STYLE & GRAPHICS GUIDE SPRING 2024
ALPHA PHI OMEGA STYLE GUIDE
WHAT IS A STYLE GUIDE?
A style guide is a hub of information that tells you what is correct, or acceptable, based on the standards of a specific group or organization. It establishes standard style requirements to improve communication and consistency across documents. Members, volunteers and partners are brand ambassadors. This tool will help all involved with APO represent a consistent brand identity.
HOW SHOULD I USE THIS INFORMATION?
By using this guide, it ensures that your posts, publications, newsletters, etc. follow what the Fraternity is doing in terms of inclusivity and cohesion. The “brand” of Alpha Phi Omega should be promoted through consistency to increase brand awareness and, in turn, grow the organization. This section will cover the Alpha Phi Omega specific items. Anything that is not outlined in this document will adhere to the Associated Press, or AP, Style Guide. Please note that items outlined in this section may contradict the AP Style Guide. In these cases, the Alpha Phi Omega standards take precedence.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns about anything outlined in this document, please contact the National Office.
Aa
active/actives
Refers to initiated members of the Fraternity who are currently actively participating in a chapter. Lowercase. For example: Curt is an active from Clayton State University.
advisor
Not adviser. See the “chapter advisor” entry.
Alpha Phi Omega
Always spell out on first reference. Maintain full name for external documents. APO or the Fraternity are both appropriate on second reference.
alumni/alum
Alumni refers to a group of APO members, regardless of gender, who graduated. Alum is used as a genderneutral term for an individual graduate. For example: Your involvement as an alum is impactful.
alumni association
Capitalize when referring to a specific alumni association. Lowercase when used in general reference. The word “association” should always follow the name of an alumni association. For example: The Southeast Michigan Alumni Association won five awards this year. Ten new alumni associations were formed this year.
AMD
Active Membership Dues on first reference, AMD on second reference. Always capitalized. AMD replaced AAMD (Annual Active Membership Dues) on August 1, 2019, as a result of the 2018 National Convention.
Annual Chapter Evaluation (ACE)
Always spell out on first reference. Abbreviation is acceptable on second reference. Replaced the Chapter Annual Performance Summary (CAPS) in 2024.
Annual Fund
See Torchbearer Fund.
APO LEADS
All caps. Refers to the five servant leadership courses that are part of the Leadership Development program. The five courses are Launch, Explore, Achieve, Discover and Serve. Formatting should be “APO LEADS: Launch”. The course names are not all caps.
awards
Capitalize only when referring to a specific or formal award. Do not capitalize the word award unless it is part of the formal name. For example: She won the Greek Woman of the Year award. They won the Josiah Frank National Historian’s Award.
biannual vs. biennial
Biannual means twice a year. Biennial means every two years. For example: The Fraternity’s Biennial National Convention was held in Indianapolis.
big brother
Capitalize only when referring to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program.
Board of Directors
Capitalize. Alpha Phi Omega Board of Directors on first reference. The Board is acceptable on second reference when referring to the Board of Directors. National does not need to precede the formal name, as there is only one Board of Directors in the Fraternity.
Always capitalize titles for the following Board positions for internal audiences:
National President
National Vice President
National Treasurer
National Legal Council
Immediate Past National President
Past National President
For external audiences, use the title before the name to maintain capitalization. Otherwise, use lowercase.
brother/brothers
Refers to initiated members of the Fraternity. Lowercase unless preceding an individual’s last name. For example: The meeting was chaired by Brother Bradley. Michael is a brother from Georgia.
brotherhood
One word. Lowercase.
bylaws/National Bylaws
Not bi-laws or by-laws. Capitalize when referring to the National Bylaws a specific set of rules by which to govern. For example: You can find information about the Convention in Article IV of the Bylaws.
