Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity
Style Guide – The Theta Tau Brand
The Theta Tau Brand
A successful brand is much more than a logo or a color scheme. How we present ourselves
and how we communicate to our audience is very important in the public's perception of
our integrity. In order to ensure a consistent, clean brand and to uphold the integrity of the
organization, we expect our members to adhere to these guidelines when referring to the
fraternity. The images provided in this guide have been chosen based on our organization’s
rich history and heritage—while keeping a modern, professional approach in mind for our
communications plan. Deviations from any of these elements break the style, undermine
our brand, harm our heritage, and in some cases violate our trademark.
The following guide is a resource for members with the intent of unifying our
communication. The success of the Theta Tau brand depends on communicating with
consistency and effectiveness.
Table of Contents
Importance of the Theta Tau Brand ........................................................................................ 3
Usage of the Theta Tau Name and Insignia ............................................................................ 3
Brand Values ............................................................................................................................ 4
Brand Language ........................................................................................................................5
Visual Identity .......................................................................................................................... 6
Fraternity Coat of Arms ................................................................................................... 6
Fraternity Word Mark .......................................................................................................7
Fraternity Greek Letters Mark ..........................................................................................7
Optional Tagline ...................................................................................................................7
Official Colors....................................................................................................................... 8
Color Palette and Color Options ..................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Badges of Theta Tau ............................................................................................................. 8
Examples of Unacceptable Use of the Marks...................................................................... 9
Typography/Fonts ................................................................................................................ 9
Glossary .......................................................................................................................................... 9
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Importance of the Theta Tau Brand
All Theta Tau-branded communications should follow the Theta Tau style guidelines. In
addition to meeting these requirements, using the recommended Theta Tau fonts, colors,
and images is the best way to give all Theta Tau communication efforts a successful,
timeless brand identity. Most importantly, it maintains a consistency across all Theta Tau
communications that fosters a sense of familiarity and confidence in its diverse audience.
The graphic identity of an organization embodies its goals and objectives. Since our
graphic identity is the cornerstone of all communication efforts, it is essential that its
integrity is protected. Use of the graphic identity carries with it the responsibility to
uphold the ideals of our mission. It benefits everyone involved when the identity is applied
consistently to convey one clear message.
Usage of the Theta Tau Name and Insignia
The name Theta Tau, the Greek letters, badge, and the fraternity’s Coat of Arms are all
registered trademarks of the national fraternity. Theta Tau grants a limited right to its
chapters and members in good standing to use the Greek letters, Fraternity name, and
vision in conjunction with their communications vehicles, such as magazines, websites, emails, and other print or electronic publications that further the mission of the fraternity
and add value to our brand. Based on trademark protection, any non-member or member
not in good standing must obtain permission in writing from the national fraternity for
usage of these names and logos for any purpose, including posting on the Internet.
Furthermore, uses of our trademarks by chapters and/or members in good standing which
at the sole discretion of the national fraternity undermine our brand, harm our good name,
or simply may not further our mission must be prevented, removed, or stopped at the
national fraternity’s request.
As the sole owner of its trademarks, Theta Tau has the legal right and obligation to request
the removal of objectionable/illegal content from websites and any Internet service if the
name Theta Tau or one of its registered trademarks is used.
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Brand Values
Brand values are the core values represented by a brand. These build an emotional
connection with members, as well as external audiences, and influence how others perceive
and interact with us.
From recruitment, through pledging, to lifelong brotherhood, our members are:
• Honest & Ethical
• Dependable & Trustworthy
• Respectful of Ourselves and Each Other
• Generous of Time, Talent, & Treasure for each Other, Theta Tau, and our Community
• Proud that we are the oldest, largest, and foremost Fraternity for Engineers
Guiding Principles
• Culture of brotherhood, lifelong relationships, and connection
• Mutual respect and professionalism
• Balance of social, service, and professional activities
• Diversity of engineering disciplines and demographics
Our Goals for our Brotherhood:
We forge lifelong bonds of fraternal friendship, a journey that develops and delivers a
network of lasting personal and professional relationships. We foster an inviting, safe, and
social environment in which our members become lifelong friends.
