The US government has selected American design executive Peter Arnell to serve as the chief brand architect within the newly formed National Design Studio and shape the identity of a "different type of government".

The position entails leading "strategic and creative development of a unified design and brand system for the US", according to chief design officer Joe Gebbia.

Arnell will join the National Design Studio as it revamps the user experience of US government websites.

Private-sector government

He has worked with companies such as DKNY, Samsung, Unilever, and Chrysler, and has served as an honorary commissioner of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), an experience he said will help him bring branding principles to government service.

"This government, unlike many, wants to move at lightning speed," Arnell told Dezeen.

"I think the largest challenge that we all face is keeping up with the extraordinary amount of powerful demands and incredible desires that have been coming into the office of National Design at a rate that is truly 10 times over the private sector."

"We're inside a government now that comes from, to a large extent, the private sector, and understands what timing and speed mean to be successful," continued Arnell.

"We're living in an environment that's a different type of government and one that demands 'yesterday' as a deliverable date."

The National Design Studio was established after an executive order from US president Donald Trump.

The office has received requests for work from top members of the US federal government, according to Gebbia, who detailed his plans for the governmental department in an interview with Dezeen last year.

So far, it has created websites for a number of Trump's initiatives, such as online pharmaceutical marketplace Trump RX.

Gebbia told Dezeen that Arnell's chief role will be to unify the branding "to ensure every interaction that people have with government is clear and consistent". He compared the need for satisfaction with government services to customer satisfaction.

"These are ultimately experiences that a consumer is having, or you could say, citizens are having. And so why should we expect less?" asked Gebbia.

"This is an incredibly important role, and it covers a lot of ground. Obviously, the USA is, I might say, the biggest brand in the world, and we're thrilled to have Peter's expertise on board."

Gebbia mentioned the social security system and the passport acquisition process as key targets for the agency's work going forward.

"In government, brand builds trust"

Arnell added that, when it comes to brand building, the government's aims differ from traditional corporate identity development processes.

"When we use the word brand in the context of government, we're not talking about promotion or image," he explained.

"We're talking about how a nation defines itself and how consistently it delivers on that definition. And so in the private sector, brand drives preference, right? And in government, brand builds trust."

Arnell will start the position immediately in the National Design Studio's offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is currently the subject of a lawsuit launched by preservationists.

Arnell has been involved with previous government initiatives, such as a Super Bowl commercial for Trump's health initiative, known as Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).

Trump's focus on design has been the subject of national attention, especially in the building of a ballhouse on the xnow-demolished White House East Wing and the commissioning of a massive triumphal arch for the capital.

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