CcCardinal Principles
Always capitalize. The Cardinal Principles are Leadership, Friendship and Service. Should not be capitalized when split up in general references. “LFS” may be used for internal communications. For example: Our chapter is focusing on leadership activities.
chapter advisor
Capitalize chapter advisor when the title directly precedes an individual’s full name. For example: Chapter Advisor Jill Jones came to the meeting. The chapter advisor attends all meetings. Lowercase when used in general reference. For example: Alpha Eta Chapter is in search of a chapter advisor.
chapter names
When listing the proper name of a chapter, it should appear as Greek Name Chapter at School Name on first reference. If the school name begins with “University,” you may use “the” preceeding the school name. For example: Alpha Alpha Alpha Chapter at APO University held a Gift of Life event. On second reference, Greek Name Chapter or simply Greek Name are both acceptable. Avoid using “the” as an article preceding the Greek name.
When using “chapter” in generic references, lowercase. For example: The chapter went to the sectional conference last weekend.
Chapter Officer Portal (OP)
Capitalize as it is a formal name for the platform. OP is acceptable on second reference.
chapter officers
Do not capitalize chapter officer titles unless they precede a proper name. For example: The chapter president attended the event on Friday. Chapter President Mia Thompson attended the event on Friday.
Chapter President
Pledge or New Member Educator
Treasurer
Secretary
Vice President of Leadership
Vice President of Membership
Vice President of Service
Centennial
Always capitalize Centennial when referring to the 100th Anniversary of the Fraternity. Centennial Celebration should also be capitalized. The Fraternity’s Centennial Celebration will be held in Philadelphia.
charter
Always lowercase.
coat of arms
No hyphens between words, lowercase.
collegiate chapter
Always use collegiate to describe a chapter, instead of college. For example: The collegiate chapter promotes Gift of Life in its community.
committee
Capitalize when referring to a specific or formal committee. Lowercase when used in general reference. For example: Zeta Chapter’s Service Committee planned the gathering.
I want to join a committee.
conferences/convention
Always sectional conference, regional conference and the National Convention or the Convention. When referring to specific sectional conferences, capitalize. For example: The Section Z-3 Conference will be held in October. The Region Z Conference had more than 200 brothers in attendance.
Eeemail, e-newsletter
Email is never hyphenated, but hyphenated in other eterms: e-book, e-business, e-newsletter, etc.
Endowment, Endowment Trustees
The Alpha Phi Omega Endowment is always capitalized. The Endowment is an acceptable replacement for the Alpha Phi Omega Endowment. Never “Endowment Trust.”
executive board
A generic reference to the subset of officers in a chapter or alumni association. Could also be referred to as “e-board” or “exec. board” in informal or internal communications. Executive Committee only references to a subset of the National Board of Directors. See “Executive Committee” entry.
Executive Committee
Refers to a specific committee of the Board of Directors whose duties are outlined in the National Bylaws. Capitalize in all references. For example: The National Vice President serves on the Executive Committee.
FfFall Pledge Class Namesake Honoree
Capitalized; when referring to recipient, use (Year) Fall Pledge Class Namesake Honoree. For example: Brother Rick Diles, Beta Sigma `81, was the 2023 Fall Pledge Class Namesake Honoree.
Fraternity
Fraternity is capitalized when it refers to Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity and can be used interchangeably. In general reference, fraternity is lowercase. For example: The Fraternity has a chapter at Syracuse University. That campus has 10 fraternities.
governing documents
Capitalize the titles of the Fraternity’s governing documents in all references. They are as follows: Fraternity Operations and Policy Manual National Bylaws Rituals
Greek Always capitalize Greek or Greeks.
Greek-letter
Written with a hyphen if it precedes a noun. Written without a hyphen when it follows a noun. For example: Alpha Phi Omega is a Greek-letter organization. Organizations with Greek letters must work together.
Hh
handbook/manual
Capitalize the principal words in the titles of all handbooks and manuals within the Fraternity. Do not underline, italicize or surround with quotation marks. For example: All policies are noted in the Fraternity Operations and Policy Manual.
homecoming
Lowercase unless part of a proper noun. For example: I can’t wait to go to homecoming. The 2019 Purdue Homecoming will be in October.
