So What’s the Story?

MCKIBILLO is a one-man band.*

It started on a flight, staring at an in-flight safety manual that somehow made evacuation procedures more confusing than the emergency itself. That's when the idea took hold: complex things deserve to be understood — not buried under bad design.

Two decades later, that's still the job. MCKIBILLO is a portmanteau of McKible and "illo," shorthand for illustration picked up art directing for magazines around NYC. The name stuck. So did the mission — motion, illustration, infographics, and design, all built around making complicated ideas land clearly.

I work directly with brands, startups, and nonprofits, and collaborate with creative directors, agencies, and studios when a project calls for it.

*also a team player.

Process

Every project starts with a conversation — because the right solution depends entirely on understanding the problem first. From there, the path varies: illustration, motion, infographics, and design all have their own rhythms. But clarity is always the destination.

FAQs

Clients

Kind Words

Josh McKible brings our work to life! Together, we’ve produced over 15 videos across 3 different online courses for EdX. He has an extraordinary flair for conveying complex ideas and concepts through visual design and storytelling. Moreover, he’s just a wonderful person to work with. He listens deeply, communicates clearly, and consistently wows our team with his thoughtful, playful, remarkable work!
— Mary Godfrey, Producer, Harvard's EdX initiative
I worked with Josh on a number of projects and have always been delighted with the results. I try to give him as open a brief as possible to allow him enough latitude to really shine. He will regularly produce something totally unexpected, and fantastic beyond my expectations (or ability to see the potential of) when I give him a more “conceptual” task. Conversely when the request is for the more predictable “service” element his gift for distilling a gesture or process into delectable nuggets of delicious information is remarkable. I would most heartily recommend Josh as a very talented illustrator and more importantly as a very intelligent and resourceful creative partner.
— Matthew Guemple, Creative Director, Drift.com
Josh McKible’s illustrations for our New York Times bestselling book, Built to Move, are phenomenal. His creativity and ability to distill complex concepts into clear, engaging visuals elevated the entire book. We couldn’t be happier with his work and highly recommend him to anyone looking for top-tier illustration.
— Juliet & Kelly Starrett
Having worked with Josh for over a dozen years, I would highly recommend his skill and vision for any creative solution. He listens carefully, crafts artfully, & delivers concisely on time and on budget. Over the years, he has also improved upon his craft by expanding upon his deliverables and adding animation to his toolset. Josh is a multi-faceted talent who’s style and creativity will exceed your every expectation.
— Matthew R. Cokeley, MRCokeley Design
We worked with Josh several times in 2018 on static and animated data visualization projects. Josh was a great collaborator and always cool under pressure. I’m especially thankful for his quick thinking and versatility that helped us create great visuals and complete work on the Coca Cola account in record time.
— Anton Ioukhnovets, Creative Director, 30Point
I have been working with Josh for years and he’s an exceptional illustrator, bringing passion, incredible drawing skills, concepts and creativity to every project. Josh also possesses a great sense of design, always considering how his work fits in the “big picture”. His sense of humor also enlightens his art and approach to image-making. I know any project my art department or I send to Josh is going to be a slam-dunk success. He’s super-dependable and I’m so glad he’s done so much great award-winning work for IEEE Spectrum magazine over the years.
— Mark Montgomery, Senior Art Director, IEEE Spectrum Magazine
We were looking for someone who could take a vision of an idea and visually demonstrate it in a compelling and interesting way. When we came across Josh’s work we knew he was the right person to take on the job and he absolutely nailed it. To have an idea in your head and then work with a talented artist like Josh to bring it to life is such a rewarding experience. The explainer video has helped us convey the mission of HUDSY in a way that is both informative and connects with viewers on an emotional level.
— Jesse Brown, co-founder of Hudsy