In an effort to provide a viable resource that’s intended to assist members, volunteers, designers and licensed vendors to help manage and implement Beta Theta Pi’s brand identity, the Beta Theta Pi Foundation and Administrative Office has compiled this graphic standards manual.
This manual outlines the primary visual elements of Beta’s brand identity and provides basic instructions for the successful execution of the identity across a myriad of platforms and mediums.
It should also be noted that, like the Fraternity, Beta’s brand identity will evolve over time. These guidelines and brand elements are regularly reviewed and assessed to determine if changes are needed. Please check the General Fraternity website at beta.org to ensure you have the most up-to-date version of this manual.
Please note that all other visual elements not appearing in this manual have been retired and should not be used under any circumstances.
If you have any questions beyond what is covered in this manual, please contact the Communication Department at the Beta Theta Pi Foundation and Administrative Office at 800.800.BETA (2382).
A “brand” is an intangible collection of perceptions that exist in people’s minds. A brand is not simply a logo, a color scheme, a mission and vision statement or a strategic plan developed in a board meeting. A brand is not a rule book, advertising campaign or a simplified listing of attributes. A brand is every association and experience, active and intentional. It is how people think and feel about something. In our case, it is how people think and feel about a fraternity. It is the awareness and relevance of Beta Theta Pi in the minds of students, alumni, university faculty and the community at large. A brand is not only built through effective communications or appealing graphic identities, but through the total experience that it offers. This graphic identity system is simply a reflection of our brand.
Consistency is key to successfully conveying the Beta Theta Pi brand to the rest of the world. A strong and consistent graphic identity system helps shape the way constituents view our Fraternity, both now and in the future. An effective graphic identity system begins with this Graphic Standards Manual. This manual will help differentiate the Beta Theta Pi brand from other organizations, student groups and campus clubs by helping us clearly define Beta Theta Pi visually and maintain the consistency necessary for effective communication to the public.
The following statement is Beta Theta Pi’s brand position. It was created after a lengthy qualitative and quantitative research study and summarizes the essence of the Beta Theta Pi brand. Please note that this statement, which encapsulates the Beta experience, serves as an internal reference to guide marketing communications and should not appear on outward facing materials.
“With a history of more than 180 years, Beta Theta Pi is a leading, internationally recognized fraternity that challenges itself to become a new paradigm among college fraternities by seeking to develop men of principle for a principled life who live out our core values of mutual assistance, intellectual growth, trust, responsible conduct and integrity.”
This statement is informed by the following tonal words that reflect the personality of Beta:
Brotherhood Gentlemen Established Fidelity Integrity Helpful
Friendship Trustworthy Intellectual Leadership Responsible Approachable Tradition Confident Supportive
Beta’s primary color palette, “Beta Blues,” offers a family of five blues to use along with a supplementary set of gray colors to complement it. The “Traditional Colors” are for limited use such as in traditional artwork like the Coat of Arms. Likewise, Beta’s official “delicate shades of pink and blue” should not be used with the primary palette. The Pantone® and CMYK values should be used for print, and the equivalent color formulas for digital and web are listed in RGB and HEX.
PRIMARY COLORS: BETA BLUES
TRADITIONAL COLORS
SECONDARY COLORS: COMPLIMENTARY GRAYS
DELICATE SHADES
Four typefaces have been chosen to represent the Beta Theta Pi brand: Friz Quadrata (serif) for use in logos, Bernino Sans (sans serif) for headline text, and Arial (sans serif) or Garamond (serif) for body copy. All attempts should be made to use these primary typefaces.
Headlines should be set in all caps and utilize Bernino Sans. The weight may vary based on the length of the headline in relation to the layout. Alternatively, long headlines set in all caps that create visual clutter may be set to title case. Do not use other typefaces in place of what is outlined here.
The Beta Theta Pi logo makes exclusive use of the Friz Quadrata (serif) typeface, which should not appear elsewhere within a publication.
Should one want to purchase these typefaces independently, they are available for both Windows and Mac platforms and may be purchased from the following websites, among other sources:
Friz Quadrata: Arial: ITC or Linotype Linotype itcfonts.com linotype.com llinotype.com
Bernino Sans: Garamond: Just Another Foundry Linotype justanotherfoundry.com linotype.com
Condensed Light
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Condensed Regular
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Condensed Semi-bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Condensed Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Condensed Extra Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
*While the “Condensed” style of Bernino Sans is Beta’s primary and preferred headline font, additional styles in the Bernino Sans font family may also be used. Be careful NOT to use “Bernina Sans” in any case.
Regular
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Italic
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Bold Italic
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Regular
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Italic
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
Bold Italic
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
A logo is a graphic mark, symbol or stylized name used to identify an organization and create brand recognition. Beta Theta Pi has a variety of logos for the three branches of the organization: the Fraternity, the Foundation and Housing. A number of additional logos for programs, events and support sites exist as well. Throughout the following pages, learn more about each logo that is available for and how best to use them.
