Meet a Creative: Kelly Dee Williams

Long before he was an acclaimed designer, creative director, and brand advisor, Kelly Dee Williams was just another kid with a skateboard and a lofty dream of becoming a pro snowboarder. But it was his lived study of boardsports culture that would inform his career.

“Skateboarding and snowboarding had a different aesthetic than ski, bike, and outdoor did as I was growing up in Idaho. Skate decks were like canvases. And a wall of skate decks at a shop was like an art installation. It was okay to be weird for weird’s sake in skate culture. And that taught me to look at the world differently. I’ve spent my life trying to find the next diamond in the rough, an icon or vibe that makes a brand or a graphic stand apart. That ingrained in me this idea that going after what people don’t know about or haven’t yet seen has value. Now, as a product and graphic designer, I do endless amounts of research to figure out a brand’s essence so I can deliver a look, feel, and tone that’s entirely unique to who they are. That’s what authentic work is. Most companies want that type of distinction.”  

You don’t get such perspective by faking it. When Kelly was an up-and-coming freeride snowboarder—this was before the spin-to-win superpipe generation—he was not shy about reaching out to the brands he wanted to ride for. But Kelly went deeper than most athletes, researching everything he could about the brands he was pitching so he could be a better asset. Persistence is also an attribute associated with entrepreneurs, of which Kelly is one. He spent his high school and college years starting T-shirt and skateboard companies before getting into higher stakes with the launch of the snowboard company Compatriot back in 2003. 

After a brief span as a snowboard athlete on the Mammut team, he pursued a different line and landed in a design role with Burton’s Analog apparel division. It was a dream job and one that required a move to the desert that is Southern California. Ironically, that was the closest Kelly came to having to quit snowboarding. But the experience opened doors. In the years that followed, he managed external artists for brands, worked with clients such as Nike 6.0 and Philips, took on the Brand Manager role with Fallen Footwear, presenting collections to sales reps, overseeing catalog design, and eventually landed with DVS Footwear as Global Creative Director.

That background set him up well when, in 2016, his entrepreneurial nature called once again. Today, Superbase, the Boise creative agency he built, incorporates all the skills Kelly has accumulated over the years: branding, product design, graphic design, and go-to-market strategy. But now he does that work for multi-national clients that understand the importance of getting their brand and product position right. Like them, Kelly sees everything from graphics to content to product design as vital touch points that can’t be ignored. 

“The variety of brands I’ve worked with over the years allows me to work across different industries and styles,” says Kelly. “But our boardsports work also makes Superbase more relatable to clients, especially since we are such a small team. It’s not boring to them. And they recognize we’re not just another agency.”

“I truly believe the future is human,” says Kelly. “Everyone is talking about AI, but these technologies are just tools. With our work I want to go even more in the direction of human-driven creative, imperfections and all. We want to work with companies that share that world view. We need more soul in creative work, not less of it. The organizations that will survive in the long run will be those that know authenticity is more than just a value. It’s a virtue. You can’t claim to be authentic and care about the future of your culture while also looking for ways to remove the human element.”