Ii
initiate/s
Never capitalize in general reference. For example: The chapter initiated four new members. She initiated in 1986. John is a new initiate.
initiation
Capitalize in reference to the Alpha Phi Omega Initiation Ceremony. For example: The chapter’s Initiation Ceremony was held in June. My initiation was one of the highlights of my time in college.
Mm
marathon
Avoid using hyphens in marathon-type events, unless separated by hyphens in the proper name of an event. For example: I will ride in a bikeathon to raise money for juvenile diabetes. The Baltimore Bike-A-Thon will be at 2 p.m. on September 18, 2024.
member name
On first reference, a brother should be listed as Brother First Name Last Name, Initiate Chapter Initiate Year. For example: Brother Charlie Jones, Gamma ‘03.
Brother Jones or Charlie are interchangeable on second reference.
member/membership
When referring to brothers who belong to the organization, avoid using “membership.” Instead, use the word “member” or “members.” For example: We want our members to learn more about our policies.
Nn national
Capitalize only when part of a proper name. For example: national website, the Boston National Convention.
the National Convention
Capitalize when used as a formal reference to Alpha Phi Omega’s biennial National Convention. Capitalize the Convention on second reference when referring to the biennial event. For example: The 48th Biennial National Convention of Alpha Phi Omega will be held in Indianapolis from December 27-30, 2023.
the National Office
Capitalize the National Office when referring to the Alpha Phi Omega National Office. The National Office should not be referred to as nationals, the central office, headquarters, home office or any other term. The National Office should not be used as a person, but rather as a place. For example: The National Office Team sends out materials.
Always capitalize titles for for internal audiences. For a complete list of National Office titles, visit www.apo.org.
For external communication, use the title before the name to maintain capitalization. Otherwise use lowercase. For example: The national executive director will be at the
meeting. National Executive Director Bob London is a member of the National Office Team.
National Service Week/NSW Capitalize. NSW is acceptable as a second reference.
national website
Can also be referenced as apo.org or www.apo.org. For example: The Fraternity’s national website has many tools in the resource library.
OoOfficer Letter
“Officer Letter” is the Fraternity’s officer e-newsletter and should always be capitalized and in quotations in print.
Officer Portal (OP)
See “Chapter Officer Portal”.
Operations Council
Capitalize. This group is made up of the program chairs and regional chairs according to the National Bylaws. See “program chair” or “regional chair” for more.
Ppparty
Fellowship or social event is preferred. For example: The chapter is planning a social event with another fraternity.
Past National President
Capitalize in all references. For example: Brother Maggie Katz is a Past National President.
pledge or new member
Refers to students who have attended the Pledge or New Member Ritual and are working to become initiated members of APO. Always include “or new member” when referencing. See below: pledge or new member pledging or new member education pledge or new member educator pledge program or new member program pledgeship or new membership
Pledge or New Member Ritual
Pledge or New Member Program of Excellence
May be used as a verb. For example: Six women and four men are pledging or going through new member education this semester. The new members are pledging APO.
program chairs
Refers to the group. When referring to individuals, use the specific program name without the word “program”. For example: The Convention elected six new program chairs. The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Chair will attend the dinner.
Always capitalize titles for the following program chair positions for internal audiences. For external communication, use the title before the name to maintain capitalization. Otherwise use lowercase.
Alumni Development Chair
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Chair
Extension Chair
International Relations Chair
Leadership Development Chair
Membership Chair
Service Chair
Volunteer Recruitment Chair
Rrrecharter
No hyphen.
recruitment/rush
Use “recruitment” instead of “rush.”
regional chair/Region XX Chair/regional meeting
Do not capitalize regional chair as a title unless specific region is identified in the title. For example: The regional chair is on the Operations Council. The Region J Chair will be at the regional conference in Boston.
ritual
Capitalize “Ritual” when referring to a specific Fraternity Ritual ceremony or the Fraternity’s Ritual. Use lowercase when referring to other types of ritualistic activities. For example: Let’s strive to keep our Ritual alive in our daily lives. Eating at Bart’s Pizza on Mondays is becoming a ritual.
