Marc McKee is an American

graphic artist A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming l ...

known for his stylistic

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

skateboard A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. It is usually made of a specially designed 7–8-ply maple plywood deck and has polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks. The skateboard ...

deck designs during the 1980s and 1990s. For his work as the lead graphic artist for

World Industries World Industries is an American brand that offers skateboarding products, accessories and clothing. The company was founded by Steve Rocco in 1987. In 1988, Rocco was joined by skater, Rodney Mullen, and then Mike Vallely in 1989. As of 2014, ...

, he is recognized as one of the most influential artists in

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

history.

Biography

Marc McKee grew up in

Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...

in Northern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Before Marc's Art career took off he was BMXer sponsored by Skyway BMX for riding flatland.He has a riding part in the poplular Dorkin' In York 3 video. Marc went on to do graphics for RL Osborn's company Bully in 1989 and met Steve Rocco through RL. In 1989, McKee was discovered by

Steve Rocco Stephen Salvadore Rocco (born January 16, 1960) is an American businessman and skateboarder. He founded the skateboarding company World Industries World Industries is an American brand that offers skateboarding products, accessories and cloth ...

of World Industries and was hired on as designer. In that role, he created Devil Man, Flame Boy and Wet Willy as the brand's mascots. The mascots reached a larger audience in their use on apparel and the brand took off in the mid-1990s and was sold in 1998 for $29 million. While at World Industries, he was also an editor of Rocco's '' Big Brother'' magazine, of which he was a part owner. Like other World Industries art, McKee's work was recognized for its uncensored content and themes;''Meet the Nieratkos - Marc McKee''
(

Vice Magazine ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company V ...

, 2012) something McKee has continued to further in his post-World-Industries career. During the 1990s, McKee was also employed by '' Hustler'' magazine and published a number of his stylistic cartoons for a special "naughty"

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

s series. In 2011, McKee exhibited a portion of his historical work during Milan Design Week.

Bibliography

* ''The Art of Marc McKee,'' Winston Tseng, Marc McKee. Mark Batty Publisher, 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKee, Marc American graphic designers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people