Baylor University (BU) is a dominating presence in college athletics. With dozens of high-performing sports programs, stellar athletes, and a diverse student body, BU Bears is a force to be reckoned with nationwide.

BU athletics announced a new mission statement, "One Standard. One Accord," and needed a rollout with a bang. BU's athletics team knew an article or social media post wouldn't be enough to garner the massive attention the values deserved, so motion design + animation studio Freshly Cooked Creative helped make some noise. The resulting animation cultivated an impactful environment to get students, athletes, and fans on their feet.

Just like Baylor, this animation is strong, bold, and unapologetic. Freshly Cooked wanted to capture Baylor's creativity, resilience, and diversity while keeping its values at the forefront. "What do we do?" and "How do we do it?" were the questions integrated into the animation storytelling.

The process included mixed media photos (photography courtesy of BU), bold vector graphics, and glitching textures, which aligned with Baylor’s visual identity. Each scene is composed of a different sport, with illustrations of Patt Neff Hall mixed in, heavy textures, and collating. This style represents BU's tough and bold branding.

The challenge was that BU wanted to release the animation at the first football home game of the season, and together, Freshly Cooked dialed into the process and completed two videos back-to-back in less than ten days for a successful stadium launch.

The resulting impact served BU athletics in various capacities, such as in-game stadium hype videos, high-profile events, and recruiting material for the nineteen athletic programs. This video makes everyone–including opponents – wish they were Baylor Bears.