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
Nike
2019 -
Current
WHEN THE NIKE NEWS TEAM WAS TASKED WITH SPOTLIGHTING THE BRAND’S 20-YEAR HISTORY OF INNOVATION, THEY TAPPED US FOR SUPPORT.
As the world’s source for all things Nike Inc., Nike News is the editorial arm of the footwear giant, their coverage encompasses products, collaborations, and initiatives across the Nike, Jordan, and Converse brands. Their global audience includes enthusiasts, partners, investors, and internal/external stakeholders.
When the Nike News editorial team was tasked with spotlighting the brand’s 20-year history of innovation in the trail running space, the brand tapped Defy. Our mission: to develop an animated timeline to showcase the history of Nike Trail Running. The final deliverable, a 1:00 minute animated timeline video, would autoplay for readers of the accompanying trail running news post.
From the outset, our approach to this project was a true collaboration with the Nike News and Archival teams. Through Nike News, we acquired a manuscript outlining impactful dates throughout the history of the Nike Trail Running line. Our task was to wordsmith the content into digestible bites, which would appear in the animation.
Simultaneously, our animators began motion testing using assets from the Nike archive and placeholder text. Then, we began animating the timeline.
Early on, we found that the amount of content required to effectively tell the story of Nike Trail Running was not conducive to meeting the duration objectives set by the client.
To accommodate the amount of time it takes the average person to process information within a moving timeline, we identified that simplifying the movement and layers of the text within the animation, and removing some of the minutiae from the manuscript, would make it work.
The end result was an animated timeline that managed to be engaging without overcomplicating or overselling its content.
Our major takeaway from this project was that sometimes, less is more, especially with animations that involve lots of content. While it’s often tempting to flex our muscles, certain projects call for restraint. It’s a tightrope that Defy has become adept at walking.
The timeline animation was featured on March 3rd in the Nike News article “What’s New to Trail Running in 2020,” which garnered 36,000 views and has supported internal work through the running brand and retail brand teams. Our relationship with the client continues as they recognize the increasing demand for dynamic content. Stay tuned for our next collaboration with Nike News!
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.
