Branding•Direction•Logos
Planepat Apparel
US Air Force Inspired
Location
New York | NY, NY
Brief
Create branding, logo, and a cohesive creative direction for a New York-based streetwear label inspired by the USAF. The brand seamlessly blends the raw, gritty aesthetic of NYC street culture with the precision, functionality, and legacy of military design. Drawing from the Air Force’s iconic visuals, the branding takes cues from aircraft stencils, pilot insignias, and utilitarian details, merging them with a modern, urban edge.
Tools
Hand-Rendered and Adobe Illustrator
Planepat is a New York–based streetwear label built around aviation as its central concept. The brand’s earlier iterations relied heavily on literal airplane imagery, so the goal was to create a more distinctive and modern visual identity. Inspiration was drawn from fighter plane insignia, US Air Force symbols, and geometric forms that convey thrust, forward motion, and dynamic energy. The triangle became a core element, representing momentum while reinforcing the aviation-inspired theme.
This visual identity was applied across a full range of apparel and accessories, including graphic T-shirts, sweatshirts, beanies, shopping bags, and retail signage. By combining sharp geometric graphics with streetwear aesthetics, the branding creates a cohesive, high-impact identity. Each product reflects aviation and US Air Force-inspired motifs while appealing to fashion-conscious consumers seeking bold, tactical, and contemporary streetwear designs.
“...We combine a United Air Force aesthetic with the streets of New York to create something truly unique...
Sketchbook Stage
To define the brand identity, Rory J. Murphy asked the client to provide a comprehensive list of keywords that captured how they wanted the label to be perceived by their audience, the wider public, and the streetwear community. By understanding the client’s aspirations, target market, and the emotional qualities they wanted the brand to convey, Rory J. Murphy was able to establish a clear creative direction. These insights laid the foundation for a branding approach that balances bold, aviation-inspired visuals with a contemporary streetwear sensibility, ensuring that every design decision aligns with the label’s overall aesthetic and market positioning.
Using these insights as a foundation, Rory J. Murphy explored design directions through brainstorming and concept development—refining the strongest ideas and discarding those that didn’t align with the brand’s vision. This process ultimately led Rory J. Murphy to focus on the bold geometry of Air Force insignia as a central motif, creating a distinctive visual language that reflects the label’s aviation-inspired streetwear aesthetic.
Apparel Designs
Beyond developing the core brand identity, Rory J. Murphy explored ways to extend the visual language across Planepat’s streetwear apparel and accessories. Building on the aviation-inspired motifs from the logo, Rory repurposed some of the unused concepts as graphic elements for limited-edition designs. These included paper tote bags, beanies, and printed T-shirts and sweatshirts, ensuring a cohesive brand presence while highlighting the label’s bold, geometric aesthetic drawn from Air Force insignia.
This approach allowed each product to carry the brand’s identity consistently while offering variety and exclusivity to the streetwear line. By integrating the visual language into tangible items, Rory J. Murphy reinforced Planepat’s position as a New York streetwear label that blends aviation heritage with contemporary fashion, creating designs that resonate with both fashion-conscious consumers and fans of aviation-inspired graphics.
Sweatshirt jersey featuring the Planepat logo screen-printed across the front - a classic approach to increase brand visibility and recognition.
The alternate design concepts were successfully re-purposed as t-shirt graphics, ensuring the creative exploration contributed to a broader range of branding assets.
A brown paper shopping bag design featuring the Planepat logo printed prominently across the top. The minimalist approach complemented the natural texture and colour of the bag.
We also designed beanie hats featuring a patch with the Planepat logo embossed and printed for a bold, textured finish.