Peter Eric Arnell is a Brand and Design Expert, Author, Photographer and Founder, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer of PETERARNELL. He is known for transforming products, brands and campaigns for some of the world’s most prestigious companies, including Chrysler, Pepsi-Cola Co., Reebok, Donna Karan, Unilever and Fontainebleau. He has been at the forefront of creating, building and transforming brands, corporations, institutions and communities for more than 40 years.
Arnell has built an unparalleled reputation creating groundbreaking, boundary-averse work. His unique interdisciplinary approach to brand building unites graphic arts, communications, photography, filmmaking, experience design, product engineering, architecture and more to create holistic solutions that drive enduring brand value creation.
Arnell created the strategy, brand concept and creative for Donna Karan New York and DKNY. He contributed and collaborated with Samsung on the introduction of the company as a consumer-facing brand. He designed and created the global identity and packaging for the Pepsi brand and...Peter Eric Arnell is a Brand and Design Expert, Author, Photographer and Founder, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer of PETERARNELL. He is known for transforming products, brands and campaigns for some of the world’s most prestigious companies, including Chrysler, Pepsi-Cola Co., Reebok, Donna Karan, Unilever and Fontainebleau. He has been at the forefront of creating, building and transforming brands, corporations, institutions and communities for more than 40 years.
Arnell has built an unparalleled reputation creating groundbreaking, boundary-averse work. His unique interdisciplinary approach to brand building unites graphic arts, communications, photography, filmmaking, experience design, product engineering, architecture and more to create holistic solutions that drive enduring brand value creation.
Arnell created the strategy, brand concept and creative for Donna Karan New York and DKNY. He contributed and collaborated with Samsung on the introduction of the company as a consumer-facing brand. He designed and created the global identity and packaging for the Pepsi brand and served as Chief Innovation Officer for both Chrysler and The Home Depot.
His work as a photographer has been lauded by critics from Vogue, I-D Magazine and other leading publications and has been exhibited at group and solo exhibitions around the world.
In 2010, Peter published the New York Times bestseller Shift, which showcases his four decades of branding and marketing experience. In 2023 Hatje Cantz published ‘Peter Arnell: Portfolio: 1980 – 2020’, a two-volume book that celebrates over four decades of innovation and an exceptionally diverse body of work. Arnell has received countless awards, including the first non-fashion designer to be awarded by the CFDA for his work with Donna Karan in 1987.
Arnell has also devoted significant energy in the non-profit space. He is a board member of the FDNY Foundation and previously served on the board of the Special Olympics.READ MOREVIEW LESS
PETERARNELL | Intellectual Capital Investments is an interdisciplinary brand design and product development company. Known for its success in brand creation, innovation, consumer experience, product development and environmental design, it has developed a reputation for transforming products, brands and campaigns and its innovative and groundbreaking work with the world’s most respected companies.
An inventive photographer, his works have appeared for numerous fashion and lifestyle brands and his fine art photography has been included in solo and group exhibitions around the world. His photography has been lauded by critics from Vogue, I-D Magazine and other publications and was the subject of a solo exhibition curated by Frank Gehry at Milk Galleries in NYC.
peterarnellphotography.com
Chief Innovation Officer, Founding Director of Peapod Mobility
2008
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2012
As CIO of Chrysler and a Founding Director of Peapod Mobility, Arnell led all electric vehicle development and designed the revolutionary Peapod Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, merchandise and marketing communications. Arnell created an integrated experiential Big Box strategy and launched the worldwide rollout to dealerships, as well as designed the Geneva car show exhibition experience.
In a joint innovation venture with The Home Depot, Arnell held the position of CIO within The Home Depot organization. He oversaw all product innovation and product creation for the company, setting up OrangeWorks to create powerful award-winning house brands including the HomeHero line of home safety products, winner of a Gold IDEA from Business Week and several other design awards.
