McKinsey Quarterly | Five Fifty: The Economics of AI
Hero illustration and animation, 8 second loop
McKinsey's Five Fifty is a digital visual storytelling format, and its edition on the economics of AI takes a look at rising costs, unpredictable usage and stretched budgets.
I was tasked with creating the hero illustration/animation that opens it, with one simple idea at its heart: AI requires investment, but the opportunity is to turn that investment into greater business value.
The brief called for a clear progression from input to transformation to payoff. Something goes in, something happens to it, and something more valuable comes out. They wanted the tone to be optimistic and active, with cost as the raw material for something better rather than a burden, and the sense that value is created through the process, rather than simply revealed at the end.
I was drawn to the idea of many small inputs becoming one meaningful outcome, and complexity becoming clarity. The piece is designed to work as a strong still image, with the animation making the transformation more visible and satisfying.
