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• Q & A with CU poster master John Vogl

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A sample of Jon Vogl's work. Courtesy www.thebungaloo.com

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Balance is key when it comes to artist John Vogl and his designs. His poster and t-shirt work displayed on his Web site, http://www.thebungaloo.com, convey a balance of carefully crafted style that is able to capture your attention with mellow colors yet bold and innovative designs — check out the fish vs. bird poster. John also balances love for his work with the idea of putting his work “out there.” He is able to enjoy what he is doing while creating a more commercial aspect for his work because it is still personal, as he started the Web site himself. I recently contacted John Vogl with some questions about his work and his thoughts on being an artist.

buzz: Do you gravitate towards a certain style when creating your designs for posters, t-shirts or other projects?
John Vogl: To a certain degree. Although, I would say a lot of it is by default. It’s something I’m much more aware of after the fact. You kind of put your head down and try to crank out a few projects, and in the end, when you’ve got a few pieces in front of you, its pretty easy to pick out similarities in process, aesthetic and results between some of my posters and t-shirts, or whatever. It’s not a conscious thing, but style and aesthetic develop as the result of your collective experience — work and personal and otherwise. You absorb, react and when it’s done, you take what you just learned and move on to the next project. So I don’t know that I would say I gravitate toward a style because it’s just part of who you are. You can’t really distance yourself from it. It’s something that’s always going to evolve and become increasingly nuanced, just like anything else.

buzz: I’ve heard that you have done posters for some Champaign bands and other well-known artists. Who have been some of your most interesting clients?
Vogl: I have been fortunate to do some work for some Champaign acts. Ryan Groff and Elsinore really got that all going in that area. I had done a poster for them for a show they had down here in St. Louis, and it’s just kind of blossomed from there, with other bands seeing some stuff I had done. They’re great guys and have been more than kind ambassadors for me spreading some of my work around town — I owe them a lot. As far as interesting clients, I think everyone is interesting in their own way. It really just depends on what they’re looking for you to do.

buzz: What do you think tests your strengths as an artist most?
Vogl:Any project — and there are many — that begins when I sit down and think, “Wait, I have no idea what I’m doing.”

buzz: Do you see your work evolving into something more commercial or would you like it to stay more personal?
Vogl: When I started doing this sort of work I got paid in a lot of beer and high fives. It’s been nice to have it be able to support itself a little better than that. Inherently, there will always have to be a commercial level to it to make the personal end work out, but if it ever gets to the point that I don’t enjoy what I’m doing, I’ll shut it down and do something else. I have been fortunate to build things to a point where clients just generally ask me to do what I do. And while I may not always know what it is specifically that a particular client is looking for in my work, I do take this work personally, and I enjoy it. Any commercial benefit I get from it is wonderful and greatly appreciated and helps out tremendously, but that wasn’t why I began. So I guess I hope to just keep that balance and see where other opportunities arise.