Meet Kellie: The NKOTB
There’s some new talent in the office these days and we thought you might like to meet her. World, this is Kellie Komorita. She’s smart, quick to laugh, has amazing design taste, and dresses better than Gage. She also has a name that reminds us of that lyric in the song Harlem Shake, and thus we have deemed her Harlem. I sent Harlem a list of questions that I know you wanted to ask her and below are her insightful and deep answers. Enjoy!
When did you know you wanted to be a designer and what influenced your decision?
In a way, I think I had been doing at least web design since I was in the 7th or 8th grade. Granted, I did it very, very poorly and had no idea what I was doing. This stemmed out of learning and loving how to use Photoshop from a friend so that we could still swap drawings with each other when she moved. When Neopets, Xanga, and Myspace came around, my friends and I taught ourselves HTML and CSS so that we could customize our profiles pages. We would also create our own websites dedicated to our favorite cartoon characters. Yes, glitter gifs were involved… and Comic Sans. (Hey, we’ve all done things we aren’t proud of.) When I found out through a high school career research project that this was something I could do professionally, I pretty much decided right there and then that I wanted to be a designer.
Who are your favorite designers and what do you like about their work?
Debbie Millman
If there’s one designer that I unabashedly adore, it’s Debbie Millman. Is it weird to say that I have a design crush on her? Cause I do. The craft and thoughtfulness that goes into her work is almost always paired with a bold, authentically candid narrative that I think resonates with a lot of creatives.
Kelli Anderson
Speaking of craft and thoughtfulness... The thing I love about Kelli Anderson’s work is that it pushes the boundaries of what materials as ordinary as paper can be and do. There's also a playful and adventurous aspect to her work that just sucks you in and makes you smile.
If you had to pick 3 foods to eat every day, what would they be?
Miso ramen - A good bowl of miso ramen is so magical I don’t even need the other two food options. Boiled egg required.
Spam musubi - There are so many sweet childhood memories tied to musubi. (We used to visit my Mom’s family in Hawaii a lot). I should note that to this day, I still don’t know what’s in spam and I’d rather it stay that way...
Dill pickles - For 25 years I thought I hated pickles. Now, I love them and we need to make up for those lost years.
If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go and what would you do?
One of my bucket list items is to go to Japan, climb Mt. Fuji, watch the sunrise from the top, hike back down, and then indulge in a giant bowl of ramen. The day this happens, I will be one of the happiest human beings on the planet.
What is your spirit animal?
According to the Buzzfeed Spirit Animal quiz (which we all know is the most trusted source for these kinds of things), it’s a sloth: “You’re as cool as a cucumber, and you love to go with the flow. Your favorite activities include eating, sleeping, and eating again. Your rap name is Sir Naps-a-Lot.”
What book should everyone read?
To Kill a Mockingbird
“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
This kind of feels like a cop out answer, but it’s such a classic and (sadly) still culturally relevant. Also, who doesn't love Atticus Finch? Just saying.
How many licks does it take you to get to the Tootsie roll center of a Tootsie Pop?
257.
(I would like it to be noted that Harlem actually bought a Tootsie Pop and recorded her licks. Abe Lincoln lied more than this woman.)
Drop a wisdom bomb on us.