Atatürk Üniversitesi (Atatürk University) is a public university established in 1957 in Erzurum, Turkey. Its emblem is built around a Seljukian double-headed eagle, a motif drawn from Anatolian Seljuk visual culture. The university’s official identity page describes the emblem as consisting of two eagles conjoined ventrally, a tree of life, and double dragons at the bottom, with pointy ears, a crooked beak, big wings, a tail and talons visible in the figure. [1]
Design and History
The university’s first logo was a double-headed eagle, originally designed for use on diplomas. According to an interview with Atatürk Üniversitesi faculty member Ayşe Özdemir, who authored a book on the university’s founding history, the then-director of the university’s printing house placed the Seljukian eagle in the center of diplomas, and that is how the logo story began. [2]
In 2018, the university began a study on its logo, which led to a broader effort to formalize the visual identity. A local news report from 2019 noted that the 62-year-old university’s logo had not been registered until recently, when a patent was obtained and the logo was given institutional functionality. The report also stated that the word “Erzurum” was removed from the logo, leaving only “Atatürk Üniversitesi.” [3]
Around the same period, the university launched a redesigned website. An official university announcement noted that a dynamic “A” logo, designed by the Corporate Communications Directorate’s Brand Management Department, was used in various formats on the new site. [4]
Flags of the World, a vexillology reference, reported in December 2024 that the university “now uses a slightly redesigned logo and thus the flag.” [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The university’s official identity page provides detailed symbolism for the emblem’s elements. The eagle was regarded as sacred by ancient Turks, and shamans believed the double-headed eagle arose from an eagle’s mating with a woman. The eagle was accepted as a protective soul, and its plumes and scepters were used as symbols of power and nobleness. Seljuks used it as an amulet, a talisman, a protective factor, and a symbol of power and wealth. [1]
The tree of life is one of the most important figures in Seljukian architecture, and ancient Turks accepted it as the center of the world. According to shaman belief, it was used as a ladder during journeys to the underground and the sky. The couple of dragons under the tree of life were gatekeeper creatures; the knots on their carcasses are astronomical remarks symbolizing certain planetary situations during solar and lunar eclipses. As in the Erzurum Çifte Minareli Medrese, the couple of dragons under the tree of life was used as both symbols of hell and the gatekeeper that protects the tree. [1]
The university’s mission and vision slogan, “In the Service of Life, always forward,” is directly tied to the logo: being at the service of life is associated with the tree of life, and the concept of “always forward” is associated with the gaze of the double-headed eagle. [6]
Typography and Design
The university’s official brand guidelines, published as a PDF on its website, specify logo color codes including PANTONE 2755 C and the hex value #211261. The guidelines also cover logo, emblem and circular logo usage in black, white and negative applications, as well as circular logo color usage. [7]
A separate design registration on the university’s research information system lists an “Atatürk Üniversitesi Atacan Logo Tasarımı” (Atatürk University Atacan Logo Design) as a graphic design with a registration/implementation date of June 2020, categorized under corporate identity design. [8]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