The vertical Beta Theta Pi logo, as shown below, is the primary visual element for Beta Theta Pi’s brand identity and must appear on all official Beta communications. Alternatively, the horizontal logo and wordmark may also be used as secondary and tertiary visual elements for the Fraternity identity and are well suited for landscape formats or where vertical space is limited. It may not be modified in any way (i.e., the colors must remain the same and the words “Men of Principle” may not be replaced with “Fraternity,” a chapter or university name). However, the shield icon may be used as a standalone element. This and the other logos shown in this manual are available in various formats appropriate to one’s usage needs at beta.org.
The one color logos (positive stamp and inverted stamp) may be used in place of the full color or two-color identities. The positive stamp in black may be used on solid white or other light colored backgrounds. Whereas, the inverted stamp in white may be used on solid black or dark colored backgrounds. It’s important to note that one may use either the positive stamp and inverted stamp on some mid-range colors like red or royal blue. Regardless, it is important to make certain that the text in the identity is completely legible on whichever background is used.
All of Beta’s logos should have some “white space” or breathing room surrounding the identity so that it does not feel too crowded or busy. If one takes the letter “B” from “Beta” and positions it around the maximum extent of the graphical and textual elements of the identity, this will provide a general idea of how much space should be around the brand identity. The size of the “B” should be relative to the size of “Beta Theta Pi” on the identity.
It is important for brand success that all Beta Theta Pi logos are displayed correctly. This includes always using the correct typefaces and the correct relative positioning and size of all graphical elements.
The following examples are unacceptable applications of all Beta Theta Pi logos.
1. Do not distort any portion of the logo.
2. Do not crop any portion of the logo.
3. Do not tilt the logo.
4. Do not rotate the logo.
5. Do not rearrange components in the logo.
6. Do not alter the alignment of any component in the logo.
7. Do not flip the dragon so that it faces to the right.
8. Do not change the color of the logo.
9. Do not replace “Men of Principle”, “Foundation” or “Housing” with a university name. To do so would infringe upon the rights of that academic institution.
10. Do not replace “Men of Principle”, “Foundation” or “Housing” with a chapter name. Listing a chapter designation does not help to advance Beta’s unified brand.
The vertical Beta Theta Pi Foundation logo, as shown below, is the primary visual element for the Foundation and must appear on all official Foundation communications. Alternatively, the horizontal logo and wordmark may also be used as secondary and tertiary visual elements for the Foundation identity and are well suited for landscape formats or where vertical space is limited. These logos may not be modified in any way (i.e., the colors must remain the same and the words “Foundation” may not be replaced with any other text). However, the shield icon may be used as a standalone element.
The vertical Beta Theta Pi Housing logo, as shown below, is the primary visual element for Housing and must appear on all official Housing communications. Alternatively, the horizontal logo and wordmark may also be used as secondary and tertiary visual elements for the Foundation identity and are well suited for landscape formats or where vertical space is limited. These logos may not be modified in any way (i.e., the colors must remain the same and the words “Housing” may not be replaced with any other text). However, the shield icon may be used as a standalone element.
The Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and Foundation sponsors a number of events, programs, initiatives and clubs throughout the year that support the mission, vision and core values of the Fraternity and Foundation. The logos shown in this section are available upon request for all chapters to use in their promotional materials.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta
blue and gray color palette.
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Beta Colors
See page 7 for the CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas for Beta’s blue and gray color palette.
Throughout Beta’s history, a number of beloved graphics, artwork and emblems have been established to represent the organization. This section covers more information about the variety of traditional artwork available for use by Betas.
The Fraternity’s Great Seal was adopted in 1897, thanks to the design of John I. Covington, Miami 1870. Its design consists of the Coat of Arms supported by two rose sprigs, which are encircled by the words: “THE GREAT SEAL OF BETA THETA PI — 1839.” It is primarily used on charters and other official documents of the General Fraternity.
The Beta Theta Pi Coat of Arms was adopted in 1897, thanks to the design of George M. Chandler, Michigan 1898. The Coat of Arms may be used on internal communications (i.e., member to member), collegiate apparel items, individual recognition awards and certificates.
The Fraternity Crest, as shown above, may be used on apparel items and official Fraternity documents, such as stationery or certificates. Chapters may use this form, the outline form or silhouette form (not shown). Alternatively, it’s acceptable to use this version with the dragon seated on the “torse” (red and white ribbon underneath the dragon) and without the “torse” (not shown).