Arnell Group
Founder, Chairman, and Chief Creative Officer
1979
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2011
New York, NY, USA
Arnell Group developed an unparalleled reputation as a brand and product innovation firm creating revolutionary work for many of the world’s most celebrated brands by providing Product and Identity Design, Strategic Brand Planning, Event and Entertainment Marketing as well as Traditional Advertising. Select clients included Donna Karen, DKNY, Samsung, Reebok, Banana Republic, PepsiCo and others.
The FDNY Foundation is a non-profit established in 1981 to promote New York’s life and fire safety education. It is officially affiliated with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and achieves its goal of better protecting New York through community outreach and fundraising for better training and equipment, and to maintain operational excellence.
The Special Olympics was founded in 1968 with the mission of fostering the inclusion and acceptance of all people. It uses the power of sports to provide a place for people with intellectual disabilities to discover their own strengths, skills, abilities and success.
Photographs by Peter feature in this photographic exhibition with a diverse selection of images from the David Kronn Collection being shared by the Irish Meuseum of Modern Art - the fourth donation to the IMMA Collection from Irish-born, US-based collector David Kronn.
Peter is behind the design of the Hall of Excellence museum, featuring an architectural and exhibition design, having started work on the museum early in the collaboration
This video contains an introduction to Peter Arnell's new book, Peter Arnell: Portfolio 1980–2020, highlighting some of his most well-known advertising projects, including Pepsi, Nespresso, DKNY and Chanel, as well as video testimonials from the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Frank Gehry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Brady and many more.
Throughout his forty-plus-year career, Peter Arnell has built an unparalleled reputation creating groundbreaking, boundary-averse work for many of the world’s most well-known brands. The Director’s Reel includes vignettes from some of his most iconic commercial films created for some of the world’s most influential brands, including: Chanel, Samsung, Reebok, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan and more.
Peter Arnell leads Fontainebleau's property-wide branding and design, alongside some of the world's most celebrated and experienced designers to develop unique destinations throughout the resort.
Behind the scenes with Peter Arnell, co-creator of Donna Karan's iconic DKNY brand as he discusses the inspiration and strategic approach to the development of the DKNY brand and communications.
Martha Stewart, Peter Arnell and Kevin Sharkey discuss a recent trip to Thailand on The Martha Stewart Show. Together they recall the incredible experiences they had in Thailand and the memories they shared on their 12 day trip there.
World-renowned architect Frank Gehry talks about his work with creative genius Peter Arnell as they plan the design for the Nets arena in Brooklyn, NYC.
Peter Arnell joins Martha Stewart on the Martha Stewart Show to discuss his new book, Shift: How to reinvent your business, your career and your personal brand.
Martha Stewart welcomes Peter Arnell to The Martha Stewart Show to discuss his elaborate collection of eyewear, which includes over 1,600 pairs of glasses from around the world.
Peter Arnell takes the audience through the history of automotive design culminating with the unveiling of his latest project, Peapod, a first of its kind neighborhood electronic vehicle.
Martha Stewart invites Peter Arnell, brand innovator, inventor and honorary FDNY Fire Commissioner, to discuss his latest invention the HomeHero fire extinguisher.
On this episode of the Martha Stewart Show, Peter Arnell shares his extensive collection of robots, trains, phones and more. Arnell also introduces G.O.A.T, nutritional foods for young adults that he created with his longtime friend and legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali.
The Arnell Group, based in New York, planned to announce today that it is being awarded a global assignment from Electrolux, the world's biggest maker of home and outdoor appliances, which uses as its global agency of record Lowe & Partners Worldwide, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies.
Peter produced a series of short films as part of Reebok's advertisements to appeal to a new demographic by using contemporary artists and sports figures.
In this episode, legendary creative Peter Arnell, who helped shape DKNY, Samsung, PepsiCo, and more, breaks down his creative process — and shares how to make the most complex ideas memorably simple.
CNN interviews Peter Arnell on his new book, Shift. In this segment Arnell, the creator of some of the world's most iconic brands, shares how he transformed himself by losing over 250 pounds and redesigned his own life and brand.
Peter joins The Today Show to discuss his new book Shift, which takes the reader through his experiences creating transformative change for brands such as Reebok, Pepsi, and many others.