Sssectional chair/Section XX Chair/sectional meeting
Do not capitalize unless specific section number is identified. For example: The sectional chair will present the award at the sectional conference. The Section I-1 Chair will present the award at the sectional conference.
Sergeant-At-Arms
Always capitalize, use hyphens.
Society of Life Members
Always capitalize. When referring to the group, use Society of Life Members (plural). When referring to an individual, using Society of Life Member (singular) is preferred. When referring to or making a donation, Society of Life Membership may be used. SOLM is acceptable upon second reference.
Spring Youth Service Day
Capitalize. SYSD is acceptable as a second reference in internal documents.
TtTorchbearer
One word, capitalized.
The following levels are indicated by the amount donated within a Fiscal Year.
Torchbearer
Silver Torchbearer
Gold Torchbearer
Diamond Torchbearer
Silver Founder’s Circle
Gold Founder’s Circle
Diamond Founder’s Circle
Torchbearer Fund
Always capitalized. Do not refer to the Torchbearer Fund as the Annual Fund.
Torch & Trefoil
Torch & Trefoil should always be capitalized and in italic print. If italic is not available, underline. T&T is acceptable on second reference.
1-2-3
1925 CLUB
Always use all caps. For example, “Michael is a member of the 1925 CLUB.”
501(c)(3)
Written solid with no spaces. The APO Endowment, under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, is a public trust operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes that benefit the Fraternity.
AP STYLE QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
ASSOCIATED PRESS STYLE QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
This guide is from the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). The guide uses the AP Stylebook as a direct reference. For more information, visit www.apstylebook.com.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are acceptable but not required in some contexts. For example, Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., the Rev. and Sen. are required before a person’s full name when they occur outside a direct quotation. Please note, that medical and political titles only need to be used on first reference when they appear outside of a direct quote. For courtesy titles, use these on second reference or when specifically requested. Other acronyms and abbreviations are acceptable but not required (i.e. FBI, CIA, GOP). The context should govern such decisions.
As a general rule, though, you should avoid what the Associated Press Stylebook calls “alphabet soup.” Consult the Associated Press Stylebook for specific cases.
Addresses
For numbered addresses, always use figures. Abbreviate Ave., Blvd., and St. and directional cues when used with a numbered address. Always spell out other words such as alley, drive and road. If the street name or directional cue is used without a numbered address, it should be capitalized and spelled out. If a street name is a number, spell out First through Ninth and use figures for 10th and higher. Here are some examples of correctly formatted addresses: 101 N. Grant St., Northwestern Avenue, South Ninth Street, 102 S. 10th St., 605 Woodside Drive.
Ages
For ages, always use figures. If the age is used as an adjective or as a substitute for a noun, then it should be hyphenated. Don’t use apostrophes when describing an age range. Examples: A 21-year-old student. The student is 21 years old. The girl, 8, has a brother, 11. The contest is for 18-year-olds. He is in his 20s.
Books, Periodicals, Reference Works, and Other Types of Compositions
Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows, computer games, poems, lectures, speeches and works of art. Examples: Author Porter Shreve read from his new book, “When the White House Was Ours.” They sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the game.
Do not use quotations around the names of magazine, newspapers, the Bible or books that are catalogues of reference materials. Examples: The Washington Post first reported the story. He reads the Bible every morning.
Do not underline or italicize any of the above.
Dates, Months, Years, Days of the Week
For dates and years, use figures. Do not use st, nd, rd, or th with dates, and use Arabic figures. Always capitalize months. Spell out the month unless it is used with a date. When used with a date, abbreviate only the following months: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.
Commas are not necessary if only a year and month are given, but commas should be used to set off a year if the date, month and year are given. Use the letter s but not an apostrophe after the figures when expressing decades or centuries. Do, however, use an apostrophe before figures expressing a decade if numerals are left out. Examples: Classes begin Aug. 25. Purdue University was founded May 6, 1869. The semester begins in January. The 1800s. The ’90s.
