Meet Joseph Kelly | UX Designer and Content Strategist

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

Hi Joseph, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I created Designeo because I wanted to provide quality design and SEO services at fair prices without clients feeling tied down by a contract.

Back in 2019, a business partner of mine and I began creating a cloud-based tax software for traders and investors called TraderFyles. A development and design agency was hired and the process began. Very quickly, I did not like how they conducted their business. I felt their pricing model sounded great upfront but as the work went on, we were getting nickel-and-dimed for every little thing and it wasn’t up to our expectation visually.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
In 2012, I moved from a small town in Oklahoma to Dallas, chasing opportunity and change. I bounced around a few jobs before landing at a Ford dealership in west Fort Worth as a salesperson. I knew nothing about sales, and I was terrified. Fortunately, I met a General Manager who took me under his wing and taught me how to sell — not by being pushy, but by focusing on service. He didn’t just teach me how to sell cars — he taught me how to sell myself, build confidence, and show up for others.

Over the next few years, I followed him across several dealerships and states, climbing the ranks into sales management and eventually finance. But as rewarding as the career was, the hours were grueling, and it came at the cost of time with my family. I made the hard decision to step away, even when it meant starting over. And honestly, there were days I wanted to give up and go back. But I reminded myself: if I return to that life, I’ve failed my wife and kids. That kept me going.

In 2019, I took my first real step into entrepreneurship by co-creating a tax platform for stock traders called TraderFyles with my friend and now business partner, Brian Rivera. Brian has been a massive influence on my journey. He owns several businesses and has always made time to listen, advise, and challenge me to think bigger.

He was the one who introduced me to UX design. As we worked on building TraderFyles, Brian shared some mockups from a designer, and neither of us felt they reflected the experience we wanted. Even though I had zero design experience — just a creative background from my days as a musician — I said, “Let me take a shot at it.” I had a clear idea of how the app should feel because we were both stock traders ourselves.

I downloaded Figma and Adobe XD and started playing around. Somehow, what I built actually worked — and beta testers responded positively. That was my first taste of how good design could improve usability and experience, and I was hooked.

Soon after, I got Google-certified in UX design. Part of the certification involved creating a prototype for a real business. At the time, my wife and I were shopping at Boot Barn often, and we both said, “This place really needs an app.” Lightbulb moment. That would be what I built.

I designed a full mobile app experience for Boot Barn in order to get my certification. When I finished, I emailed the prototype to their investor relations contact, explained who I was, and shared why I made it. To my surprise, I got a reply from their CFO and Chief Digital Officer. They loved it and told me they had just started discussions with an agency to build one. I offered my prototype to them for free — I just wanted them to have something they could use. The app Boot Barn launched in 2021 was based on that prototype.

That gave me the confidence to start freelancing, which eventually led to launching Designeo. And along the way, I learned the most important lesson: generosity provides opportunity. Every time I’ve given without expecting anything in return — whether it has been my time, ideas, or effort — something better has come back around. But when I’ve led with “what’s in it for me,” or without my heart being in a place of humility, the results have always been disappointing.

At Designeo, that philosophy is baked into everything we do. We’re not just designing websites or running marketing campaigns — we’re helping real people solve real problems and grow their businesses. What sets us apart is that we don’t treat our work like a transaction. We treat it like a partnership. When our clients succeed, we succeed.

Designeo is a reflection of everything I’ve learned: the value of service, the power of persistence, the beauty of creativity, and the importance of treating people right. That’s the story behind it — and why I love what I do every day.

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.
It’s funny you ask that — my best friend Chad and I actually have a tradition that fits this question perfectly. Chad is the chef de cuisine at a fine dining restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, and once a year we take turns visiting each other for what we call “Feast Week.” It’s our own personal food festival — just the two of us cooking all the dishes we normally don’t have time to make, and sharing them with friends and family.

Last year’s lineup included BBQ octopus finished over an open flame pizza oven, lobster risotto, braised short rib wonton soup, chocolate profiteroles, cinnamon panna cotta, and more. The BBQ octopus was the crowd favorite — even the kids who normally don’t like seafood were asking for seconds!

When Chad visits me in Colorado, here’s what a week might look like:

Day 1: Pick Chad up from the airport and stop at one of the local vendors to stock up on ingredients for our first dinner at home — usually something with a crazy twist.

Day 2: We’ll head up to Estes Park to explore the mountains and tour the Stanley Hotel. Afterward, we’ll drive the scenic route home through Big Thompson Canyon and prep a big dinner, like short rib stew with homemade bread and something sweet to follow.

Day 3: Spend the afternoon at Boyd Lake paddleboarding or just relaxing by the water. On the way back, we might stop at RARE Italian for an early dinner, or pick up some ingredients to make Asian dumplings or ramen from scratch back home.

Day 4: Take a little day trip to Denver to Uchi for some seafood and sushi — We’d probably brainstorm some new recipe ideas on the drive back and start prepping for a big homemade feast that night.

Day 5: This is usually our all-out cooking day. We spend the day in the kitchen — making pasta from scratch, roasting something in the oven, experimenting with flavor combos — and then serve a multi-course meal to whoever wants to come eat.

Day 6: A more laid-back day — maybe a drive up to Horsetooth and then a family-style dinner at home.

Day 7: Wrap it all up with brunch before taking him to the airport.

Feast Week isn’t about checking off the tourist bucket list — it’s about making memories through food, creativity, and nature. I think that’s what makes Colorado (and life in general) so special: the simple joy of doing things you love with the people who matter most.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate all of this to my wife who supports me, loves me (most of the time), and encourages me in every hair-brained idea I have while always finding a way to bring me back down to reality when my head gets a bit too far in the clouds. I love you 🙂

Website: https://designeo.io/

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@joemaderecipes (My Cooking Channel)

Other: https://joemaderecipes.com/ (My Food Blog where I share all of my recipes)

Image Credits
Jackie Marie Photography @jackiemariephotography