In-store campaign for AVEDA’S “EARTH MONTH,” April 2006.
SA: Is that the fault of the designers, or the clients?
JV:Neither. And both. The saddest
three words in the English language
are It’s just business. Because of business,
primarily the fear of losing it,
clients—and by trickle-down effect,
designers—cannot afford to have
an opinion. What a lousy position
to be in! How the hell can anybody
make anything of value without an
opinion? It relegates us to picking
colors, typefaces, and some regurgitated
clip art from the ’50s.
SA: I find a common error I see in design, our work included at
times, is that the work is constipated. Not restrained in a good way,
but safe and recessive. It’s symptomatic of the culture in general,
and the reluctance to do or say anything that is contradictory, complex,
or difficult. I know you must have some jobs that you keep
hidden in a flat file like the rest of us, but the work I see from you is
brave and bold. How do you maintain this?
JV:Thank you for the compliment.
In the studio, we work very hard to
have fun. My objective—with every
job—is to try to take it where
no one else would ever go. To invent.
To surprise myself, and hopefully
my audience. Of course, there
are some jobs you do for God and
some you do for money, and I approach
every job as if it is for God,
but when it turns into a money job
we get it done. The trick is to find
brave clients who you like and who
trust you and have lots and lots and
lots of money.
School of Visual Arts’ 2005 Summer/Continuing Education Poster/Catalog cover. CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Silas Rhodes; DESIGN: JAMES VICTORE INC.
SA: There’s a fine line between admiring a designer and simply reproducing.
The “Who are your heroes?” question seems wrong for
you. Maybe a better way is to ask who has affected you in outlook
and in work?
JV:To answer honestly, the other
folks who drive me, who remind
me to stay on course and try to
ring true, are musicians. We listen
to lots of different music here,
but we always come back to Johnny
Cash, Bob Marley, and Neil Young.
The visual artist that inspires me
most these days is the English graffiti writer Banksy. His work doesn’t seek approval. It is fearless, attractive,
smart, and funny—everything
I want in my work. Like Cash, he’s
badass. I like badass.
SA: What’s life like out of the studio? Are you screaming at strangers
in the park? Watching endless repeats of The Facts of Life?
JV: This is a good time to dispel the
myth. People feel that since my
work has passion and a resonance,
that I am the “angry old man.”
Sean, I am a happy guy. I work hard
and have a good life. I’ve got a great,
sexy wife and a wonderful boy. I
like surfing and motocross and have
lots of fun, when I can squeeze it
into my day. And we don’t have a
TV. And I’m not old.
SA: Talk to me about activism. Do you consider yourself an activist?
Is it, to paraphrase, “Disgusting or delightful?”
JV: I’m not an activist, but maybe I’m a dreamer. I still believe that
design can change the world.
SA: I was asked at a speaking engagement recently about “selling
out.” I’ve never understood what that meant. It seems to have a liquid
definition. First, is it a good or bad thing? Second, what does
that mean to you? Third, how would you cross that line?
JV: Selling out does seem to have two
meanings. If my plates sell out and
I have to make more, this is a good
thing. But if I claim to give a shit
about the world, but I pay my rent
by designing for a cigarette company,
that’s a bad thing. It is very
difficult to be true these days. And,
of course, one should never cross
that line.
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