If you refer to an event that occurred the day prior to when the article will appear, do not use the word yesterday. Instead, use the day of the week. Capitalize days of the week, but do not abbreviate. If an event occurs more than seven days before or after the current date, use the month and a figure.
Datelines
Newspapers use datelines when the information for a story is obtained outside the paper’s hometown or general area of service. Datelines appear at the beginning of stories and include the name of the city in all capital letters, usually followed the state or territory in which the city is located. The Associated Press Stylebook lists 30 U.S. cities that do not need to be followed by the name of a state. See states and cities below. Examples:
DENVER – The Democratic National Convention began...
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Republican National Convention began...
Dimensions
When writing about height, weight or other dimensions, use figures and spell out words such as feet, miles, etc. Examples: She is 5-foot-3. He wrote with a 2-inch pencil.
Miles
Use figures for any distances over 10. For any distances below 10, spell out the distance. Examples: My flight covered 1,113 miles. The airport runway is three miles long.
Names
Always use a person’s first and last name the first time they are mentioned in a story. Only use last names on second reference. Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. unless they are part of a direct quotation or are needed to differentiate between people who have the same last name.
Numerals
Never begin a sentence with a figure, except for sentences that begin with a year. Examples: Two hundred freshmen attended. Five actors took the stage. 1776 was an important year.
Use roman numerals to describe wars and to show sequences for people. Examples: World War II, Pope John Paul II, Elizabeth II.
For ordinal numbers, spell out first through ninth and use figures for 10th and above when describing order in time or location. Examples: second base, 10th in a row. Some ordinal numbers, such as those indicating political or geographic order, should use figures in all cases. Examples: 3rd District Court, 9th ward.
For cardinal numbers, consult individual entries in the Associated Press Stylebook. If no usage is specified, spell out numbers below 10 and use figures for numbers 10 and above. Example: The man had five children and 11 grandchildren.
When referring to money, use numerals. For cents or amounts of $1 million or more, spell the words cents, million, billion, trillion etc. Examples: $26.52, $100,200, $8 million, 6 cents.
Punctuation
Use a single space after a period.
Do not use commas before a conjunction in a simple series. Example: In art class, they learned that red, yellow and blue are primary colors. His brothers are Tom, Joe, Frank and Pete. However, a comma should be used before the terminal conjunction in a complex series, if part of that series also contains a conjunction. Example: Purdue University’s English Department offers doctoral majors in Literature, Second Language Studies, English Language and Linguistics, and Rhetoric and Composition.
Commas and periods go within quotation marks. Example: “I did nothing wrong,” he said. She said, “Let’s go to the Purdue game.”
States and Cities
The city names below do not require the name of a state to following:
Atlanta
Baltimore
Boston
Chicago Cincinnati
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington
ALPHA PHI OMEGA GRAPHIC STANDARDS GUIDE
WHY DO WE HAVE A GRAPHIC STANDARDS GUIDE?
Our goal is to create a consistent graphic identity for Alpha Phi Omega. This guide is designed to help with that process. Please take the time to review this information. Achieving this goal will contribute to our overall success in achieving and maintaining brand identity.
HOW SHOULD I USE THIS INFORMATION?
This guide offers helpful infomation for chapters, volunteers and anyone else creating content related to Alpha Phi Omega. Reach out to the National Office if you need any additional resources or information regarding the colors, logos and other visual elements of the Fraternity’s graphics. You can find information regarding social media and more on www.apo.org/chapter-officer-resources
WHAT IS AN INTERNAL VS. EXTERNAL AUDIENCE?
Internal Audience: Alpha Phi Omega members and alumni only. These would include advisors and other chapters, such as those in your section and region, including alumni volunteers.
External Audience: Non-Alpha Phi Omega members. These would include non-member students, college or university administrators, civic and community organizations, the media, etc. Recommended uses include websites and all apparel.