Peter Arnell joins CNN to discuss the Peapod and Chrysler's innovative Peapod Mobility initiative, one of the first-of-its-kind all-electric vehicle and technology programs.
On The Today Show, Peter discusses the Peapod, an electric vehicle he developed while serving as CIO of Chrysler and leading Peapod Mobility. Peapod Mobility was an innovative, all-electric vehicle development program.
ABC News interviews Peter Arnell to discuss his recent invention, the HomeHero. The HomeHero fire extinguisher won numerous awards and accolades, including the TIME Magazine Best Inventions of 2007, and the International Design Excellence Gold Award by BusinessWeek.
Peter joins ABC News to discuss his invention, the HomeHero fire extinguisher. The innovative fire extinguisher is light, easy to use and made to help people react to an emergency in a more timely fashion.
This reel highlights Peter's extensive and innovative work throughout his more than four decades of work creating groundbreaking, revered campaigns for many of the world’s most well-known brands, including Chanel, Reebok, Donna Karen and more.
From Apple to Reekbok, Samsung to Fila, Peter Arnell looks back on the most iconic images of his 40-year career with the new two-volume tome, Peter Arnell Portfolio: 1980-2020.
Exhibition Review: Frank Gehry Curates Peter Arnell at Milk Gallery
Mar 2014
New York, NY, USA
Frank Gehry’s curated collection of Arnell’s photography titled "Photographs 1984-2014 by Peter Arnell" was shown at the Manhattan Milk Gallery. The exhibition won praise for its high-contrast, diverse subjects.
Peter Arnell has been at the forefront of creating, building and transforming brands, corporations, institutions and communities for more than 40 years. Throughout this career, Arnell has built an unparalleled reputation creating groundbreaking, boundary-averse work for many of the world's most celebrated brands.
Peter Arnell's Medium page shares recent media on his branding and advertising career, recent news, and his prolific career as a photographer, including work used commercially for fashion & lifestyle brands and exhibits worldwide.
In an extended feature, Mark Rozzo reveals a different side to Arnell, the truth of the high-energy, focused, creative, and well-read advertising genius who the public can't seem to believe is real.
Peter's book called City Visions features his urban photographs most of which were taken in New York. The book is available to buy on the Hatje Cantz website.
Peter's stunning photography features in this beautiful book capturing the essence of the Fontainebleau Hotel at Miami Beach and its sister property in Las Vegas.
Peter Arnell: Portfolio 1980–2020 celebrates over four decades of tireless innovation and provides rich insight into a creative mind and an exceptionally diverse body of work. Included are signature projects for Samsung, Chanel, Gucci, DKNY, Pepsi, Reebok, Nespresso and the Special Olympics, as well as texts by Frank Gehry, photographer Peter Lindbergh and NYT Times journalist Michel Marriott.
Arnell is featured throughout Cain’s explosive exposé of Samsung that “reads like a dynastic thriller, rolling through three generations of family intrigue, embezzlement, bribery, corruption, prostitution, and other bad behavior” (WSJ).
Cain documents Arnell’s contribution to Samsung as it rose to the top of the tech industry to become a market leader in the U.S. and around the world.
Gucci: The Making Of examines Gucci’s identity, origins, innovation and influence, as well as its fabrication methods and appropriation of signature materials, past and present, and its influence among high society and Hollywood. This book is a personalized and heartfelt tribute to the influence and heritage of this iconic brand.
Arnell’s New York Times Best Seller Shift weaves together personal stories of his own transformation with stories about how he created transformative change for brands such as Reebok and Pepsi. Shift shares Arnell's vision regarding how each of person can rebrand and transform his or herself, both professionally and personally, to reach the success they desire.
In order to meet the challenges of a more consumer-centric world, Peter Arnell writes, companies must shift their perspective from what is good for its brand to what is best for consumers.
Building upon Thomas Friedman's 'The World is Flat', Peter Arnell discusses the effects of globalization and a connected world on the workplace and calls for a new type of business leader.
