American Eagle Outfitters

When American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) set out to launch their new flagship retail store in New York City’s Times Square, Barco and Barnycz Group partnered to provide a solution that went beyond their wildest imaginations. The duo leveraged the store’s distinctive exterior architecture to create a dominant visual landmark in this most iconic of urban settings.

AEO turned to the Barnycz Group®, a Baltimore-based design firm specializing in the creation of unforgettable, large-scale interactive content environments. The overall goal of the project was to create a “canvas” for AEO to bring their brand and lifestyle to life, front and center. The result was a multi-tiered, interactive HD digital canvas that allows the retailer to dynamically communicate its brands and promote its product offerings.

The concept embodied a stunning 12-faceted assemblage of LED panels, almost 15,000sq-ft. in size, including a soaring 25-story LED tower. When AEO and the Barnycz Group were ready to implement their vision, they selected Barco.

A Kaleidoscope Of Technologies Converge
To create the display, Barco engineers wrapped the building’s exterior façade with 1,469 Barco TF-20 LED panels on 12 distinct geometric surfaces, totaling nearly 3.5 million pixels. Designed for rugged outdoor environments, these weather-resistant panels deliver 281 trillion colors with stunning clarity. The ceiling of the building’s outdoor foyer comprises 1,665 Barco OLite 612 modules, specially designed for optimum viewing at very close distances. Inside the store is a bank of 21 Barco NSL-46 LCD monitors arranged in a 7x3 array. Purpose-built for a near-seamless presentation, these monitors enable AEO to display content in its native resolution, without any loss of image quality.

Dual Barco DX-700 LED digitizers process the array of multi-format video, photos, graphics, animation, and text originating from dual Apple® Macintosh computer and driven to multiple LED and LCD displays.

Conquering The Challenges
The AEO building’s unusual architecture created interesting challenges for Barco’s installation team. One corner of the building sits at a 78° angle. Specifically designed for applications requiring unusual shapes and angles, the OLite’s modularity enabled it to manage the approximately 215sq-ft. footprint. To ensure its industry-leading image quality day and night, in all kinds of weather, Barco supplied its TF-20 tiles, well-known as the standard for outdoor displays. Offering the simultaneous combination of high brightness and high contrast, the tiles brilliantly display images in direct sunlight as well as nighttime darkness. With ~15,000sq-ft. of LEDs lit on a 24/7 basis, the TF-20’s energy efficiency represents an important cost savings for AEO.

The Barco Difference
Danny Barnycz, founder and president of Barnycz Group, attributes a large portion of the project's successful implementation to Barco’s products and installation team. “When you stand anywhere in Times Square, your eyes are drawn irresistibly to the American Eagle Outfitters display. Barco is deeply rooted in the live events business, which instills a mindset for doing things right and on time. Their passion for perfection and deadline-driven nature make them a perfect fit for our business.”

Creative Team
Barnycz Group®

Equipment
1,469 Barco TF-20 LED Panels
1,665 Barco OLite 512 Modules
21 Barco NSL-46 LCD Monitors
Dual Barco DX-700 LED Digitizers
Apple® Macintosh Computers