Our Goals for our Profession:
We develop and nurture engineers with strong communication, problem-solving,
collaboration, and leadership skills that we demonstrate in our profession, our community,
and in our lives.
Our Goals for our Communities:
We are known for our service to our college, university and the larger community. Our
service projects create a unifying environment for learning and personal growth for our
members.
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Brand Language
Language is a very powerful tool in communicating the Theta Tau message, particularly in
our print and online communications. By consistently incorporating messages that support
the fraternity’s initiatives and brand values, we reinforce to our audiences the good we are
doing. As a membership organization, Theta Tau holds certain standards of conduct to
which all members are required to adhere. These standards apply to all forms of
communication, including but not limited to: chapter newsletters, invitations,
correspondence, flyers, t-shirts, banners, websites, social networking sites, and online
forums.
As technology continues to develop and expand the audience of Internet-based
communications, these membership standards must extend to the Internet and the posting
of information related to, and concerning, the national fraternity and its membership.
Although Theta Tau cannot restrict what members post and communicate online, it can set
policy on what its members say and communicate in relation to the Fraternity, its chapters
and the organization as a whole. Individual members who identify themselves as Theta Tau
members and post negative, insulting, threatening information, or engage in any behavior
that harms our good name may be subject to discipline at the chapter or national level.
If you are ever unsure of whether a piece of communication is acceptable, consider these
points:
• Is it consistent with the ideals and objectives of the fraternity?
• Are there references to alcohol in text or pictures? There should be none.
• Would the text or pictures be seen as offensive to a minority or other population
segment?
• Are people portrayed with proper dignity and respect?
• What would different segments of the public think of the shirt (or website, banner, or
posting)?
• What would my university or engineering dean think of the shirt (or website, banner,
or posting)?
• Would my “alumni brothers” who have families with children or are in their 40’s, 50s,
or even 70’s or 80’s think of our chapter newsletter, our website, or the homecoming
invitation?
• What would my parents or grandparents think of the shirt (or website, or banner or
posting)?
Members should never disclose privileged information, such as information concerning
ceremonies, the Fraternity’s Ritual, or membership selection, which is reserved only for
members of Theta Tau.
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Visual Identity
Fraternity Coat of Arms
The oldest symbol of the fraternity still in use is the Coat of Arms adopted in 1906. It may
only be worn by members. The Coat of Arms should be reproduced in black, dark red, or if
in color, only in its true and official colors. It should never appear in screen tints and must
always appear in the solid color combinations described below. Do not angle or rotate the
Coat of Arms. Do not add a shadow, dimension, or distort it. Do not refer to the Coat of
Arms as the “Crest” – it is not.
Fraternity Crest, Shield, and Ribbon Scroll
The Coat of Arms can be described as consisting of three main parts: Crest, shield, and
ribbon scroll. The ribbon scroll is beneath the shield and contains the letters  and T. The
shield is the largest portion of the Coat of Arms. The Crest consists of hand clasping the
hammer and tongs, sleeve, and torsade in alternating dark red and gold strands. In some
cases, it may be desirable or necessary to use the Crest instead of the entire Coat of Arms.
If doing so, please use it in the same dignified manner as the Coat of Arms.
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Fraternity Word Mark
The word mark (shown below) is a unique typographic element displaying the name of our
fraternity in a customized typeface based on Times New Roman Regular. The word mark
may be used on its own or in combination with the logo. It may be rendered in black, dark
red, or gold font color. When used in conjunction with our official description (per
Constitution, Article I, Section 2), it can be rendered on a single line or on multiple lines
using the Times New Roman, Cambria, Arial, or Tahoma fonts. While there are countless
other number of other fonts, it is wise to avoid the use of trendy or overly artistic fonts that
may in fact be very difficult to read.