The Beta Theta Pi flag was designed by George M. Chandler, Michigan 1898, and adopted in 1902. The flag has three equal horizontal stripes of blue, white and blue. The upper blue stripe bears a single white five-pointed star; the lower blue stripe, two similar stars, the three forming an equilateral triangle about the Beta crest (dragon) in red. In addition to being used as an actual flag, the design may also be placed on apparel items, promotional products and other types of ephemera. The blue stripes use Pantone® Plus Series 295 and the crest is in Pantone® Plus Series 7621. The Beta flag may be downloaded from the Beta Theta Pi website at beta.org and may not be altered in any way.
Shown above are the
Code of Beta Theta Pi, Chapter XV, Seals and Emblems, Section 10, Use of Emblems: (a) The use of all emblems of the Fraternity (except the badge) shall be permitted on jewelry, stationery, novelties, and wearing apparel. (b) No reproduction of the badge shall be used for any purpose except that the Board of Trustees may, upon written application to it, approve specific and limited uses of such a reproduction. If you would like to seek permission from the Board of Trustees, please contact the Creative Director
In an effort to facilitate better brand recognition, one should always use the graphic identities with Beta Theta Pi spelled out, especially on printed and digital materials geared towards recruitment, the campus community at large and all other non-Greek affiliated organizations and companies. However, the Greek letters may be used on intramural athletic gear and apparel items specific to the Greek lettered organizations. These letters, with Beta’s official typeface, may be downloaded from the Beta Theta Pi website at beta.org.
Beta Theta Pi maintains and operates a supporting website called MyBeta at my.beta.org. MyBeta allows members and chapters to update contact information, submit reports, update communication preferences and more. It also serves as a chapter and member directory. Beta Spirit is Beta’s official online store and can be accessed at BetaSpirit.com.
The digital media icon on the left and center may be used on any social media network (including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, etc). This icon may also be used as a favicon on web pages. Alternatively, chapters have the option of using the icon on the right that’s personalized with their chapter designation. These digital icons are located in a public album on Beta’s Facebook page to download. Colonies without a Greek letter designation should use the general digital media icon until chartered and bestowed one by the General Convention. Do not alter these designs or change the colors.
From Beta-branded print pieces such as letterhead, business cards and newsletters, to Beta-branded digital needs such as chapter websites, social media accounts and email signatures, this section has all the information needed to help guide Betas into developing their own Beta-branded content.
The Fraternity’s vertical logo should be placed approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of an inch from the top of the letter and aligned to the center. The logo is not to exceed 2.5 inches in width.
The body copy should have an inch margin on either side of the letter and justified to the left.
The return address is to be placed approximately a half inch from the bottom of the stationery. This line is to be aligned to the center and should include chapter designation; university/college name; street address; city, state/province, zip code; chapter phone number; and the chapter website URL or country (if room permits). A vertical bar “ | ” with two spaces before and after each segment should be used as separators. The text in this line must be in 8 point Arial type.
This stationery may be purchased online at BetaSpirit.com.
The Fraternity’s horizontal logo is to be placed at 1/3 of an inch margin from the top and left side of the envelope. The logo is not to exceed 3 inches in length.
The address block is to be placed 1 inch to the right of the horizontal identity with a single line or separator placed 1/8 of an inch to the left of the address block. The text in the address block must be in 8 point Arial type. The first line should include the chapter designation, followed by “at” and the academic institution name. The second line will include the street address, followed by city, state/province and zip code on the third line. The fourth line may include either the country, chapter phone number or chapter website URL.
The phrase “developing men of principle for a principled life” is to be placed at the bottom-right of the envelope, with 1/3 inch margin. The type should be in Helvetica light at 24 points with leading set to 21 points. All text is in lower case. This envelope, as well as other envelope options, can be purchased online at BetaSpirit.com.
The horizontal logo should be used on a business card with the format shown below and should not exceed 2.25 inches in length. The logo should be placed 1/4 of an inch from the top-center of the card. The name and title block is to be centered 3/4 of an inch from the top of the card. The name is to be in 8 point Arial bold. Whereas the title should be in 6 point Arial regular. The chapter name, school and address is to be placed to the left of the card (left justified). All other contact information should be placed to the right of the card (right justified). Contact information should be in 5 point Arial regular with 3/16 of an inch margin.
This business card, as well as several other approved business cards, may be purchased online at BetaSpirit.com.
Shown here are several examples of well-designed chapter newsletters. Feel free to emulate the design.
Shown here are several examples of well-designed chapter websites. Feel free to emulate the design.
This example features the horizontal logo with the chapter designation and academic institution name in italics on the upper-right hand side of the page.
Here’s an example of a layout that utilizes the vertical logo with the chapter designation and university name in a cell above the marquee image. This design uses Azure Blue (HTML 006DC8) as the accent color and the secondary colors from the digital color palette. Chapters should feel free to use any of the other primary colors in the digital color palette.
