Enthralled by the challenge of infusing emotion into the sometimes cold world of digital art and design, Josh Vanover acknowledges that adding a level of humanity is crucial. “I’m always on some Man versus Machine type thing, trying to inject some soul into the soulless and watch the results,” he says. “The work always comes out looking like a battle between the two, and I love that.” Born and raised in North Carolina, outside of Charlotte, the 28-year-old designer/illustrator 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 over the years. Most recently he became a partner in the global design collective the Keystone Design Union (KDU), a move that further compliments his progressive mindset.

- Matthew Newton | CPLUV Senior Editor

See more of Josh’s work at www.spaceknuckle.com