After completing formal training in marketing and architectural design, Dejan Jovanovic settled in New York to start a career in advertising with early exposure at top agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy. With several years of experience under his belt, he decided to get out on his own. What started as a one-man shop with a phonetic spelling to his often-mispronounced name, DE-YAN is now a bi-continental studio specializing in Event Design, Content Creation, Creative Technology and Graphic Design.

With a background deeply rooted in conceptualization, DE-YAN has its foundation in traditional advertising, but its focus is on innovation and creativity. The studio has completed a breadth of projects for the fashion and luxury industries, as well as tech and architecture giants – and worked on the 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards, and developed RUNWAY360, CFDA’s unique and innovative new digital platform to support American designers by bringing together every aspect of a collection launch in a one-stop-shop environment. RUNWAY360 launches this September.

We talked to the Serbian-born, Germany-raised creative about his career trajectory, inspiration, and  favorite projects.

Can you talk about DE-YAN Studio and why you decided to start it?
As I gained initial experience, I quickly understood that my vision for the future greatly differed from those of the agencies I was working for. I was interested in more radical ideas, pushing the envelope and not relying on what we already knew to be successful. What else could we do for the client? How do we differentiate this concept or activation from what we have previously done? I wanted to create an environment that allowed for risk-taking and freethinking. That’s how DE-YAN was conceived. It was the result of an idea that settling for the status quo wasn’t an option.

The studio was founded on the principle to master multiple disciplines ranging from experiential to creative technology, through expertise in motion and graphics allowing us to be able to combine different ideas and strategies. By offering multi-disciplines and illustrating how they can work together, we allow for a stronger creative direction and more streamlined execution. This gives us the ability to adapt much more efficiently to the ever-changing pace of the industry, which I felt was lacking at larger agencies. Conceptualization, technology and a sophisticated execution are our core principles and we strive to ensure each project reflects as much.

What inspires you and keeps you busy?
Brands that allow us to push boundaries and change the way they interact with their consumers is what is most inspiring. Trust is at the very heart of what we do. We are a studio that is tasked with conceptualizing a new perspective for consumers and it is my job to ensure we are presenting the most relevant design approach and leveraging the latest and most cutting-edge technology in unexpected ways. We constantly chase the next challenge—opportunities to grow and discover new ways of thinking. My team is a constant source of inspiration in that regard. Their drive to continue learning and developing; their shared excitement about creativity and innovation—it keeps me motivated to succeed.

You’ve worked with many artists, celebrities, fashion houses, and companies. What are your favorite projects you’ve worked on and why?
We’re lucky that we can be selective with the projects we take on, so every project carries a special weight in some way. A few recent projects that stand out to me is the Alicia Keys concert at the McCourt, the Louis Vuitton LVX Exhibition, Virtual Fenty Skin Launch Party, or the 2020 Snapchat Partner Summit, which was the first time a keynote speech went fully virtual, effectively setting a new standard in the tech industry. Our work for Renzo Piano was equally interesting, as they came to us with the intent to steer away from traditional marketing approaches for new developments, and of course, working on the CFDA Fashion Awards has been an incredible honor and inspiring to get to be part of it.

What excites you most about the new RUNWAY360 NYFW platform?
That it is a platform for brands of all sizes to showcase their work and connect to their audiences without disrupting their business models. We’ve created a portal that provides an invaluable opportunity for brands with smaller social audiences to reach a global demographic by participating in CFDA fashion events. Another exciting aspect of the project is that the site is constructed modularly giving brands the freedom to customize or participate at levels that make sense for them both creatively and operationally. It will continue to evolve and adapt to industry needs and technological updates season after season. As a studio that specializes in both physical and digital experiences, we understand the nuance needed to translate real world events into the virtual space and we are incredibly excited to be partnering with the CFDA to create