Times New Roman
Theta Tau
Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity
Cambria
Theta Tau
Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity
Arial
Theta Tau
Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity
Tahoma
Theta Tau
Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity
Theta Tau
Theta Tau
Professional Engineering Fraternity
Professional Engineering Fraternity
Theta Tau
Theta Tau
Professional Engineering Fraternity
Professional Engineering Fraternity
Fraternity Greek Letter Mark
The Greek letter mark (shown below) is a unique typographic element displaying the
fraternity letters using the Symbol font. It is often obtained using the Q and T strokes on a
standard keyboard. The letter mark may be used on its own or in combination with the
logo. It can be rendered horizontally or vertically, and may be rendered in black, dark red,
or gold font color,












Optional Tagline
The phrase “Engineering Leaders for Service, Profession, and Brotherhood” should be used
for advertising and other marketing materials. When the tagline is used, it must conform in
typestyle as shown below.
Times New Roman
Engineering Leaders for Service, Profession, and Brotherhood.
Cambia
Engineering Leaders for Service, Profession, and Brotherhood.
Arial
Engineering Leaders for Service, Profession, and Brotherhood.
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Tahoma
Engineering Leaders for Service, Profession, and Brotherhood.
Official Colors
Differences in color appearance may occur depending on the printer, the quality of paper,
the paper finish (vellum, glossy, etc) or product material used. The final product should
match the official PMS colors shown here. The national fraternity has determined that the
following colors present the best appearance on the widest range of potential materials (ie,
the “dark red” does not too appear too purple on some materials or too brown on others).
Color Palette and Color Options
Theta Tau's primary colors are dark red and gold. These two colors should be present in all
applications, since they are the principle color-based elements of the Theta Tau brand. Offwhite (along with black and white) can be used to complete the Theta Tau color palette.
Color
Hex #
PMS
RBG
CMYK
Dark Red
8B0000
202C
137;32;52
30;97;72;30
Gold
FFCC33
122
253;212;79
1;15;80;0
Off-White
EDEAB5
600
238;235;182
7;3;35;0
Metallic Gold
873C
Note that “metallic” colors cannot be reproduced electronically, and can only be produced
in print as a “spot color.” Metallic colors cannot be produced by the customary 3 (RBG) or
4 (CMYK) color print processes, nor as a hexadecimal code. Use of metallic colors usually
adds expense to a project, but when used sparingly can add richness to your project.
PANTONE® (PMS) is Pantone, Inc.™s check-standard trademark for color reproduction and
color reproduction materials.
Theta Tau Badges
The original badge was a gold skull with the letters Θ and Τ on its forehead, and a crossed
hammer and tongs beneath. Use of the first badge is generally reserved for historical
purposes and should not be used in publications, t-shirts, webpage, etc. Our earliest
members, including the Founders, decided in 1911 that it was not unique and did not
positively represent Theta Tau to the outside world. That conclusion is as true today as it
was in 1911. A vintage reproduction of that original badge is available for an individual to
wear for those who wish to do so. If one wearing it meets someone, they at least have the
opportunity to explain the historical esoteric nature of fraternal organizations. Such
opportunity for explanation does not present itself when the original badge is used on
clothing or in a print or electronic publication. Simply, its use is never necessary and
should be avoided.
The Official Badge in use since 1911 may only be worn by Theta Tau members. It is a
circular gear wheel with a crossed hammer and tongs atop it, and with the letters Θ and Τ.
12 pearls and 1 dark red garnet are inlaid into the badge. According to our laws, the Official
Badge may not be turned into any other form of jewelry. In keeping with this principle, the
national fraternity believes that the badge should not be represented on shirts, websites,
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publications, etc. When considering use of a representation of a badge for such a purpose,
a simple gear wheel will always look more attractive and appealing.
