Design Manual and Brand Standards Guide
Meet American Apparel.
Hello.
Hello. Meet American Apparel.
Contents
Brand Identity 01. Logotype 02. Typography 03. Signage 04. Color Palette 05. Advertising 06.
Natalie Amella
by
Brand Identity Our History 01.
Can-Do Spirit
American Apparel broke the walls of conventional standards by directly controlling our production, using diverse natural models, amateur photography, rejecting the use of photo retouching, giving a chance to young individuals who push limits. There is no such thing as impossible for American Apparel.
Los Angeles Based
In 1997, American Apparel arrived in Los Angeles and settled for good. As the brand grew, we embraced the Los Angeles culture that had influence on our choice of models, locations, design, collaborations, photography, and lifestyle.
More Than Basics
Not only did American Apparel bring quality basics to consumers, but also provided clothing that was both comfortable to wear and acted as the foundation for your personal style. No matter where you’re from, no matter who you are, our basics will fit. Our clothing works as a platform to allow people to express themselves through art and social causes
Wholesale Heritage
For the past fifteen years, American Apparel brought quality basics to consumers. Our story starts in North Carolina as a small wholesale business who had a commitment to deliver the best American-made t-shirt at an affordable price. The minimalism and simplicity of our design as well as the large and original range of colors have set American Apparel as a leader not only in the wholesale business, but also in the entire garment industry.
Brand Identity 01.
What We Stand For Responsible Sourcing
On occasions, where we don’t have the right equipment or enough capacity, we use contractors and suppliers for certain tasks or certain products. When a decision is made to outsource, we apply a compre hensive selection process to assess the contractor’s ability to comply with our quality standards, our labour and environmental standards, and with our Code of Conduct. We also proactively ensure that all our contractors, comply with international laws, including those of the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA).
Natural Beauty
We find our models all over the world, through online submissions, word of mouth, and in open casting calls. Our ads have always been indicative of a time and place in American Apparel’s identity, featuring real women who are selected not just for how they appear but for who they are inside. Their strong intelligence, having a point of view and being an interesting person are qualities that we look for and those qualities brings energy to the photos they take.
Basic Freedoms
American Apparel has always been a voice for inclusiveness, equality, human rights, basic freedoms. Freedom of expression and an empowered individuality have always been central to the love, passion and discourse around American Apparel. Every day, a beautiful diverse world of people of all shapes, sizes, colors and backgrounds express themselves in their own personal way through the American Apparel brand.
Sustainability is woven into everything we do
At American Apparel, we believe that making clothing differently can improve lives while respecting the planet. We do that by controlling almost every step in our supply chain, from yarn spinning all the way to distribution. We call that vertical integration.
Equality, Diversity,
Creativity
American Apparel advertising campaigns have become as synonymous with our brand name as the signature natural beauty and individuality that first put us on the map.
Logotype 02. logo 2 line logo version
American Apparel.
x
x x x x-height safety zone tagline That’s
Typography 03. Aa Aa Helvetica Bold ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 Helvetica Regular ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
Globally Sourced, Ethically Made, Still Sweatshop Free.
That’s American Apparel.
Our focus is to produce effortless basics and iconic fashion favorites, while never compromising on our belief that operating responsibly, taking care of our employees and integrating sustainable solutions is the right way to go
Web and Store
Signage 04.
Color Palette 05. Print and Online
Black on white. White on black. That’s American Apparel. We also offer Basics in a vast array of colors, displayed in our retail stores accordingly.
CMYK: 8 99 100 1
CMYK: 0 83 2 0
CMYK: 58 70 0 0
CMYK: 67 0 43 0
CMYK: 1 18 100 0
CMYK: 89 56 3 0
CMYK: 0 50 80 0
secondary
web color
colors
Advertising 06. Print
Simple, flirtacious, and high contrast photography That’s American Apparel.
