Two decades ago we were a small creative collective working with big brands like Burton Snowboards.
Today, we’re makers pushing past market expectations, branding experts working alongside clients who value one-of-a-kind work, and risk-takers solving complex problems with creativity.
In the in-between, we’ve built a team and portfolio that’s gained a reputation for being unapologetically authentic.
Whether you’re here looking for your next ad partner or to make your next career move, there’s one thing we want to make clear about this business—we all have a choice: we can either follow or Defy.
The foundation of great work is a strong strategy. It’s what guides the courses we take to get clients where they want to go.
We prefer open communication with our clients to learn their businesses, develop relationships with their team, and jot down the small anecdotes that lead to big ideas down the line.
DEVELOPING GREAT WORK REQUIRES TRUST.
We believe an environment that promotes our team’s physical and mental health creates an atmosphere of inspiration and collaboration. So that’s just what we do. Together we’ve developed a flexible workflow that allows us to influence culture from the inside of our office or from the inside of our homes.
Our investment in people grows well outside our workspace. We understand this is all bigger than ourselves, so Defy continues to serve nonprofits and the ad community at large.
Don’t see a position for you? Send your stuff to team@wedefy.com. We’re always interested in putting the best talent on our radar.
Case Study
Macro
2019 -
Current
AS THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT FIRM THAT COUNTS THE CONSTRUCTION OF BOTH COMCAST TOWERS AMONG ITS $13B OF CAPITAL PROJECTS MANAGED, MACRO WAS LONG OVERDUE FOR A PROJECT OF THEIR OWN: A REBRAND.
Macro came to Defy seeking a partner that would utilize a non-traditional approach to help elevate its brand and marketing materials (especially its website). After a handful of meetings and calls, the synergy – and mutual respect – between our teams was impossible to deny. And so, in short order, we were thrilled to find ourselves embedded in “Macro World”!
We asked, and were encouraged to, embed ourselves in the brand, learning everything we could about Macro’s philosophy, people, values, and strategy so we could do our part to help the company continue its swift evolution and expansion.
One of Macro’s key differentiators is its precision: the company provides clients the exact services they need throughout the lifetime of a project. That element inspired our approach with Macro, from both a procedural and a design perspective.
Macro had completed a brand strategy exercise shortly before engaging with Defy. So, rather than put them through our version of that process again, we instead focused on conducting one-on-one interviews and secondary research. That approach enabled us to gather the brand data we needed efficiently, and in a manner that was respectful of our client’s time.
We developed two potential creative directions for Macro’s consideration, with the client ultimately settling on a design and narrative centered around two core elements: the Macro “lens”, a visual device conveying the brand’s ability to bring both big-picture vision and minute attention to detail to any project…
… and the shortening of the company’s logo to read “Macro”, rather than “Macro Consultants”. The removal of that single word (“Consultants”) reflected the reality that Macro no longer needed a “qualifier” – the brand and business were strong enough to stand alone. Removing “Consultants” also helped clear the way for Macro to shine a light on a variety of diverse new business lines beyond construction project management.
In total, this project included a full rebrand, logo design, comprehensive identity system, corporate suite, and the development of two websites.
Implemented in March 2020, the rebrand freed Macro to attract and win new business from Fortune 100 brands, ramp up recruiting efforts, and (finally!) put forth a visual identity that reflects the company’s sophistication, reputation, dedication, and expertise. This also resulted in Macro truly going global via a blockbuster partnership with Savills, a commercial real estate giant and one of the world’s leading property agents. By adding Macro to its team of more than 39,000 strong, Savills markedly bolstered its project management capabilities and industry expertise, adding significant value for its clients.
2.15.21
You always had a choice. Instead of following, you chose to Defy.
As you’ve come to know from our relationship, we always looked to push beyond limits to help our clients create work that stands out from the norm.
Over the last 12 months, we’ve finally gotten around to focusing this same approach on our own agency.
Moving forward, the agency formerly known as [ 2 one 5 ] Creative will go by Defy.
Our new brand name honors the spirit of our beginnings as an artists collective 20 years ago, and lights an exciting path ahead for an agency that continues to grow and evolve.
Together, we look forward to continuing to defy the conventional, limits, and expectations in 2021 and beyond.
