Meet Kelly Jones

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelly Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I was blessed to grow up in a family of creative entrepreneurs — my mom a graphic designer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and my dad a self-employed illustrator. I watched them grow and transform in their careers: my mom eventually started her own design firm, my dad became a tenured college design professor, and in 2020, we celebrated him earning his doctorate!

As teens, my sister and I worked alongside my mom, learning the ins and outs of running a creative business. Today, I run my own visual media studio, Shibazzle, and teach graphic design to high schoolers. Looking back, witnessing my parents’ dedication and work ethic has been a daily source of inspiration, and I continue to rely on their experience, knowledge, and wisdom in everything I do.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m the founder of Shibazzle, a visual media and design studio I run with my sister. We focus on brand identity, logo design, and animation — blending storytelling and strategy to help brands find their voice and stand out visually. Over the years, we’ve been blessed to collaborate with clients like Target, PBS, Nickelodeon, and Sony, as well as smaller companies and individuals who are just starting to build their professional presence.

My sister and I both come from a design background — thanks to our creative parents! — but we each bring something different to the table. Her background is in business and fashion, and mine is in storyboarding and directing, mostly in children’s media. This mix lets us approach projects from both the creative and strategic sides, which gives our work a really harmonious balance.

Some of our favorite projects include developing the full brand identity for PBS’s Lyla in the Loop, animating the Santa Baby music video for Eartha Kitt’s estate through Sony Legacy Music, and adding magic to an inspiring song for young girls by ventriloquist Megan Piphus called A New Cinderella. Those projects were such a great reminder of how design and animation can tell stories that connect with people emotionally, culturally — with impact beyond the screen.

Alongside our studio work, we’ve also been creating a playful line of animal-inspired artwork. We’ve donated pieces to schools and offer prints through our Etsy shop. We are excited to keep expanding!

At the heart of everything we do is the same goal: to create high-quality, thoughtful design while keeping communication easy and the process enjoyable. We love working with established brands that need a fresh creative direction and helping individuals who are just getting started.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Oo good question! Let’s see… There are many things but some of the most important bits of knowledge helping me on my journey right now are:

1. SUPPORT! Whether family, friend, mentor or especially and always, the Most High, you need the encouragement, wisdom, advice & listening ear of someone you respect. Sometimes it is difficulty to exercise the vulnerability and humility needed to ask for this mental support, but do it anyway!

2. Be the person you would want to work with – a pleasant person who has clear boundaries and clear communication.

3. REST! Rest is essential to grow. ‘Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy’ – This is truth for everyone. Protect your days off!

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I go outside, sit in the sun, tend to my garden or walk my dog. It helps to do something completely opposite of what my current task is and allow my brain to be free. Walk away and give yourself some distance from the thing that overwhelms you so you can come back to it with a refreshed mind & clearer focus.

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