Case Study: Kappa Kappa Psi Centennial Logo

Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity was founded on the campus of Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater, Oklahoma on November 27, 1919. At this year’s National Convention, with 2019 approaching, we kicked off the countdown to the centennial! To do this, we needed a logo that would be the centerpiece of all centennial branding and promotion.

Before breaking down the design process, let’s think about what Kappa Kappa Psi represents. The following is the official mission statement of the Fraternity:

Kappa Kappa Psi is a co-educational fraternal organization that advances college and university bands for the benefit of its members and society through dedicated service and support to bands, encouragement of musical growth, lifelong educational experiences, leadership opportunities, and recognition.

The goal of this project was to creating something that could be recognizable to both brothers of the Fraternity as well as non-members. A logo that celebrates the organization’s milestone in an impactful and visually pleasing way.

As per usual, I started in my composition book. I thought about the different references to fraternity symbols I could pull from to help make the logo.

Ultimately, the concept that lasted throughout the process and ended up in the final version was the musical staff ribbon with the star in the middle. The musical staff represents the music of the college and university bands we serve. The star itself is popular amongst the Fraternity symbols: the crest, the flag, and the key.

The ribbon and star wrap around the greek letters of Kappa Kappa Psi and the custom 100 I made in Adobe Illustrator. The letters and the 100 are prominent so it’s visible what we are celebrating. Below everything rests the founding year of the Fraternity, 1919, and the centennial year, 2019. In between the years, the shadow version of the Fraternity crest sits. Each part is purposeful and adds to the overall.

The logo was unveiled to the Centennial Committee and National Council then to the active and alumni brothers at National Convention. It went over very well and I am excited to see the myriad of ways it will be applied, leading into the 100th year of this great fraternity.

~b.

Originally published at creativebobbie.com on August 29, 2017.

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