January 11, 2016
Dear brothers and friends of Theta Chi Fraternity:
As we begin the New Year, you will notice a number of exciting updates to Theta Chi Fraternity’s web and social media presence. The new graphic elements that will be rolled out in the days ahead are components of Theta Chi’s visual identity refresh. This updated identity was previewed by this past weekend’s Sasser Presidents Conference participants and was met with much praise and excitement.
Throughout 2015, Theta Chi Fraternity worked closely with RHB, an Indianapolis-based marketing and design firm, to refresh our various logos and themes. Most of the visual elements utilized by the fraternity up to this point were developed in the 1990s and have been long-overdue for an update.
Over the course of the past year, the Fraternity and RHB have worked closely together to develop a theme that both honors Theta Chi’s history and demonstrates our commitment to remaining a leader in the modern fraternity movement. Throughout the development phase, the fraternity solicited feedback from a diverse cross-section of our membership. Focus groups consisting of both collegiate and alumnus members were held to collect critical feedback that was incorporated into the final designs. At the conclusion of the process, a refreshed visual identity emerged that is anchored by a new logo and tagline – Resolute Men.
The new Theta Chi logo includes a number of the fraternity’s most beloved and enduring symbols. You will notice the swords, the rattlesnake, the shield, and colors from our Coat of Arms are streamlined and modernized in the new logo so that they will represent well across a number of different mediums.
It should be noted that the Coat of Arms, one of Theta Chi’s most treasured symbols, is not being eliminated. Under the fraternity’s new visual standard guidelines, the Coat of Arms is being elevated to a position of greater reverence. The Coat of Arms will now be reserved for more formal usage such as on membership shingles, bid cards, awards, chapter houses, composites, or in other appropriate manners.
Think of the Coat of Arms in same way as you would of your college/university seal. You would typically find your college/university seal on a diploma or other official documents. You would not usually find the seal on a football helmet, which typically displays the college/university logo.
Theta Chi’s new tagline, Resolute Men, comes directly from the second sentence of the Fraternity’s Creed. Resolute Men has resonated with our members since Frank Schrenk (Kappa/Pennsylvania 1915) penned the Creed. As a tagline, it will continue to communicate the purposeful, determined, and unwavering character that defines Theta Chi Fraternity. It is also a reference to an exciting new initiative the fraternity will be announcing later this week – be sure to check back in to thetachi.org in the days ahead for more details.
All chapters, alumni corporations/associations, and members are welcome and encouraged to make good use of the fraternity’s new visual elements. Theta Chi has developed an official visual standards guide and suite of the new graphics which is available for download from the resource section of myΘX (accessible via thetachi.org.) The fraternity is asking all chapters and alumni corporations/associations to adopt the new visual elements by the end of 2016 to help support the advancement of a strong brand identity.
On behalf of the many Theta Chi brothers who contributed to its development, I hope you are as excited about the visual identity refresh as we are. The fraternity welcomes any suggestions you may have about how we continue to improve our communication themes. Theta Chi Fraternity’s Director of Communication Kris Taibl welcomes any questions or suggestions regarding any of our visual elements – ktaibl@thetachi.org.
Fraternally and Sincerely,
Michael Mayer
Executive Director
PS As referenced above, be sure to check back in to thetachi.org later this week for another exciting announcement!