4 Crucial Things You Should Do Before Designing Your Chapter’s PR Merch In 2025

Hey there, apparel chair!

Aside from the various events you must get merch for, you’ll also need to order PR merch for your sorority or fraternity.

Unlike doing merch for events, Greek PR merch is pretty general.PR merch can be anything from shirts with your chapter’s letters, tote bags to lug around campus, or even custom Stanley Quencher’s! That means you can have a ton of fun and be creative with PR merch.

Don’t be fooled by how simple they sound, though! To make the coolest sorority or fraternity PR merch for your chapter, you and your PR chair must think beyond, “Oh, let’s just do our fraternity or sorority PR shirts with a generic design.”

But… why can’t we just do basic Greek PR Merch? 

When done right, even tote bags can make your chapter known throughout the campus!

Stamping your chapter’s identity on garments and other stuff (like a Stanley Quencher) takes a lot more thought than you’d realize!

According to Lara Henderson, Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity’s former Rho Delta Chapter President, there’s a lot to think about with fraternity and sorority PR merch. When she and the exec team were doing their chapter’s PR merch, they had to consider their brand identity and voice, the latest trends, and how to stand out from everyone else.

When done right, even just one shirt can convey so much about a Greek chapter’s identity. Think of it as a prelude to Rush. It’s your way of making your chapter identifiable to all potential pledges, even before recruitment week starts. First impressions matter!

The design, especially, has to be something that fits your chapter’s personality and brand so you don’t accidentally make people have a bad “expectations vs. reality” moment. Plus, the right design will help your chapter stand out from the rest!

So how do I create effective PR merch for my sorority or fraternity?

Step 1: Figure out what personality your chapter’s identity

Basically, you want to figure out the identity your chapter wants to be seen as. Do you guys want to portray a fun and vibrant personality? An elegant, quiet luxury vibe? Tough baddie with a soft side? Soft and minimalist? Sporty and active?

Since you’re a member of your chapter, you probably already know what vibe fits you guys best! But it’s still best to get opinions from others. You and the PR chair should have a meeting with the rest of the exec team to align on brand direction.

Step 2: Review past fraternity or sorority PR shirts your chapter ordered

The font choices tell me that they’re elegant with a touch of minimalist girly vibe.

What did the past apparel chairs design for your fraternity or sorority’s PR shirts? It’s time to unearth all the PR merch you’ve had since you joined your chapter and compare them! You should definitely note these elements:

• Colors used
• Font style (Is it serif or sans serif?)
• Symbols or shapes included
• Print type (yes, certain print types can help convey your personality better!)

If there are any repeating elements, consider incorporating them in your design. Repetitive elements help people recall your chapter, and the members will also better identify with your design because it strikes familiarity with them!

Step 3: Check the latest trends for fraternity or sorority shirt designs 

Bucket hats still have everyone in a chokehold lbr.

Sticking to the familiar elements makes it easier for you and the PR chair to come up with a final design, but it doesn’t mean you can’t spice it up! New trends come up every few months for Greek shirt designs, so you need to keep up if you don’t want your fraternity or sorority PR shirts (and other merch!) to look outdated. 

There are lots of ways you can keep up with the trends. You can search for popular sorority PR shirt designs, browse Pinterest or Instagram to see what other chapters are doing, or even contact a custom Greek apparel company for design recommendations if they offer those. 

If you and the PR chair are short on time to research (academics first!), following other sororities or apparel companies on social media also works. 

P.S….If you’re also subscribed to our emails, we regularly send out design trends for Greek shirts based on real-time data and the event you need them for no extra effort on your part! ;)

Step 4: Collaborate!

This dainty design was a collaborative effort between the apparel chair, PR chair, and our CM!

And I don’t mean just with your PR chair. There might be an artsy person in your chapter who’s willing to help you design your fraternity or sorority PR shirts!

Why not ask around and see if anyone wants the chance to help you design the PR merch? After all, who better to help you come up with a cute design than someone who also knows your chapter from the inside out?

You can also contact a custom Greek apparel company and ask if they can help you with a design, especially if you’re not especially confident with your art skills. Many custom apparel companies have in-house artists who can help their clients with their designs, but your best bet would be ones that offer free design mockups (like us!).

Here’s an extra option, which happens to be our fave: You can explore our design tool and start creating your custom merch! We offer a variety of fonts and templates that you can fully personalize to match your chapter’s style. 

And that’s it! If you need any more help with your Greek PR shirts, why not contact one of our Campus Managers from your school? You can also send us a proof request straight from our Products page or Design Gallery and we’ll get them to you ASAP, no commitment required! Good luck!!