Examples of Unacceptable Use of the Marks
Do not angle or rotate the Coat of Arms. Do not add a shadow, dimension, or distort it. Use
the original, high quality graphic files. Do not scan or recreate the Coat of Arms. Do not use
bitmapped images such as TIFF or PICT file formats for offset printed materials because of
their poor reproduction quality. The EPS file format is scalable and provides better
reproduction for offset printing.
Typography/Fonts
The following typefaces are recommended for use in publications and other
communication documents, whenever appropriate: Times New Roman, Constantia,
Cambria, Georgia, Arial, Tahoma
Serif Family
Times New Roman, Constantia, Cambria, or Georgia in regular, italic, and bold can be used
for headlines, subheads, text, and address blocks.
Sans Serif Family
Arial or Tahoma in italic, bold, bold italic, and black can be used in headlines, subheads, and
text to complement the Times New Roman typeface.
Glossary
active / actives
Lowercase. It does NOT refer to student members only, and its use should simply be
avoided. Instead say “student members” or “alumni.”
academic courses
Lowercase in all uses except languages. A business course. an English course
academic degrees
Only necessary to establish someone’s credentials. The preferred use is a phrase instead of
an abbreviation. Degrees should be lowercase in phrase form.
Scott, who has a bachelor’s degree in math, will teach today.
When abbreviated, degrees are capitalized and, when used after a full name, set off by
commas. Never abbreviate after only a last name. John Doe, Ph.D., attended the lecture.
academic titles
Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as professor, chairman, etc. only when they
precede a full name. Lowercase in all other instances.
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academic years
Lowercase designations for academic years. freshman, sophomore, junior, senior
adviser
Not advisor unless someone’s title explicitly states that it is advisor. Capitalize chapter
adviser, Greek adviser or alumni adviser only when the title directly precedes an individual’s
full name. Lowercase when used in a general reference.
alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae
Alumnus and alumna are singular. Alumni and alumnae are plural.
The alumnus brother attended the alumni event. Use of the term “alumni” is appropriate for a
mixed gender group.
bachelor of arts, bachelor of science
A bachelor’s degree or bachelor’s is acceptable in any reference.
Brother or brotherhood
One word. Lowercase. Capitalize “Brother” only when it is followed by a specific brother’s
name (ie, Brother Jones). Do not use the term “bro” or “bros” except as a title in print just
as one uses the term Mr. , Dr., Prof., etc. (ie, Bro. John Smith).
bylaws/National Bylaws
Not bi-laws or by-laws. Capitalize when referring to a specific set of rules by which to
govern. For example: Kyle wondered if it was in a part of the Theta Tau National Bylaws or
Eta Gamma Chapter Bylaws. Kim said bylaws are a set of governing rules.
chapter, house
Lowercase. A chapter is a group of members from a particular college; a house is a physical
space. Do not use house when you mean chapter.
That chapter’s house is small. The chapter made a decision regarding house maintenance.
chapter names
Capitalized when following the name of a chapter.
For example: Alpha Eta Chapter held a Choose Children event.
When referring to a particular chapter, avoid using the as an article.
For example: Rho Chapter; not The Rho Chapter.
coed/coeducational
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Lowercase, no hyphens. “Coed” is NOT part of our Fraternity’s name or description. Please
see Constitution, Article, I, Section 2.
colony
Always lowercase, except when referring to a specific colony.
conference titles
Full official names of conferences should be capitalized.
The Democratic National Convention
Do not treat appendages such as “annual meetings” as part of titles; lowercase them.
The annual Republican National Convention
A title given to a conference is enclosed in quotation marks.
“Best Foot Forward” leadership convention
frat
Never use this term, not even as an abbreviation. It is often used by those who are
prejudiced against fraternal organizations to stereotype, stigmatize, and denigrate us.
fraternal
Used as an adjective and is not capitalized.
fraternity, fraternities
Lowercase when referring vaguely without reference to a particular organization.
Nationals
Never use this term as it has no obvious or universal meaning. Instead, say what you mean,
such as National Convention, national fraternity, national officers, the Central Office, etc.
party
Brotherhood or social event is preferred.