This layout features the horizontal stamp logo with the chapter designation on one line and the university name on a second line. Both lines of text are separated from the main identity with a vertical line. This page uses Azure Blue (HTML 006DC8) as the accent color and the secondary colors from the digital color palette. Feel free to use the inverted stamp identity on darker layouts.
This Facebook page uses the chapter social media icon from the Administrative Office as the profile picture. The cover picture features a photograph of the members.
Here’s an example of a chapter Twitter account using the proper Style Guide recommendations regarding naming standards. In addition, this layout utilizes the chapter social media icon from the Administrative Office.
There are three different formats that can be used for email signatures. Two of those formats may be used for HTML enabled emails, while the third is to be used for text-only emails.
The two HTML signatures can either be aligned to the center with the vertical or stacked logo (example 1) or aligned to the left with the horizontal logo (example 2). Under no circumstances may the vertical logo be used when the text portion of the signature block is aligned to the left, nor may the horizontal logo be used in conjunction with centered text. The vertical and horizontal logos should be no wider than 225 pixels at 72 Dots per Inch (DPI).
Text-only emails should have an underscore, hyphen or an em dash line preceding the text portion of the signature. The line should be slightly longer than the longest line of text within the signature block (example 3).
The text portion of the signature block for all formats should be no smaller than 8 points and no larger than 10 points. The typeface should either be in Helvetica or Arial.
There are a number of licensed vendors that can facilitate the production of a custom design for apparel items, printed materials and other ephemera products. This section outlines the approval process for customized designs, inappropriate usage and the appeal process.
Licensed vendors have a contractual obligation to abide by Beta’s branding standards and have expressed permission to use our name, crest, letters, coat of arms, logos and insignia. Unlicensed vendors may be found guilty of infringing upon our rights if discovered to be using any of Beta’s registered trademarks on their products. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all members of Beta Theta Pi to only use licensed vendors that carry the “Official Licensed Product” logos on their products and websites from greeklicensing.com.
1. A member contacts a licensed vendor to create a customized product.
2. The licensed vendor develops a new design or accepts a design from the member.
3. The vendor submits the design to Affinity Marketing Consultants (AMC) for approval.
4. If the design meets Beta Theta Pi’s branding standards, then AMC approves the design.
5. If not, the design is submitted to the Administrative Office for review.
• References to alcohol, drug use or hazing, or words/images that run counter to Beta’s core values.
• Sexual innuendo or the belittling/objectifying of a particular group based upon gender or sexual orientation.
• Demeaning any cultural segment based on religious affiliation or race, or by inferring socio-economic superiority.
• Manipulation or alteration of any Beta Theta Pi brand identity or insignia.
• Infringement upon another brand’s graphic identities or trademarks.
Contact the director of brand marketing at mike.roupas@beta.org to appeal. Decisions of management are final.
A longstanding Greek tradition, fraternal composites are taken annually depicting individual headshots of the entire active chapter membership. This professionally produced piece represents your place in time in the history of your chapter and will live on for generations, often displayed in a chapter facility for years to come – and viewed by alumni, spouses, parents, faculty and administrators, just to name a few. Because of this, Beta Theta Pi’s Administrative Office reinforces a longstanding expectation of each member to be photographed in coat and tie, as well as clean shaven or with well-groomed facial hair.
To protect the integrity of the organization’s mission and values, and consistent with the Fraternity’s brand standards for all licensed vendors, under no circumstance does the Fraternity allow gag photography or joke nicknames of any kind to be included on composites. Examples of gag photography include but are not limited to the use of props, comedic or offensive poses, facial expressions, makeup, gag hair styles, costumes (i.e. sunglasses, hats, chains), or any references to sex, drugs or alcohol.
Beta Sweethearts, house directors/mothers, and/or Beta volunteers (advisors, house corporation officers, etc.) may be included in the composite at the chapter membership’s sole discretion. As of 2021, chapters may also include a chapter brother’s dog or other pet on the chapter’s composite.
Any violation of the above requirements will result in any offending member’s headshot being removed and listed as “Not Pictured” in the final composite. As the General Fraternity shares the chapter’s desire to feature all active members in the composite, chapters are very strongly urged to maintain a professional nature when taking headshots with the selected composite vendor in order to ensure all members will be represented in the final product.
Staff, Volunteers and Friends of Beta
The Communication Department at the Beta Theta Pi Foundation and Administrative Office is responsible for managing the Fraternity’s identity and is available to respond to inquiries regarding its use. Feel free to contact the director of brand marketing at mike.roupas@beta.org.
Trademark Licensing for Vendors
Affinity Marketing Consultants regulates the use of the Fraternity’s name and identifying marks for the purposes of selling merchandise and other ephemeral items. To become a license vendor, please visit greeklicensing.com.
Version: August 2023