DO I NEED TRADEMARK APPROVAL?
Trademarks must be actively protected. APO does this by having protocol and strict rules regarding the logo. Items that will be purchased need to go through a licensed vendor (Example 1). Items that are printed or published digitally, but not sold, can be created by the chapter, alumni association, etc. once a Trademark Request Form has been submitted (Example 2).
Example 1: I am designing and purchasing shirts or stickers for a chapter event. - Go through an APO licensed vendor (found on GreekLicensing.com).
Example 2: My school wants the APO logo for a banner on campus. - Submit a Trademark Request Form on the APO website to request the logos.
COLOR PALATTE
PRIMARY BRAND COLORS
C: 100 M: 66 Y: 0 K: 35
#003a6
BLUE
0
#ffb611
SECONDARY BRAND COLORS
#002069
#0032f2
#486699
TEXT COLORS, IN PREFERRED ORDER
THE TORCH LOGO
The Torch Logo — displaying three flames representing Alpha Phi Omega’s Cardinal Principles of Leadership, Friendship and Service — is the graphic identity that should be used for all external audiences. If the potential communication piece will be viewed by both external and internal audiences, please use the Torch Logo.
LOGO VARIATIONS
LIGHT BACKGROUND DARK BACKGROUND
Preferred two-color usage
Whenever possible, two colors should be used.
Preferred two-color usage
The logo looks best in white with the torch in gold.
One-color usage
If possible, please use blue as the one color. The logo may be reproduced in black.
One-color usage on a dark background
The logo may be reversed to white on black or printed in gold or white on medium blue or a dark blue, such as Hanes® Deep Royal or Deep Navy T-shirts
THE TORCH LOGO - ADDITIONS
To add a chapter name or other addition to the Torch Logo, separate the Logo and the extension with a line. For the extension line, use Fututa PT Condensed Bold in all caps. Samples to the right show a dark and light background option.
SERVICE PIN
The Service Pin Logo may be used for informal internal communcations such as: awards, souvenirs or fellowship events. The preferred usage would be two colors, although it may also be reproduced in blue and white.
THE CREST LOGO
The Crest Logo — this is also known as the Coat of Arms. This logo should be used for more formal occasions such as banquets, anniversary celebrations or alumni events. It is best reproduced in the four-color process (pictured to the left). Due to the detail in the image, printing in a small size can be challenging. This logo may be used for internal publications only.
OTHER INFORMATION
Members, chapters, regions and sections are prohibited from modifying any trademark symbol to maintain the integrity of the Alpha Phi Omega brand.
To learn more, visit www.apo.org/members-main-page/communication/.
VOLUNTEER STAFF
ALPHA DELTA IOTA CHAPTER
Futura PT
EXTRA BOLD | BOLD | HEAVY | DEMI
MEDIUM | BOOK | LIGHT
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Futura PT Condensed
EXTRA BOLD | BOLD | MEDIUM | BOOK
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Garamond
Regular | Bold | Italic
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
HEADINGS
Short headlines should be in all caps. Longer headlines may uppercase and lowercase. The font should be Futura PT [Book or Bold] or Futura PT Condensed [Bold] if space is tight. If working with limited fonts and Futura PT is not available Helvetica may be substituted.
SHORT HEADLINE IN FUTURA PT BOOK
Longer Headline Example with More Words
SHORT HEADLINE IN FUTURA PT BOLD
Longer
Headline Example with More Words and in Two Lines
SHORT HEADLINE IN FUTURA PT CONDENSED BOLD
Longer Headline Example with More Words and Condensed
SUBHEADINGS AND BODY
Subheads should be in Futura PT Bold. All body text should be in Garamond, utilizing Garamond Italic when necessary. If working with limited fonts and Futura PT is not available, Helvetica may be substituted for subheads. If Garamond is not available, Times New Roman may be substituted for body copy. Subheads and body copy should be in sentence case, following the style guidelines outlined beginning on page of this document.
