TFS#240 - Peter Yee, The Mind Behind Oakley’s ‘O’ Logo & The Heart of Oakley's Timeless Designs

Peter Yee is an industrial
designer best known for shaping
Oakley’s bold aesthetic from 1993 to 2018. As
Oakley’s first formally trained designer and later Vice President
of Design, he helped create iconic pieces like the Eye
Jacket, Overthetop, and the “O” logo.
With over 100 design and utility patents, Yee’s work bridged
performance, futurism, and style. Today, he continues innovating
through his own design firm PYD.


Connect with Peter Yee!


https://www.instagram.com/peteryeedesign


CHAPTERS:


0:00 – Introduction


1:11 – Meet Peter Yee


2:06 – Peter shares his life after Oakley and starting his design
consultancy


9:05 – How Peter’s name still carries weight in the design world


11:52 – How design patents and royalties work at Oakley


14:10 – Designing with budgets vs. blank-check creativity at
Oakley


16:50 – Did Yeezy master scalable yet unique design?


18:51 – Where does Oakley sit in the market compared to Rolex and
Patek?


21:57 – Why eyewear has such high profit margins


24:50 – The iconic Oakley frames that Michael Jordan wore


26:31 – The prescription frame Peter is wearing


30:40 – Advice on finding the right eyewear shape and avoiding
counterfeits


33:44 – Peter’s design process and finding inspiration outside of
eyewear


36:36 – Examples of cross-industry inspiration in Peter’s designs


37:42 – Peter’s thoughts on AI as a design tool


38:51 – Has any eyewear in the last decade impressed Peter?


40:01 – Peter shares a unique product he owns: the Nixie clock


43:53 – How much of Peter’s collection comes from small creators
vs. big brands


45:47 – If Peter designed a pocket knife, how he would ensure
quality manufacturing


49:34 – Peter shares his Oakley Time Bomb 2 prototype watch


52:37 – Why Peter started sharing Oakley designs on Instagram


57:16 – The story behind Oakley’s flames logo and hockey jerseys


58:53 – Designs Peter created outside of Oakley


1:00:17 – The naming of Oakley products like Eye Jacket, Romeo
& Juliet


1:01:43 – Who is Jim Jannard? The visionary founder of Oakley


1:02:42 – Oakley’s acquisition by Luxottica


1:04:34 – Different fonts Peter uses in his designs


1:06:10 – Peter reveals he designed Oakley’s “O” logo


1:10:26 – The iconic watches Oakley made


1:12:14 – The timeless pieces Peter created for Oakley


1:13:12 – Peter’s approach to fashion as he grows older


1:16:26 – Branding and association: Oakley and The Matrix
connection


1:18:11 – How Oakley products appeared in X-Men and Mission
Impossible II


1:19:09 – Did Oakley pay for product placements in movies or
projects?


1:21:20 – Eyewear designs Peter created for Oakley


1:23:16 – How Peter impacted the Oakley brand as a designer


1:26:45 – The Oakley flames and metallic wave aesthetic


1:30:00 – Peter’s social media consumption habits


1:35:48 – How Peter figured out pricing, retainers, and clients
for his consultancy


1:40:06 – Peter’s main focus over the past 6 months


1:41:47 – Peter’s favorite car model and design


1:43:38 – How Peter stays young and fit at 57 years old


1:44:37 – Peter’s approach to his children’s taste in fashion


1:46:19 – Editing his own Instagram videos and thumbnails


1:51:21 – Did Peter ever cross paths with Steve Jobs or Jony Ive
in California?


1:53:53 – Peter talks about his friend who worked on key YouTube
features


1:55:02 – Before Instagram, how design or fashion students would
have known about Peter


1:59:28 – What changed in Peter’s work after seeing a
motivational Instagram quote


2:00:28 – Is Peter working on one main project or several across
industries?


2:01:52 – Peter reviews Andy’s thrifted sunglasses and watch


2:09:33 – Peter gives feedback on Andy’s daily optical glasses


2:11:50 – The sunglasses Peter wears every day


2:13:37 – Do Peter’s children wear eyewear he designed?


2:14:58 – Peter’s recent life discoveries


2:17:16 – Peter’s calisthenics training routine


2:22:03 – Why Peter has no ambition for Ironman or marathon
competitions


2:22:55 – Peter’s personal goal for the next 6 months


2:24:28 – Connect with Peter


2:25:02 – Outro