EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, JOHN MCNEIL STUDIO, BERKELEY CA
Kim Le Liboux is a force in advertising and graphic design who has created celebrated campaigns and identities for brands in both the United Kingdom and in the US. He has worked with a wide variety of clients including BMW, Agent Provocateur, Johnnie Walker, Orange, Juniper Networks, Prudential, IBM, American Express, BP, Motorola, Perrier, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Nortel. His creative leadership at John McNeil Studio draws upon experience in marketing and brand stewardship, as well as typographic, brand, and motion graphic design. Kim has won several major international awards, including D&AD in the UK, and ADDY’s, Effies, and One Show in the US. Additionally, he has received numerous accolades in the press, and has been a frequent judge at various advertising and design award shows.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?
London UK and Berkeley CA
DID YOU GO TO DESIGN SCHOOL?
Camberwell College of Arts in London.
LEFTY OR RIGHTY?
Right-handed, predominantly right brained
MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
I like to burn the candle at both ends.
FICTIONAL OR HISTORICAL CHARACTER YOU’VE ALWAYS IDENTIFIED WITH?
Pip from Dickens’ Great Expectations
ARE YOU MUSICAL AND/OR DO YOU PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?
I played rhythm guitar in a punk band when I was a kid.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TV SHOW?
Dr. Who
LAST BOOK YOU READ?
The Art of Rivalry: Four Friendships, Betrayals, and Breakthroughs in Modern Art
ANY PETS?
No
WHAT LANGUAGES ARE YOU FLUENT IN?
English and French
FAVORITE MOVIE?
Pretty much anything from the director Nicolas Roeg
FAVORITE FINE ARTIST?
Giorgio de Chirico
FAVORITE CHARITY?
Juma, a non-profit that strives to break the cycle of poverty for youth across the US.
FAVORITE FREE TIME ACTIVITY?
Disconnecting. To spend time connecting with my family.
WHAT’S THE LAST COMPLIMENT YOU GOT?
That doesn’t suck.
DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING?
Music
COLOR USED MOST OFTEN IN YOUR DESIGN?
Black
TYPEFACE USED MOST OFTEN?
None. Every communication requires a unique solution.
DO YOU HAVE A DESIGN MENTOR OR INSPIRATION?
Brian Eno. The methods he uses to solve problems are always surprising and inspirational.
GREATEST STRENGTH/WEAKNESS AS A DESIGNER?
Simplifying and oversimplifying
ADVICE TO A YOUNG DESIGNER JUST STARTING OUT?
Go for a walk. Read a book. Experience the world. Your inspiration for great design shouldn’t only come from other designers. And always read the copy. Great design amplifies the power of the message; it doesn’t just look beautiful.
IF YOU WERE NOT A DESIGNER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
A music journalist.
A MANTRA OR SAYING YOU LIVE BY?
The Situationist slogan: Be reasonable. Demand the impossible.
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