Pi Beta Phi Greek Organization Brand & Website Design
A Fresh Expression of Lifelong Sisterhood
Founded in 1867, Pi Beta Phi is a women’s fraternity with chapters across North America. More than 350,000 women have been initiated into a sisterhood built on friendship, leadership, and service. pibetaphi.org
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Finding the Pi Phi difference
Pi Beta Phi came to us to validate a belief: that leadership was what distinguished its sisterhood. It was an important claim, but friendship, leadership, and service were all familiar promises in Greek life. Pi Phi wanted to understand what members truly valued, how prospective members perceived the organization, and whether there was a more specific story only Pi Phi could tell.
Discovery & Research
We started by listening to Pi Phis across generations. Through leadership workshops, in-person focus groups, membership-wide surveys, and one-on-one interviews, we explored why women join, what keeps them connected, and how they describe the sisters around them. We paired those perspectives with market research to understand what women seek in Greek life and which promises every organization was already making. The findings gave us a clear test for the leadership hypothesis: if Pi Phi could claim it, we needed to show what leadership looked like here.
A Different Kind of Leader
Our research confirmed that friendship was what collegians and alumnae valued most, but friendship, leadership, and service were all familiar promises in Greek life. What made Pi Phi distinctive was how its members lived those values. Again and again, members described women who welcomed others in, encouraged their sisters to lead, and built personal connections through service. Pi Phi wasn’t defined by leadership in the abstract. It attracted and cultivated a particular kind of leader: a connector.
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Friends who lead (and light) the way
Our research gave us a more specific way to position Pi Phi’s leadership: Pi Phis are connectors. They build sincere friendships, make others feel welcome, and encourage the people around them to grow. “Friends Who Lead (and Light) the Way” is a positioning idea that shaped how we described Pi Phi, the messages we developed, and the visual identity that would bring those qualities to life.
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Familiar symbols, new energy
We translated the warmth and energy of the connector into a visual identity that feels both familiar and new. The new wordmark gives Pi Phi’s classic golden arrow a place inside the name itself, sweeping through “Beta” in one fluid motion. Paired with warmer letterforms and an expanded palette rooted in the traditional wine and silver blue, it feels recognizably Pi Phi with a brighter energy for the next generation.
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Bringing the Brand Online
Once the new brand was in place, Pi Phi asked us to bring it to the web. We built a WordPress site that puts its members and their stories front and center, while making it easier for visitors to understand the sisterhood and find ways to take part.
One Site, Many Needs
The website had to serve prospective members and their families, collegians, alumnae, and Pi Phi leaders, each arriving with different questions. It also had to bring the Fraternity, Foundation, and Housing Corporation together in one coherent experience. Our challenge was to make every audience feel considered while giving the public site a clear role: tell Pi Phi’s story, show the value of belonging, and guide people toward the information they need.
What the Existing Site Made Difficult
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A Clearer Place for Everything
The public site now focuses on Pi Phi’s people, values, and impact, while member-only forms, supplies, and operational resources have a clearer home in Beta Base. The distinction helps visitors understand where to go without letting internal tasks crowd out Pi Phi’s story.
The Sisterhood in Motion
We created flexible content blocks that bring chapter TikToks, member photos, and stories into the site. The social-style experience lets visitors see the warmth and energy of Pi Phi through the women who live it.
Connection Across North America
An interactive map helps visitors explore collegiate chapters and alumnae clubs. It makes the reach of Pi Phi’s sisterhood visible while giving members a practical way to find a community nearby.
An Honest Look at Joining
The “Is Pi Phi Right for Me?” page answers common recruitment questions and explains the values Pi Phi looks for in prospective members. It also addresses topics like legacy status directly, helping women and their families approach recruitment with clearer expectations.
One Connected Pi Phi Experience
The finished website brings Pi Phi’s history, people, and possibilities into one experience. Prospective members can picture themselves in the sisterhood, while collegians and alumnae can discover stories and communities that keep them connected. Across the Fraternity, Foundation, and Housing Corporation, the new brand gives every part of Pi Phi a shared voice and visual identity.
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A brand pi phis Are proud to share
The new identity was quickly embraced. Pi Phis celebrated its launch at chapter parties across the country and shared their excitement on social media. Seeing members make the brand part of their own celebrations was a fitting result for a project built around connection.
We appreciate everything you and your team did to help bring this launch to life. It was a significant undertaking, and we recognize the tremendous amount of work, collaboration and care that went into making it a success. We truly valued working with you all throughout this project.
Pi Beta Phi
TG Livak, Senior Director of Brand Experience
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