Born and raised in the Midwest, Dead Meat Design‘s Josh Davis has been instrumental in the Chicagoland music and art scene since 1999, and as he will tell you, it’s this same community that continues to inform his work today. Drawing inspiration from both the indie and punk scenes, fart jokes and obscure comics, Josh brings a humorous approach to the art of rock posters. By combining aspects of illustration and collage within the classic silk screen medium, Josh uses a repeated, identifiable style to bring fresh and weird ideas to the gig poster genre.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. I am a Chicago-based designer/illustrator/screenprinter focused mostly in the music world but always looking for the next inspiration.
Top 3 favorite or most visited websites and why? The now defunct gigposters.com: always a source of what’s current, what’s been done, and what I want to avoid. The Library of Congress website: some of the best vintage images, postcards and prints archived in one place.
What is it like living and working in Chicago? I feel Chicago is saturated in art but can be difficult to really get a name out there, but being such a hard working city, that is what it takes. And especially with the print community I surround myself with, everyone is wonderful and eager to help each other out and push each other to the next level.
What kinds of things are influencing your work right now? Drag – such creativity in that scene nowadays! Bondage/S&M – A world I know not much about but find very intriguing. Natural Science – I love taxidermy and finding out what’s inside. My six year old daughter’s sense of humor and weirdness.
What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? I recently had the pleasure working with one of the runners-up on Rupaul’s Drag Race for her album art. I’m taking this year to focus on some non commercial/more fine art ideas inspired by the whole bondage phenomenon.
How long have you lived in Chicago and what brought you there? 18 years proper! The music scene is what brought me, the community is what kept me.
What do you want a viewer to walk away with after experiencing your work? Questions… or just a smile on their face, shaking their head!
What are you really excited about right now? The momentum of EVERYTHING! We live in such a fascinating time, where literally anything can fly.
What were you like in high school? “Alternative” haha, I tried waaaaay to hard to not fit in back then, it was the early 90’s!!! But I have always been creating!
