Designing Trust: The Embedding Strategy That Changed Peter Williams’ Agency Forever

From late nights self-teaching design tools to leading a global creative agency, Peter Williams has never waited for permission to grow. As the founder of Designerds and product innovator behind DRYE Fan™, Peter has built a career by turning frustration into fuel. His pivotal leap—from co-founder to full owner—cemented his transition from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur in this Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight. With a philosophy rooted in empathy, curiosity, and bold action, Peter’s journey shows how betting on yourself can spark both creative breakthroughs and lasting impact.

Hi, Peter Williams! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

For over a decade, Peter Williams has led Designerds, a San Francisco–based creative agency now in its 12th year, where he and his team have produced stand out work for brands like Square, Walmart, X, Amazon, Samsung, and Airbnb. With more than 20 years of experience collaborating with global brands and building successful companies, Peter believes creativity isn’t just about looking good—it’s about transforming how people connect in ways that last.

Turning frustration into innovation is what drives him. Through his product venture Luna Park Creative LLC, Peter recently developed DRYE Fan™, a patent-pending solution that cuts hydration-bladder drying time by 95% and helps outdoor enthusiasts keep their gear mold-free. DRYE marks the first of many ideas born from Peter’s curiosity and desire to make life and adventure a little better for everyone.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

It happened when I decided to buy out my business partners. Up to that point, I was still sharing responsibility for the direction of the agency and still leaning on others for major decisions. Stepping into full ownership forced me to confront the financial risk on my own and trust that I could carry the company forward.

Signing those papers was the moment I knew I had crossed a line. I was no longer hoping things would work out. I was choosing to bet on myself with no safety net. The agency grew stronger and more focused after that decision, which gave me even more confidence in the leap I took.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

My entrepreneurial path started long before I realized it. Early in my career I worked at an agency in Ohio where they handed me the keys to the building and encouraged me to learn anything I wanted. I spent nights until midnight teaching myself every tool I could get my hands on. That period planted the seed that I could create my own opportunities if I was willing to put in the work.

Years later, after working as a commercial photographer and collaborating with creative teams across disciplines, the pull to build something of my own kept getting stronger. When the chance came to start an agency with a coworker, I took it because I finally had the skills, the work ethic and the perspective to give it a real shot.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

The most important tool for my business has been the ability to collaborate closely with client teams. At Designerds, embedding with in-house teams has been the key to delivering work that feels like it comes from inside their organization.

A great example was Samsung. We set up our iMacs right inside their Menlo Park office so people could walk over and work with us as if we were internal staff. That closeness built trust and made the quality of our output stronger because we understood their challenges in real time. That approach continues to shape how we support every client today.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

One of the most defining lessons came from working with clients who asked for deliverables that didn’t always match the problem they needed solved. Early on I would stick closely to what was requested, but over time I realized the bigger opportunity was to look past the ask and understand the deeper goal.

Leaning into that mindset changed everything. It pushed me to level up my skills with every new request and helped us grow from a small team to a global agency. That shift taught me that the solution clients imagine is not always the one that will move them forward. It is also where our best work has come from.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

Embedding with client teams changed the entire trajectory of our agency. Instead of working at a distance, we sat inside their offices, used our own equipment and operated like part of their staff. With Samsung, we literally brought iMacs into the building, which surprised them at first but ended up strengthening the partnership.

This approach let us solve problems faster, build trust and understand the day-to-day challenges our clients faced. It also helped shift how we think about design. We do not stop at the brief. We ask what they are trying to achieve and explore ideas they may not have considered. That strategy has led to bigger scopes, long term partnerships and better outcomes for everyone involved.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

Do work that has meaning for you. Entrepreneurship is hard work and it will take a lot out of you if you pursue something that does not give anything back. You need to feel energized by the work, not drained by it.

You also need a real relationship with risk. I’ve learned that the fear people carry around is tied to the unknown. Once you strip the mystery out of the worst-case scenario, you gain freedom to take the next step. I would rather wonder “what if this works?” than “what if I had tried?”

Want to dive deeper into Peter's work? Check out the links below!

• Visit Designerds's website: designerds.co
• Visit Luna Park Creative’s website: lunaparkcreative.com
• Visit  DRYE™ Fan’s website: dryefan.com
• Connect with Peter on LinkedIn: Peter Williams
• Follow Designerds on LinkedIn: Designerds
• Follow Luna Park Creative LLC on LinkedIn: Luna Park Creative LLC