. It's earned its title. But before you jump all over the guy, try to look at this from an artist's perspective. Graphic designers put themselves out there like any other artists. I'm sure we can all think of a couple actors and directors who've slugged film critics. It's a lot easier to brush off criticism when it's not aimed at you. And it's not like he said "fuck them". It's the same as "love ya". Not to be taken too seriously. If he'd enunciated the full word, yeah, then we might be taking this outside.

[oldsheperd]

Also, Ben Folds is HEINOUS.

Oh, you breaka my heart!

[colinr0380]

What we are all missing with this Modern Times cover, that we will have to wait until we have it in our hands to fully appreciate, is that it looks likely that these gear wheels on the cover will be motorised and as they turn it causes one of Chaplin's eyebrows to click back and forth, raising and lowering in a "Say Whaaa?!" manner.

There's also a tab on the side that, if you pull it, raises and lowers the bowler hat in a jaunty manner.

[domino harvey]

Maybe the cover is lenticular and when you turn it in the other direction it doesn't suck

[oldsheperd]

Maybe the cover has one of those built in mouth wipers from the lunch machine that comes out and smacks Domino every time he looks at the cover disapprovingly.

[Tom Hagen]

I still don't understand how Ben Folds fans fit into all of this. What an inexplicable reference point.

[Matt]

Would it be petty of us to have a "Design a Better Modern Times Cover" contest? Well, yes, it would be, but should we do it anyway?

[oldsheperd]

How about a "You buy the film for the film not for the cover so quit bitching" contest.

[domino harvey]

Turns out it could have been a lot worse, the designer just tweeted the initial spec design

[knives]

I thought you were joking. That would've been the worst cover since the splotch of stills days.

[oldsheperd]

Looks like the cover to a Powerpoint presentation

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Would it be petty of us to have a "Design a Better Modern Times Cover" contest? Well, yes, it would be, but should we do it anyway?

Not at all. That guy thinks he's the shit so let's show him just how good the guys on this board who design are. They just posted a piece on Cinematical on fake Criterion covers so it's not above question. Besides, it'd be fun to see what everyone comes up with for it.

[matrixschmatrix]

I think a 'Better Modern Times' contest isn't that bitter, but I think you guys are also making too big a deal out of it- he obviously was looking at message boards for reactions, saw some incredibly negative ones, and felt hurt. Most people do that. It's not like he came on here and had a meltdown about it, and it was put in the context of 'never read message boards' which a lot of people will say, that you'll always find and focus on the most negative stuff.

[swo17]

It appears that Criterion has slightly altered the cover art to address this controversy.

[domino harvey]

The vitriol should really be directed towards Criterion for approving the image, not the designer for making it. Criterion could have told him "back to the drawing board with you" and maybe he'd have subsequently churned out something everyone could have been proud of. Look at even the best designer's specs and you'll see some terrible first tries-- and that's what this looks like, unfortunately

[oldsheperd]

The vitriol should really be directed towards Criterion for approving the image, not the designer for making it. Criterion could have told him "back to the drawing board with you" and maybe he'd have subsequently churned out something everyone could have been proud of. Look at even the best designer's specs and you'll see some terrible first tries-- and that's what this looks like, unfortunately

So it's not the artist's fault that his cover is shite, it's Criterion's fault for not calling this cover shite. 6 of one half dozen of the other