Meet Colby Clites | Independent Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Colby Clites and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Colby, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After spending years as an in-house creative for several national-level food & beverage brands, I realized there was a real gap in the market for smaller businesses who needed high-level branding and packaging support but didn’t have access to big agency resources.

I saw an opportunity to take everything I had learned—design systems, production workflows, brand storytelling, and packaging execution—and apply it in a more personal, impactful way. That’s what led me to start Clites Creative LLC in 2017: to partner directly with passionate brands, especially in the beverage and restaurant space, and help bring their ideas to life with smart, strategic design that’s built to scale, looks rad, and helps drive sales.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work lives at the intersection of strategic branding and illustration—mainly within the food and beverage world. I’m most in my element when I’m in Adobe Illustrator, building out logos, custom typography, or packaging systems that feel vibrant, memorable, and rooted in a brand’s personality. I picked up a lot of those skills early on during internships with nonprofits like SOFWERX and Limbitless Solutions, where I had to learn how to communicate clearly through design while staying precise yet efficient.

A huge part of my growth came from tuning in to the Adobe Live daily creative challenges. I’d watch designers from around the world share their process live—how they build systems, create packaging dielines, prep files, and experiment. That constant engagement with different creative workflows helped me build my own, one that balances design principles and structure. It taught me how to be both creative and technically dialed in, whether I’m designing for packaging, merch, web, or print.

The journey hasn’t always been easy. Working as an independent creating and running Clites Creative LLC means wearing a lot of hats—not just as a designer but as a project manager, communicator, and problem-solver. But I’ve learned to trust the process, lean on my creative community, and keep refining my approach with each new project.

What I want people to know is that my work is deeply collaborative. I’m here to help you uncover the why behind their brand and turn that into visuals that feel authentic and built to last. Whether it’s a beverage label or a full brand identity, I aim to make it not just look good—but also drives sales.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If they’re a creative, I’m definitely taking them to MeowWolf Denver. It’s one of the most immersive, mind-bending art experiences out there, and I think every designer or visual thinker should see it at least once. It’s experimental, chaotic in the best way, and packed with inspiration around every corner.

Honestly, the Front Range is such a mix of creative culture, nature, and food—you can hike a mountain and tour a brewery in the same afternoon, which I think is part of the magic here. It’s a great place to get inspired, recharge, and reconnect with your creativity out in the real world when you need to get away from a computer screen.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a big shoutout to Victor Davila, as well as the UCF Design Program and the Graphic Design Student Association (GDSA). That community was such a huge part of my early growth as a designer. Through GDSA, I was able to connect with real-world mentors who were doing the kind of creative work I admired, and it helped me see what was possible in the field. The relationships I built at UCF—with both classmates and professionals—have continued to be valuable throughout my career, whether I’m looking for feedback, collaboration, or trusted creatives to bring onto a project. That foundation of support, community, and shared passion for design has had a lasting impact.

Website: https://colbyclites.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colbyclites

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colbyclites/

Other: https://www.behance.net/colbyclites