Showing why endpoint protection alone isn’t enough

Trend Micro asked us to create a short explainer video for Deep Discovery, a cloud SaaS solution designed to complement existing endpoint security tools such as EDR and Apex One.

The target audience already had strong endpoint protection, but Trend Micro wanted to communicate a critical truth:

Even the best endpoint security has blind spots.

‍

Devices that aren’t managed. Devices that shouldn’t be on the network. Devices the admin thinks are protected but aren’t.

And entire categories — BYOD, IoT, OT, third-party contractor systems, printers — that can quietly bypass endpoint controls altogether.

‍

The message was clear:

To eliminate blind spots, you need network-level visibility.

‍

The Challenge: Communicate a complex technical idea in just four weeks

Trend Micro wanted a premium 3D animated story, yet the deadline was extremely tight: four weeks from start to final delivery.

The concept had to be visually distinctive, technically accurate, easily understandable, and delivered quickly enough to meet the internal launch timeline.

We needed a visual metaphor that made invisible network traffic instantly understandable, without drowning the viewer in jargon.

‍

Creative Approach: A minimalist 3D “network city” built in Trend Micro’s brand language

We proposed a stylized virtual city: a simplified, abstract representation of a modern enterprise network.  Buildings became endpoints. Pathways became network connections.

The aesthetic was anchored in Trend Micro’s brand palette:

• Matte white surfaces for clarity
• Red for protected assets
• Yellow and orange for threats, gaps, and risk
• Glassy translucent elements wel... tbh just because they looked awesome

‍

This allowed us to communicate security concepts visually without relying on technical UI or dashboards.

‍

Key metaphors we used

• Shadows to show parts of the network obfuscated to the endpoint agent
• Reversed shadows to illustrate how endpoint-only visibility reveals only the local picture

The world felt polished, clean, and premium,  while still extremely readable at a glance.

‍

Production: A rapid, collaborative pipeline built for speed

Because of the four-week timeline, we partnered with Pagode Studio, our trusted 3D animation partner. Together, we built a tightly controlled, sequential workflow designed to move at maximum speed:

• Early storyboards and visual mockups to define the language
• Key visuals for each major scene
• Daily alignment calls with the Trend Micro team
• Scene-by-scene approval: once one sequence was approved, it immediately went into full production while we developed the next

This rolling approach ensured no time was wasted and the client stayed fully aligned from day one.

Despite the pressure, the process was smooth, collaborative, and creatively energizing.

‍

Outcome: A visually iconic explainer still used today

Trend Micro loved the result, adopted it widely, and continues to use it across its marketing ecosystem. It remains one of our strongest 3D technical explainers to date,  a project that turned a four-week challenge into one of our most visually memorable films.

‍