Arnell discusses how companies, at times, need to "resurrect" their brands' image and appeal, sometimes looking to past successes and applying those ideas to the present.
Quoting designer Paul Rand – 'good design is good business' – Arnell writes that companies that want to develop a design team must first start with a clear business plan for this new endeavor.
Arnell writes that people should shed the various, and often unnecessary, 'add-ons' that people carry around with them. The result, he says, is a clearer definition of value.
"James Stirling: Buildings and Projects" looks at college buildings, performing arts centers, museums, townhouses, banks, office buildings, and low-cost housing designed by the Liverpool-born architect and discusses influences on his work
"Aldo Rossi: Building and Projects" is a showcase of famed Italian artist Aldo Rossi, whose work is heralded for its ability to provide historical links with the past while abandoning the ahistorical tendencies of modernism.
This collection of seventeen essays spans thirty-two years in the careers of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. It provides an in-depth look at inseparable blending of the building of buildings and the building of words.
The third volume in a Rizzoli series documenting architectural competitions, the focus of this book is the national competition for a new City Hall complex in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
This volume details the design competition that led to the production of the Wexner Center. Five separate teams (pairing regionally and nationally known architecture firms) submitted their designs for an Ohio State visual arts center, which eventually became the Wexner Center for the Arts.
This collection showcases the designs by Michael Graves, including some of his most well-known showrooms, office buildings, conversion projects, beach houses, furniture and homes.
Award of Excellence in Branding and Communications
1987
New York, NY, USA
The Council of Fashion Designers of America works to promote American fashion to the world stage. The CFDA Fashion Awards acknowledges excellence in fashion design.
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is reserved for individuals who have given back to the country. Recipients include world leaders and Nobel Prize winners as well as those who are leaders in the arts, government, sports, or other sectors.
Peter was named as an honoree of the 2010 SCAD Style Etoile Awards in recognition of his position as an influential and prominent brand designer.
The Green Design 100
Honoree
2009
Peapod was recognized as one of TIME's Green Design 100 as a revolutionary and sustainable design on 2009.
Brit Insurance Design of the Year
Honoree
2009
Established in 2003, the Brit Insurance Design of the Year honors a design that improves quality of life and os displayed at the Design Museum. The HomeHero Fire Extinguisher with recognized with the award.
The Design 100
Honoree
2007
TIME's The Design 100 honors influential designs ranging from artisanal food to architecture and transportation.
International Design Excellence Awards
Recipient
2007
The International Design Excellence Awards, sponsored by Businessweek, seeks to highlight the importance of industrial designs to improve quality of life. In 2007, Peter received a Gold IDEA for the HomeHero Fire Extinguisher.
International Design Excellence Awards
Recipient
2007
Peter received a Silver IDEA for the Aquabrids, a synthetic sealant used during aortic surgical procedures.
Impact "Hot Brand" Award
Honoree
Jose Cuervo, a leading brand of alcohol, was recognized as an Impact “Hot Brand” in both 2005 and 20066 for its overall brand growth.
Crest Awards
Honoree
2003
In 2003, the Reebok commercial “Terry Tate, Office Linebacker” was recognized with a Crest Award.
The Association of Independent Commercial Producers is a nonprofit organization that honors, recognizes, and represents companies that create commercials. For his work with Reebok, Peter was recognized with AICP Awards in 2003 and 2004.
Richard Saul Wurman's Who's Really Who, published in 2002, recognizes the 1,000 most creative individuals in the United States. Peter Arnell was mentioned as a member of the honorees.
The CLIO Awards are regarded as the most prominent international advertising awards. In 1998, Peter was recognized as a winner with Henry Bendel Bodywear.
Over the course of his career, Peter has been recognized with CLIO Awards for his work with several brands including Samsung Electronic Equipment and Home Entertainment and Hanes Hosiery Resilience, both of which he received in 1997.
Samsung Electronic Equipment and Home Entertainment
1996
In 1996, the CLIO Awards honored Peter for his accomplishments as a brand designer for Ray Ban X-ray Sports Sunglasses Case and Banana Republic Body Care.
