An Icon Gets Its Glow-up: 
College “P” Is Fresh for a New Era

THE KIDS CALL IT A GLOW-UP. When a stalwart look is transformed, revealing a beauty—even an identity—so long hidden as to be forgotten. The results can be breathtaking, and if the collective gasp from the student body was any indication, the reveal of Principia College’s new brand nailed the assignment.

All College brand elements have been rethought, from brand mark to typeface to coloring. Even the iconic panther is fresh. “There are a whole lot of reasons why we decided to undertake this work,” says College Director of Marketing and Communications Steve John (US’89, C’96). “In the higher education environment, there are fewer students available, so you have to stand out in a sea of sameness. You have to express your brand in a way that will draw attention.”

College President Dr. Meggan Madden (C’93) adds, “Our grounding in Christian Science, which is central to who we are, needs to be celebrated and expressed. Our branding needs to capture the grandeur and beauty of our campus while representing Principia ideals that embrace our legacy. As we look for ways in which we can introduce ourselves to the world, we recognize that a new brand image would help us express the Principia ideals in our operational mission and academic vision.”

For John and team, establishing a future-looking brand required communing with the past. “When we started doing this,” he says, “the rules were very simple: seek what is authentic, what is ownable, and what is timeless. . . . It started with a deep reverence for Principia College.”

To uncover the authentic and the timeless was an act of visual excavation. St. Louis-based creative agency Grown spent hours poring over Principia archives. “From Bernard Maybeck’s architectural renderings to historic signets, inspiration emerged for a new custom typeface and a refreshed logo mark,” John recounts.

“The Principia archives were a treasure trove of artifacts, symbols, and signets to draw from. In addition to old publications, exhibits, and artwork, we drew a ton of inspiration from the campus itself. There are many shapes and textures within the crests developed for the College and its Academic Centers that are drawn directly from patterns we observed in the stonework, tapestries, and other decorative elements around campus,” says Dan Rayfield, co-founder and design director of Grown. “The Mistake House, especially, became something of a mascot for us as we tried different things and proved out different approaches until we landed on one that felt true,” adds Caroline May, Grown’s co-founder.

What the team uncovered turned out to be a Principia original: a “P” dating back over 90 years, “blending tradition with modernity and honoring our legacy while looking boldly ahead,” says John. Indeed, anyone familiar with the College campus will recognize the subtle nod to its storybook feel. Against a landscape of collegiate, block-lettered Ps (think Princeton or Purdue) this mark is fluid and welcoming. The vision is carried forward with a custom font that is calm and confident, featuring lithe stems and swooping legs—a 21st-century update to the lettering that dates back to Principia’s founding.

“One thing that struck us about Principia is its profound sense of place. It really feels magical, and we wanted to preserve that in the new typeface and mark,” says May. “Everything we created for these brand systems is intended to preserve that which is distinctive and special. Principia isn’t like everyplace else, so it didn’t deserve a brand identity that looked like everyone else. It invites you to linger and really look, and I think that’s a nice visual nod to the student experience and campus culture.”

“This new identity is more than design; it is a promise,” says Madden. “It points to the qualities we nurture here every day: character, curiosity, creativity, courage, and a deep care for one another.”