A Conversation with Josh Vanover
Born and raised in North Carolina, designer/illustrator Josh Vanover has established a dense and foreboding visual language. Often working in black and white, Vanover masterfully fuses hand-drawn elements with stark photographic source materials. He is an unfettered manipulator of original and found imagery; his style informed by an encyclopedic knowledge of visual sources ranging from cult film footage, erotica and video stills to cartoons, war photography and even psychedelia. Vanover’s signature style and workman-like approach have attracted the attention of clients such as Nike, Stussy and Hennessy, and mostly recently having done album artwork for the likes of Linkin Park.
Los Angeles… is a beautiful place, I really dig the whole scene. So much history and culture in LA, it’s overwhelming. I love the vibe… you feel like you could see anything at anytime – good or bad. Me being born and raised in North Carolina coming out to LA is like visiting another planet. LA is where the magic happens right? Where people come to live the dream and where the dreams die. These are the streets that Bukowski walked, this is where Sam Cooke got shot up, and on and on. No other place like it on Earth. I get a lot of LA love, way more than any where else, not sure why but the feeling is mutual....
