RANKED: Campus post-it note artwork

Ah, Lockdown Three. We’ve given up with “Couch to 5k” and baking banana bread, so what else is there to do? Well, we can always sit in our rooms feeling lonely and sorry for ourselves, but even feelings of isolation haven’t stopped some creatives expressing themselves from their room windows.On Lancs’ campus, you’ll be surrounded by post-it artwork created by lonesome students. But their efforts aren’t in vain – they should get the credit that they deserve.

From imaginative ideas to failed attempts, we’ve ranked the post-it note art taking over campus. 

Scary Shrek 6/10

There’s nothing more festive than catching sight of Shrek peering out of a window accompanied with the text “Merry Shit Mas”. It is frankly terrifying with its piercing eyes and smug smile but the attention to detail means we can’t help but admire it. The little snowflakes are a cute touch, Christmas may have passed but it’s nice to be reminded of better times. Festive Shrek does just that. The only criticism we could come up with is he looks quite lonely all by himself in Pendle.

Horrific Homer 2/10

“We Cry”. Yes, we do. As fans of the Simpsons, we find this depressing. Personally, no matter how hard we strain our eyes, we can’t see the resemblance between this seemingly yellow alien baby hybrid and Homer Simpson – maybe PacMan? We think a few doughnuts and cans of Duff will complete the piece, but so far we would be lying if we gave this top marks.

Under the sea 5/10

We love the calm vibe this colourful display of fish creates. The under the sea aesthetic is commendable and we just love the little green top hat on the octopus, it really adds a sense of character even if the octopus does look slightly shocked. Maybe this shock comes from the long line of alcohol bottles on the window shelf. We have to say, we admire your talent with post-it notes but we feel obliged to tell you that the collection of bottles doesn’t make you look as impressive as you think.

Pepe the Frog 6/10

Pepe is a classic meme whose impact on internet culture will be immeasurable and long-lasting, so we were happy to see him make an appearance on our art tour of campus. While we really appreciated the efforts made to get an accurate colour scheme and, of course, the high level of culture required to conjure such an illustrious meme, there’s certainly room for improvement in the execution. Pepe looks a bereft of emotion, so it would have been nice to see either a smile or some tears, but nevertheless, respect for this piece. 

Pendle Witch 4/10

College pride is an essential part of life at Lancaster, and apparently no one plays the fine art world better than Pendle. Saying that, none of us are Pendle patriots, so we can’t bring ourselves to rank this highly. If we’re honest with ourselves, the moon and the question marks aren’t mystifying anyone, but still, it wins some points for creativity and atmosphere. 

Mario 7/10

We’re big fans of the retro look, so 64-bit Mario was always going to score highly. Easily one of the best looking and best-fitting of the post-it medium, Mario easily improves the scenery around Grizedale, and one of the most faithful adaptations from the original. While we would have loved to have seen some of the original colours used to really perfect the look, we’ve got respect for the accuracy, creativity and effort that’s gone in here. Hoping for a Goomba to be added soon. 

The Chunder Chart 8/10

We don’t know whether to be impressed or disgusted. This Chunder Chart is definitely the highlight of County College. There’s nothing like getting your weekly Sultans and seeing the total gradually increase. The idea is a perfect one and is certainly entertaining for regular passer-bys but we can’t help but feel sorry for whoever has to clean up all that mess. Our thoughts go out to them but there is no doubt, the  chart has become a college landmark, one we are very proud of. 

Mike Says Do Crime 10/10

The art. The majesty. The beauty. The magnificence. Truly, the fine art world hasn’t seen anything until it’s seen Mike Wozowski encouraging hard-pressed students to do crime. There’s nothing bad we can say here: the colour scheme is spot-on; Mike’s cheeky, crime-inducing grin; his arms, superbly stretched to the sky to demonstrate his crime-doing powers. If this does not deserve top marks, truly nothing does. A great win for County College. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Which iconic ‘Come Dine With Me’ moment are you based on your college

Anything in Lancaster could be an album cover, here’s the best

We tried these Lancs independent takeaways and we’d do it again