Founded in 1977, American Eagle Outfitters is a lifestyle clothing and accessories retailer, designed in New York and headquartered in Pittsburgh.

As VP/Graphic Design, I was challenged by CEO Roger Markfield to create a company icon that would elevate the brand and set American Eagle apart in an increasingly competitive retail environment.
Early in the process, it became clear that the brand’s heritage was its greatest asset. The Eagle was the obvious choice, but the challenge was to distill it into its purest form: modern yet classic, distinctive yet understated, and gender-neutral.

The icon needed to work across an increasingly broad range of applications, from direct embroidery, jacquard and screen printing on apparel to digital marketing and communications. It also had to be instantly recognizable at minimal scale while holding its presence across storefronts, signage and large-format advertising.

The Eagle was paired with a classic wordmark using the heritage typefaces Garamond and Newburgh, creating a visual identity that felt established, ownable and distinctly American Eagle.
The Eagle Icon I designed became an official company trademark and remains a defining element of the brand.  The eagle icon appears across men's and women's apparel, in more than 1,500 stores worldwide, and the company’s marketing and advertising.