Dephy

Project Overview:

Dephy set out to launch a new performance product combining a high-end athletic shoe with an external performance system called the Sidekick, a wearable attachment that straps to the shoe, ankle, and calf to enhance speed, stability, and mobility. The campaign needed to introduce the product visually from the ground up, establish credibility, and clearly communicate how the system works across multiple platforms.

Working through The Story Shack, Sandpile was brought on as the sole artist responsible for translating the product into a complete visual launch system, from early asset creation to final delivery.

Objective:

The goal was to create a premium, photoreal visual campaign that could:

Launch the Dephy Sidekick system to market
Clearly communicate product function and benefits
Provide flexible assets for web, presentations, and social media
Establish a strong visual foundation for a new performance brand

The visuals needed to feel technical, powerful, and credible, without losing clarity or aesthetic polish.

Challenges:

The project began without complete production-ready assets. While Dephy provided CAD for the Sidekick system, the shoe itself did not exist in usable 3D form and had to be built. This required coordinating additional CAD development before any look development or rendering could begin.

Beyond asset creation, the challenge was balancing engineering accuracy with marketing clarity, ensuring the product felt real, functional, and aspirational while remaining easy to understand at a glance. All concepting, look development, animation, lighting, rendering, and delivery were handled by a Sandpile under a tight production timeline.

Design Process:

Sandpile handled the project end-to-end, starting with asset acquisition and preparation. This included sourcing and managing CAD for both the shoe and Sidekick system, optimizing geometry, and building a clean, production-ready 3D pipeline.

From there, Sandpile developed multiple photoreal hero visuals, focusing on:

Accurate materials and finishes
Athletic, performance-driven lighting
Clean environments that elevated the product without distracting from it

Once the stills were approved, Sandpile designed and animated a 60-second sizzle film featuring dynamic camera movement, on-screen typography, and feature callouts. The animation showcased how the Sidekick system integrates with the shoe and supports movement, speed, and mobility, all while maintaining a premium, launch-level feel.

Outcome:

The final deliverables included:

5–7 high-end photoreal product renders for web and marketing use
A 60-second animated sizzle video designed for launch, presentations, and social platforms
Dozens of renders showcasing the different customizations available
A cohesive visual system that Dephy could reuse across multiple touchpoints

The campaign successfully positioned the Dephy Sidekick as a serious performance product and provided the brand with a complete, polished visual foundation for launch.