For example: The chapter is planning a social event with another fraternity.
philanthropy, philanthropic
Philanthropy describes efforts and institutions, not events. A charitable event should be
called a philanthropic event, not philanthropy.
The team’s commitment to philanthropy is commendable.
The team worked with a children’s philanthropy to raise funds.
The team held a philanthropic event last Friday.
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regional director/XX Regional Director
Do not capitalize regional director as a title unless a specific region is identified in the title.
For example: The regional director is visiting next week. The Atlantic Regional Director will
be at the chapter meeting on Monday
ritual
Capitalize “Ritual” when referring to a specific Fraternity Ritual ceremony or the
Fraternity’s Ritual book as a whole. For example: Let’s strive to keep the Ritual alive in our
daily lives. In this example, ‘Ritual’ refers to our book of ceremonies as it should.
Use lowercase when referring to other types of habitual activities. Eating at Bart’s Pizza on
Mondays is becoming a ritual. Here, ‘ritual’ really means ‘habit.’ It would be preferable to
use the word ‘habit’ in that sentence.
Those bigoted toward fraternities have recently adopted the practice of using the word
‘ritual’ to describe any type of activity of which they disapprove. The word’s use in this
manner is deliberately intended to provoke fraternity members, to cast aspersions upon
our purpose and members, and to sow doubt about the worthy nature of our Ritual.
The Gear
The Gear, or The Gear of Theta Tau, is the fraternity’s biannual member magazine, should
always be capitalized and italicized.
titles of people
In general, confine capitalization to formal titles used directly before an individual’s full
name. Set in lowercase and spell out titles when they are not used with an individual’s
name and in constructions that set them off from a name by commas. Corporate,
professional, and government titles are capitalized only when they immediately precede a
person’s full name. The titles of employees are always capitalized.
exception 1
In formal usages, such as acknowledgements and lists of contributors, titles following a
personal name are usually capitalized.
exception 2
Titles used in place of names in direct address are capitalized.
exception 3
Titles of person and events may be capitalized when in a list or as a heading. Multiple titles
are not capitalized when they are strung together with another title or simple label in front
of a person’s name.
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Senate majority leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole
titles of publications
Titles of books, magazines, newspapers, manuals, movies and videos are capitalized and
italicized, or underlined only if italics are not available. All Fraternity publications are
capitalized and italicized. The initial article that is part of a title may be omitted if it would
be awkward in context. When it is included, it is capitalized and italicized.
Kevin read Monday’s The New York Times.
Use quotation marks, not italics, to identify articles.
t-shirt
Hyphenated. Do not capitalize the t.
university names, college
Capitalize only when used with the actual school name. When abbreviating the university
or college name, do not use periods. For example, USC. Avoid use of such abbreviations
when doing so may represent more than one likely campus to the reader. For example, a
chapter newsletter from Alpha Chapter may frequently refer to UM without confusion. In
contrast, an issue of The Gear which refers to UM could potentially refer to the University of
Minnesota, University of Michigan, etc.
University names are usually abbreviated after they have been spelled out on their first
occurrence in the text, unless the abbreviation is expected to be instantly recognizable.
Use the but do not capitalize it unless you are certain that it is part of the school’s official
name. She attends the University of Michigan, while her brother attends Michigan State
University. Their neighbor will enter The Ohio State University this fall.
In writing, if a university has more than one campus, use “at” and not a comma, hyphen or
slash to delineate unless you are certain that the school’s official name includes such
punctuation. Eliminating the punctuation makes the reader’s task easier.
He is visiting the University of California at Los Angeles this weekend. He is visiting the
University of California, Los Angeles this weekend.
In the second sample sentence above, the comma implies a pause and leads the reader to
believe that “…,Los Angeles this weekend…” is a phrase of its own. In less formal situations,
the commonly accepted name. UCLA, for example, is acceptable.
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