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Peter Eric Arnell

Founder & Chairman PETERARNELL, Intellectual Capital Investments

Design & Branding Executive

New York, NY, USA

Peter Arnell
Mark Angelo
Yorkville Advisors
Rupert Ashe
D5 Capital

Peter’s Biography

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.
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Peter’s Newsfeed

Hypebae
Peter Arnell's Two-Volume Portfolio Revives Fashion Advertising Nostalgia

American multi-hyphenate creative and branding expert Peter Arnell has unveiled a two-volume boxed collection celebrating his 40-plus-year ingenious career and creativity in product design, marketing and communications. The expansive portfolio spotlights his groundbreaking work for the world’s most influential brands, such as Chanel, Gucci, DKNY and Fila.

WWD
Media People: Peter Arnell Talks About His Career, How Branding Has Changed, and His Most Memorable

Peter Arnell shares his thoughts about fashion advertising, then and now, and introduces his new book, Peter Arnell: Portfolio 1980–2020.

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Peter’s Background

PETERARNELL | Intellectual Capital Investments, LLC
Branding and Design Executive | Founder and CEO
2011 - Present
New York, NY, USA
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.
Peter Arnell Photography
Photographer
New York, NY, USA
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
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Peter’s Gallery

Board Positions

FDNY Foundation
Board of Directors
2010 - Present
New York, NY, USA
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.

Previous Board Positions

Special Olympics
Board of Directors
2006 - 2010
Washington, DC, USA
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.

Media

Peter Arnell: Portfolio 1980–2020
2023
New York, NY, USA
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.
Peter Arnell | Director’s Reel
2023
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.
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Interviews

Shift, by Peter Arnell
2010
Atlanta, GA, USA
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.
The Today Show: Shift by Peter Arnell
Jun 2010
New York, NY, USA
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.
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Features

Architectural Record
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.
No One Knows What It’s Like to Be the Adman
Jun 2009
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.
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Publications

Peter Arnell: Portfolio 1980–2020
Author
Feb 2023
New York, NY, USA
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.
Samsung Rising
2020
New York, NY, USA
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.
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Awards & Recognition

Council of Fashion Designers of America
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.
Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Recipient
2007
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.
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Speaking Engagements

Harry Walker Agency
New York, NY, USA
Peter is represented by The Harry Walker Agency, a leading, global speakers' agency founded in 1946.