The Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority has had much to celebrate over the last few years, from installing new chapters to completing a full rebrand. On July 11th, the sisterhood descended on Virginia Beach to celebrate another big milestone – the 47th Biennial National Convention and Leadership Conference.

This year’s convention brought the sorority back home. Founded at Longwood University in Farmville, VA in 1901, the sorority has enjoyed 111 years of milestones. With such a rich history, the opportunity for a homecoming lent itself perfectly to the theme of, “Celebrating Our Journey”. From highlighting moments of the past to providing the new brand with an offline debut, the experience was set up to not only share memories but also make them.

Conventions make a big impact on the women who attend and as the design partners we were acutely aware of the need to convey a strong, memorable message. Utilizing the concept of taking a journey, we played with images associated with travel, from passports to transports. The final design aesthetic gave homage to vintage travel – maps and a compass rose. We wanted to showcase a vintage, modern feel that could easily resonate across generations, state lines and chapters.

The logo was the first step of the design and also the cornerstone of the branding efforts. The diamond-like shape of the Alpha Sigma Alpha badge logo couldn’t have been more perfect for use in a compass-rose design. The four corner points representing the four aims, the gold of the foundation and the red of the sorority all fit together naturally to create the directional image and impart the message of finding a way and enjoying a journey.

Vintage looking map lines and way-finding signage helped create movement throughout the remaining call to convention brochure and convention program. The compass rose was predominately displayed as the focal point and the beginning of all materials. Beyond the map lines, the color palette also created a visual representation of travel, with the standard sorority red and foundation gold receiving accent help from the newer, bolder red from the rebrand.

Fresh off the celebration, the women of Alpha Sigma Alpha are invigorated and excited to make the Journey for the next 111 years even better than the last. Take a peek at the design journey and if you feel inspired visit the sisterhood at alphasigmaalpha.org.