EVERYDAY LIFE ADVENTURES
American Eagle Outfitters set out to build something they had never attempted before — a brand for a generation in constant transition between work and leisure, formal and casual, city and outdoors. The brief was blue-sky: concept every aspect of the brand from the ground up, defining a consumer who didn't yet have a brand built for them.
Working through Bulldog Drummond alongside the executive team and chief designers Charles and Michele Martin, I served as Creative Director at the inception of Martin + Osa. I coined the name and helped develop the brand positioning "Clothing for a Life in Motion" — a framework that mapped this new consumer archetype and gave the entire creative system a north star to answer to. From there, we developed the graphic POV and visual language for the brand, shaping a hybrid identity rooted in timeless classics and functional sensibility, built for people who move fluidly through every dimension of their lives.
SUMMER LAUNCH CAMPAIGN
The Martin + Osa launch campaign was built around a single truth: that the spirit of exploration doesn't belong to a moment in history. It belongs to the way you move through your everyday life. As Creative Director, I led the visual and narrative direction of a summer campaign that introduced the brand through the lens of a warm weekend retreat. Think a sun-drenched Santa Barbara bungalow, easy mornings, and the kind of unhurried confidence that comes from wearing clothing built for wherever the day takes you. The imagery was romantic and relaxed, shot with warmth that made the product's functionality feel effortless rather than utilitarian. The campaign rolled out across a fully integrated suite of web, social, and video, each channel extending the same story with the same unhurried, adventure-ready point of view. "Everyday Life Adventures" wasn't just a tagline. It was an invitation.
STORE ENVIRONMENT & BRAND WORLD
The name Martin + Osa came from a book sitting on a shelf at my home. I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson told the story of two explorers who documented the world with equal curiosity, equal courage, and equal style. That spirit of partnership and discovery became the brand's north star, informing every decision about how the physical world of Martin + Osa should feel and function.
Working in close collaboration with the store architects, the creative team translated that heritage into a retail environment that felt less like a mall store and more like a well-traveled outfitter with a sense of community at its core. Warm teak wood surfaces, a signature cobalt blue accent threading through the space, and an open community table at the center of the floor created an atmosphere of belonging rather than browsing. The brand identity was embedded throughout every touchpoint — from monogram hardware on denim and outerwear zippers to environmental signage, fixtures, and the overall art direction of the space. Product was presented as gear worth owning for a lifetime, not a season.
IDENTITY & APPLICATION
