The Phi Beta Kappa Society

The Phi Beta Kappa Society (PBK) is a prestigious academic honor society established in 1776. I worked with their wonderful team for many years, both as a consultant and upon bringing them to the team at FatRabbit Creative. Our projects together were wide-ranging, including refreshed organization-wide branding, logos for several of their programs and awards, graphic design and print materials, and a refreshed website.

I wanted to ensure that PBK looked as established and prestigious as they are — only 10% of applicable graduates are invited to join, and there is a long list of impressive alumni. However, they must also have versatile branding elements to show their vibrancy and appeal to young adults. Typography was an important vehicle for this. I used a modern sans-serif, Proxima Nova with Adobe Caslon, both of which worked nicely with Mrs. Eaves, a font that was already in heavy rotation with PBK staff. Caslon is a nod to their deep history and their shared birth year as the founding of the country — Caslon was used in the Declaration of Independence.

This post will be updated as I collect and curate our work over the years.

Before, Phi Beta Kappa's branding and web presence didn't do the organization justice. The hierarchy, spacing, background, and typography of the logo deflated it. I was tasked with keeping the structure and content consistent while refreshing and elevating it.